Making smaller beers....what's the point?

[McKBrew]

I gained an appreciation of session/low ABV beers from this forum. When I first started brewing, I thought I'd brew nothing less than 7%, but I found out that was not the case.

A nice Kolsch or wheat is perfect for hot summer days.

Maybe it's me, but I tend to drink higher ABV beers in winter, cool nights or rainy days.

 

[Casey27]

Mmmmm that picture of 5 milds is mighty appetizing. Somebody point me to an AG Dark Mild recipe that will look like that and be super tasty por favor.

Yeah, those look so tasty. I did a dark mild but I guess it didn't have enough non-fermentables, as the mouthfeel was a bit thin. I would like to brew one something like Cain's Dark Mild which I think is fantastic.

 

[Nugent]

I'm not a lightweight in terms of holding my booze when I'm drinking, but I get killer hangovers. I sometimes brew lower alcohol beers so I can enjoy a few when I'm home and still go to work clearheaded in the morning.

This why my beers almost never breech the 5% mark. I love drinking beer; I HATE hangovers.

 

[brewt00l]

Mmmmm that picture of 5 milds is mighty appetizing. Somebody point me to an AG Dark Mild recipe that will look like that and be super tasty por favor.

Orfy has a popular recipe in the recipe section:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/mild-mannered-ale-ag-e-uk-us-52776/

I've done a very similar recipe that came out fantastic:
Original Gravity: 1.038 (1.030 - 1.038)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 - 1.013)
Color: 23.61 (12.0 - 25.0)
Alcohol: 3.46% (2.8% - 4.5%)
Bitterness: 20.5 (10.0 - 25.0)
5.5 lb Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
1.5 lb Crystal Malt 40°L
10 oz Chocolate Malt
.75 oz Willamette (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.75 oz Willamette (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
.5 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15 min
1.0 ea Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale

...and put a twist on it this past weekend with this recipe:
Original Gravity: 1.038 (1.030 - 1.038)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 - 1.013)
Color: 21.78 (12.0 - 25.0)
Alcohol: 3.46% (2.8% - 4.5%)
Bitterness: 20.5 (10.0 - 25.0)
5.5 lb Golden Promise Malt
1.5 lb Crystal Malt 40°L
6 oz Chocolate Malt
4 oz Pale Chocolate Malt
0.67 oz Willamette (5.6%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
0.67 oz Willamette (5.6%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.5 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
1.0 ea White Labs WLP013 London Ale

 

[IrregularPulse]

While I understand where you're coming from, I love how every time someone brings up, "I like to drink beer to get drunk", people take this stance.

I know it gets in the way of our "higher sensibilities" as homebrewers, but a lot of people, myself included, like the buzzed feeling as well...there's nothing dirty about drinking to get buzzed, or downright drunk. And if I'm gonna drink to get drunk, I'd damn well prefer to drink my tasty tasty beer instead of BMC swill. Getting drunk and loving the taste of what you're drinking to GET drunk are not mutually exclusive ideas.

Often, I drink beer because I love the taste, the smell, the mouthfeel, hell, the bubbles of beer. (note that MOST of my beer is under 1.050, I think I've only made two batches above 1.055, out of 13 or 14 batches total...)

Sometimes though, I drink to get drunk.

I agree there is nothing wrong with drinking sometimes for the purpose of getting drunk. It's fun. And I prefer drinking good flavored beer. I didn't mean to "take that stance", I must taken the following comment wrong. Misunderstanding.

I don't put it down for the taste at all...

 

[TexLaw]

I certainly will not get on my high horse about not drinking to get drunk or "just go for the shots," or anything like that. Heaven (and many, many others) know that I go out amongst the Philistines often enough.

However, there are times that the intoxicating effect of alcohol is more an unfortunate circumstance than a joy. For example, in the social context, we often have friends over. They may stay for four, five, or six hours. They like to drink my homebrew, and I am quite glad to offer it. It's nice to have something they can drink that will not sneak up on them and get them into some sort of trouble on the way home. Likewise, I can drink the same thing (or something similar), so that no one is getting out further ahead than the rest.

By the same token, I might hang around the house and watch football for several hours on a weekend, and I often like to drink some beer while I'm doing it. Besides the fact that I don't particularly like to get all blitzed up while doing that, I also have small children around the house. Sometimes, the kids have friends over, so we even have others' small children around (and their parents tend to stop by, as well). It's nice to have something that I can drink for several hours without turning into a poster boy for Daytime Drunks of America.

As others mentioned, small beers are quick and easy to turn around. Sometime soon, I am going to do a 3.8% Marris Otter/Fuggles SMaSH (basically, an Ordinary Bitter without any flourish), and I look forward to drinking it within a couple weeks after brewday.


TL

 

[JKoravos]

I like to say...I don't like drinking, I like beer. Any beer. 3% to ???%.

