The high abv trend

[Summa_Brewologica]

I have been finding it difficult to understand and enjoy beers much higher than 8% abv. 10-11% if it is a stout and it is done perfectly. I have a friend that won’t even consider beers that are less than 10%. In most cases, IMO, the alcohol takes over and ruins the beer when it gets much higher than 8%.

It also seems that a LOT of beers made these days seem to favor this higher range. I guess abv isn’t necessarily my primary objective when looking for beer but I have to admit I don’t really want to buy one when I see it’s like 11%.

I’m curious what everyone’s opinion is on this. How much does abv play a roll for you when picking out/brewing a beer? Is it for taste or buzz?

 

[TheMadKing]

I can go both ways. A well made high abv beer is more of a sipping drink to share with friends. I keep a "celler" stocked with 10%+ beers from barleywine to stout to sours, so I can pull out something special when I have beer loving friends over.

For daily consumption I prefer sub 5%

Above all I value quality and flavor over abv. Abv is always a secondary consideration for me

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I can go both ways. A well made high abv beer is more of a sipping drink to share with friends. I keep a "celler" stocked with 10%+ beers from barleywine to stout to sours, so I can pull out something special when I have beer loving friends over.

For daily consumption I prefer sub 5%

Above all I value quality and flavor over abv. Abv is always a secondary consideration for me

I agree with this. I guess my problem is I haven’t found a lot of 10%+ beers that I find tasty. It might also be that I don’t want to be that buzzed after drinking a beer.

 

[Stormcrow]

I also value taste above all else. If I want a stiff drink, I'll just have a little bourbon. I think high ABV in beer can get a little distracting and overpowering if the rest of the profile doesn't measure up to it. That said, Backwoods Bastard by Founder's is one of my all time favorite beers. I think they nailed the balance I'm looking for. So I know there are good ones out there.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I also value taste above all else. If I want a stiff drink, I'll just have a little bourbon. I think high ABV in beer can get a little distracting and overpowering if the rest of the profile doesn't measure up to it. That said, Backwoods Bastard by Founder's is one of my all time favorite beers. I think they nailed the balance I'm looking for. So I know there are good ones out there.

I’ve seen that beer and love the artwork. I might have to try it now. I love scotch, bourbon, and all kinds of liquors and wine. It’s just the high abv in beer that doesn’t work for me most of the time.

 

[Protos]

I just like the taste of alcohol in my beers, my taste treshold of it being around 6%ABV. It's not so easy to blend alcohol flavour into a beer in a perfectly balanced way. The easiest beers to brew, I think, are those middle-strength: from 4 to 5.5%. There you must control just the balance of malt and hop flavours. And when alcohol flavour gets into play, the task gets more compicated as now you need to marry it perfectly with all other flavours in the beer.
I brew various beers, from super light (2.5%) to super strong (12.5%). Most of my daily-consumption beers are around 7%. Beers stronger than that are harder to make really well IMO. Often I manage to, but not every time, I must confess. The stronger the beer the harder it is to do it correct.

Unfortunately, I'm unusually alcohol tolerant and get no buzz (or, up from 9%, just a very slight and non-euphoric buzz), so that is not a consideration at all. I just like that delicate sweet and spicy flavour alcohol adds to my beers. And I hate when it comes out harsh and unbalanced.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I just like the taste of alcohol in my beers, my taste treshold of it being around 6%ABV. It's not so easy to blend alcohol flavour into a beer in a perfectly balanced way. The easiest beers to brew, I think, are those middle-strength: from 4 to 5.5%. There you must control just the balance of malt and hop flavours. And when alcohol flavour gets into play, the task gets more compicated as now you need to marry it perfectly with all other flavours in the beer.
I brew various beers, from super light (2.5%) to super strong (12.5%). Most of my daily-consumption beers are around 7%. Beers stronger than that are harder to make really well IMO. Often I manage to, but not every time, I must confess. The stronger the beer the harder it is to do it correct.

Unfortunately, I'm unusually alcohol tolerant and get no buzz (or, up from 9%, just a very slight and non-euphoric buzz), so that is not a consideration at all. I just like that delicate sweet and spicy flavour alcohol adds to my beers. And I hate when it comes out harsh and unbalanced.

I like this. A classy way to appreciate the flavor of alcohol, itself.

