The high abv trend

[Summa_Brewologica]

I don't mind high-test stuff, but as I get older, I can't handle them the way I used to. I used to be able to take a bomber of 11 or 12% BBA Stout like it was nothing and be fine afterwards. These days, half of that and I feel like I shouldn't drive. Though that said, this weekend I was at the Tributary Brewing (Kittery, ME) Mott the Lesser (Kate the Great by another name) release and had a couple of those (10oz pours) plus another and I was OK. A big |Porketta sandwich may have helped that, though.
But overall, as my ABV tolerance goes down, my appreciation for the low-test stuff is going up - a good pils, helles, small wit / saison / patersbier honestly impresses me more than an imperial NEIPA with 10 pounds of hops per barrel or a massive imperial stout. I'm perfectly fine enjoying a 4.5% beer all evening rather than pounding the big guys at this point.
I do generally enjoy a beer or two most nights, especially after the kiddo goes to bed, but I'll take a week or two off now and then. It's interesting, though, it's... I won't say tough, but harder to not open something the first couple nights, but after that, I don't think about it much, and if I go to two weeks, it's almost not at all, and |I'll go down to the basement, and see all the beer and be almost surprised.

Whenever I am gearing up for some down time from drinking I always make sure I’m stocked with a lot of diet soda and various herbal teas. The biggest part of beer, for me, is that it gives me something to look forward to during the day. When I’m doing some detox/taking time off it helps to have something else to look forward to.

There is always a certain level of buzz I like and I don’t want to go beyond it. Those big beers are deceiving. Maybe it’s because drinking them as fast as I drink a session beer causes twice the results twice as fast.

 

[jrgtr42]

Whenever I am gearing up for some down time from drinking I always make sure I’m stocked with a lot of diet soda and various herbal teas. The biggest part of beer, for me, is that it gives me something to look forward to during the day. When I’m doing some detox/taking time off it helps to have something else to look forward to.

There is always a certain level of buzz I like and I don’t want to go beyond it. Those big beers are deceiving. Maybe it’s because drinking them as fast as I drink a session beer causes twice the results twice as fast.

I don't drink much soda anymore - on occasion, but mostly I stick to coffee and water when I'm passing on the alcohol. A few other things, tea, iced or hot, rarely, seltzer....

Agreed on the buzz thing. I like drinking, but as I get older, I don't like getting drunk, or even buzzed too badly. I'll call that pre-buzz "getting fluffy" and when I feel that I know it's time to stop with the booze. It's as much because it takes much longer to recover from a drunk than it used to - once upon a time if I was hungover, a couple bottles of Ginseng iced tea and a big greasy lunch and I was good to go... now it's a couple days before I'm back on an even keel.