It's true. If there isn't any good beer around, I won't drink any alcoholic beverage. Wine? Rarely. Mixed drinks? Never. BMC? Maybe outside on a hot summer day. Otherwise, nope.

I think when I started I had the mentality of brewing higher alcohol beers, but over time I came to appreciate what each style had to offer. Being able to have 1-2 beers after work without getting buzzed is nice. I'm brewing my first Mild this week, I'm stoked!

 

[pjj2ba]

90% of my beers are less the 5% ABV. I typically have one beer over at least 7% on tap though. I've got a 13% ABV just about ready to go.

Besides liking to be able to drink lots of beer and not get hammered, I also appreciate the challenge of brewing beers with low alcohol, but with just as much (or more) flavor than a big beer. Flaws show themselves more readily in the lower ABV beers. It's extreme brewing at the lower end

 

[daggers_nz]

I avoid high abv% beers now because they just make me tired and give me headaches in the morning. Some styles it suits but I tend to aim for 4-4.5% beers most of the time

 

[the_trout]

Nice necro... I trend to brew big beers but my small beers tend to taste better. For me, 3 drinks is my line. If I'm planning on 4 beers or more I go small and maybe finish big. If I'm going 3 beers or less I go big from the jump.

 

[Waynep005]

The only reasons to brew low abv beers are the same reasons to bees big beers. You like them or you want to try them or you are brewing them for someone else who like or wants to try them. I see no reason to mock anyone's choice of beer, even if its Coors light.

 

[Apendecto]

I wouldn't mind if beer tasted the same and had no alcohol whatsoever.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

The only reasons to brew low abv beers are the same reasons to bees big beers. You like them or you want to try them or you are brewing them for someone else who like or wants to try them. I see no reason to mock anyone's choice of beer, even if its Coors light.

that is a reason to mock anyone's choice of beer. bwahahaha!!

I wouldn't mind if beer tasted the same and had no alcohol whatsoever.

you're not making any sense.

 

[Zamial]

When alcohol > flavor I recommend any macro "malt liquor" or 190 proof vodka because strength is better right?

 

[JonM]

I figured out session beers were awesome quite by accident. I made a math error at the LHBS and shorted by grain by about 30% and wound up with a 3.2 or so ABV beer. Decided to run with it and it was pretty good, but the best part was 3-4 tasty beers and I was only a tiny bit buzzed.

I've been deliberately repeating that mistake over and over again. I'm currently enjoying the first sips of my 4.0% ABV all Maris Otter/Centennial SMASH. Man, this is good. Gonna do it again with Golden Promise.

 

[Beernik]

Last year I found myself brewing nothing but +7% beers. They were all very good, but I really don't want to drink a bomber of that strength every night.

This year I'm making a greater effort to keep most of them below 6%. I'm only doing 3 big beers: a Schwartslager/Black Bock (already bottled), an all Brett IPA (just barely in the fermentor), and this year's Pumpkin Ale / Winter Warmer.

I even diluted the IPA. Originally it was an imperial but I decided to up the volume with the same grain bill on brewday.

 

[Braufessor]

Purpose = to drink great beer without getting wasted or fat.

I love all kinds of beers, but some of my favorites are well made dark milds, bitters and american pale ales that come in around 1.035-1.040. Can drink several and not be drunk. Also, half the calories....

Great taste, less filling.... as they say.

 

[kombat]

I wouldn't mind if beer tasted the same and had no alcohol whatsoever.

I agree.

While you're at it, would you mind also finding me a pizza that tastes just as good, but with no fat, and ice cream that tastes exactly like my favorite Cookies 'n Cream kind, but with no sugar?

The alcohol is part of the overall flavour. If you remove the alcohol, you change the flavour. It's like trying to take the salt out of pretzels or the sugar out of Coke. It's impossible to keep the exact same flavour. If it were possible to brew a batch of Coca-Cola that tasted exactly like regular Coke, but without the sugar, than regular Coke wouldn't still exist.

 

[LLBeanJ]

I recently started on a low-carb diet and have cut back on my beer intake quite a bit due to the carbs. A couple of weeks ago I brewed a 4.3% session Belgian so that I could keeps my carb intake under control while still enjoying beer I like. Moving forward I'm planning on brewing quite a few styles that are typically larger beers as smaller, session beers. Those will be the ones that I will continue to keg and have on tap. I'll also brew smaller batches of bigger beers and bottle them, most of which I'll probably give away to friends and coworkers, but I'll keep a few on hand for when I'm in the mood.

 

[thomismydad]

Aside from all of the other reasons others have posted here (milds are very tasty!) I love being able to throw together a little 1.040 brew night recipe for $20-$25. Low hop session beers are the frugal brewers best friend.

 

[daggers_nz]

Nice necro...

my bad don't remember even posting in this thread