 

[Barbarossa]

My opinion is this. If I brew with grains, yeast and hops, whatever I make is fine as long as it's balanced.

High ABV beers usually means DME and/or LME. And that, to me, is a sacrilege.

I also like beer a lot. And I like to drink a few of them. But I don't want to get drunk. So less ABV, more beer I can have. I'm thinking of looking for/developing a special low ABV recipe that is super tasty.

 

[Beerstein]

My opinion is this. If you brew with grains, yeast and hops, whatever I make is fine as long as it's balanced.

High ABV beers usually means DME and/or LME. And that, to me, is a sacrilege.

I've found it pretty easy to make high ABV beers. All by accident If you mash a little lower, then it doesn't become chewy.

I do find that darker beers require more aging to get the flavors right when doing high ABV. In hoppy beers, the hops just cover it over to an extent. My just my .02 cents.

 

[madscientist451]

People want to get wasted. That's why all the high ABV double IPA's are the highest rated beers. 10%+ ABV seems high, but remember that wine clocks in at 12-14% and people drink that all the time.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

People want to get wasted. That's why all the high ABV double IPA's are the highest rated beers. 10%+ ABV seems high, but remember that wine clocks in at 12-14% and people drink that all the time.

Wine is fine at that abv, though. Idk why but the alcohol doesn’t come through the same way it does in a beer. A wine at like 5% would be too sweet or fruity. It almost seems like a necessity for wine to be that high.

 

[MaxStout]

If it's well-executed and doesn't taste like camp stove fuel, I'm game. Give me a nice, complex RIS, a Belgian strong or a good barrel-aged beer.

 

[bracconiere]

Wine is fine at that abv, though. Idk why but the alcohol doesn’t come through the same way it does in a beer. A wine at like 5% would be too sweet or fruity. It almost seems like a necessity for wine to be that high.

wine isn't carbonated, so it needs the bite from the ABV....to me anyway....and i hate champagne because the carbonation ruins it, with the high ABV...

i brew 8% beer, and only lightly carbonate it..but really it's only because i live at high altitude, and it takes more for a decent buzz here, and i don't want to brew more then the once a week i allready do..

before i moved here from lower elevation, i liked 5%.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

wine isn't carbonated, so it needs the bite from the ABV....to me anyway....and i hate champagne because the carbonation ruins it, with the high ABV...

i brew 8% beer, and only lightly carbonate it..but really it's only because i live at high altitude, and it takes more for a decent buzz here, and i don't want to brew more then the once a week i allready do..

before i moved here from lower elevation, i liked 5%.

I’m just happy you get to brew as often as once a week. I am lucky to get one in a month.

 

[bracconiere]

I’m just happy you get to brew as often as once a week. I am lucky to get one in a month.

after 17 years, i'm glad someone's still happy about it! lol

 

[SMD]

About 10 years ago my now wife and I went to a “Beer Lovers Anonymous” festival, one of those events where $30 gets you a wristband and unlimited sample pours. There were some 30 beers, and they started at 8% and the vast majority were over 10%.
I don’t remember getting home and we found a receipt for Qdoba in the car from the ride home. My wife slept on the bathroom floor. I have never been so hung over. I don’t drink high ABV beers anymore…

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

About 10 years ago my now wife and I went to a “Beer Lovers Anonymous” festival, one of those events where $30 gets you a wristband and unlimited sample pours. There were some 30 beers, and they started at 8% and the vast majority were over 10%.
I don’t remember getting home and we found a receipt for Qdoba in the car from the ride home. My wife slept on the bathroom floor. I have never been so hung over. I don’t drink high ABV beers anymore…

I am so sorry to hear that story. That sounds absolutely awful.
EDIT: isn’t it crazy how much a difference even 1-2% more abv makes when it comes to being drunk?

 

[Immocles]

I'm notoriously bad at checking abv when buying beer. I just sort of grab what I think sounds good or whatever I happen to be in the mood for. Lately thats a lot of malty lagers, and those generally run 5-6% as expected. When I get into a hoppy mood, I need to remind myself to check because far too many times I grab a random IPA that I havent tried before, get home, crack one open and just then finally realize that I bought a 8.5-9.5% IPA. I dont hate them, but I cant do them very often. I'd rather have 2-3 beers at 4-5% than sip on one big beer. Even when I do decide to sip on a big beer, it backfires because, well, I'm just not good at sipping beers.
As far as my brewing preference, I might do a small batch of something that goes north of 7%, but otherwise I hang out in that 3.8-5.5% range. 10% is absolute insanity to me, haha. But to each their own.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I'm notoriously bad at checking abv when buying beer. I just sort of grab what I think sounds good or whatever I happen to be in the mood for. Lately thats a lot of malty lagers, and those generally run 5-6% as expected. When I get into a hoppy mood, I need to remind myself to check because far too many times I grab a random IPA that I havent tried before, get home, crack one open and just then finally realize that I bought a 8.5-9.5% IPA. I dont hate them, but I cant do them very often. I'd rather have 2-3 beers at 4-5% than sip on one big beer. Even when I do decide to sip on a big beer, it backfires because, well, I'm just not good at sipping beers.
As far as my brewing preference, I might do a small batch of something that goes north of 7%, but otherwise I hang out in that 3.8-5.5% range. 10% is absolute insanity to me, haha. But to each their own.

My motto has, for a long time been, “I love drinking but I hate getting drunk” meaning if I feel bad in anyway the next day, I did it wrong.

 

[Immocles]

My motto has, for a long time been, “I love drinking but I hate getting drunk” meaning if I feel bad in anyway the next day, I did it wrong.

I'm very similar to that. I know my boundaries and when to slip some water/call it a night haha. I actually just had a text conversation with a friend of mine that is sort of on topic. His class reunion was tonight, and he doesn't feel like drinking so he opted not to go. I told him to just go and have like 3-4 beers and go home but thats just not an option. I remember those days, but I'm glad to be beyond them.

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I'm very similar to that. I know my boundaries and when to slip some water/call it a night haha. I actually just had a text conversation with a friend of mine that is sort of on topic. His class reunion was tonight, and he doesn't feel like drinking so he opted not to go. I told him to just go and have like 3-4 beers and go home but thats just not an option. I remember those days, but I'm glad to be beyond them.

Yes, I agree. If I can’t stop myself by the 4th drink I have no business drinking in the first place. Another motto of mine is “I don’t ever want to be an alcoholic because the thought of never being able to drink again scares the **** out of me.” So I just make sure to be in control. I tend to drink a few, daily, so I also make sure to take a month or two off once or twice a year to cut some weight and make sure I’m staying healthy both physically and mentally.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

About 10 years ago my now wife and I went to a “Beer Lovers Anonymous” festival, one of those events where $30 gets you a wristband and unlimited sample pours. There were some 30 beers, and they started at 8% and the vast majority were over 10%.
I don’t remember getting home and we found a receipt for Qdoba in the car from the ride home. My wife slept on the bathroom floor. I have never been so hung over. I don’t drink high ABV beers anymore…

We have all made that mistake, some people more than once.
When we went to the GABF, my younger sister made that error. Spent the night hugging the porcelain fixture.

I have a couple very nice high ABV beers, in the 10% area. An English Imperial Stout, and an English Barleywine. Both of these have been aging since last spring. Very smooth, easy drinking, with totally balanced flavor.

 

[Wolffie]

 

[acrowe]

I think the drinking to get drunk explanation of high alc beers is not necessarily correct. My partner really likes high alcohol stouts and porters, she likes high alcohol and high maltiness / sweetness but not too much hops. She has as far as I know never been drunk. She really likes these types of beers and other than that only fruity hefeweizen sort of beers. I on the other hand like brown ales, bitters, pale ales, mostly stuff 4-6%, rarely more, but I have definitely been known to pass the limits of moderation.

 

[bwible]

I mostly brew medium to lower alcohol beers. But I will brew barleywine once or twice a year, my recipe comes in about 11%. I have brewed Russian Imperial Stout in about that range also. I’m thinking about brewing a Doppelbock now. I enjoy higher alcohol beers more in the winter when its cold outside. I buy some Sierra Nevada Bigfoot when I can find it. Wyerbacher here makes Blithering Idiot which is their barleywine and when they oak age that one its name changes to Insanity. Founders Backwoods Bastard is a perennial favorite of mine.

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I'm all for beer. If it's high ABV, great. If it's low ABV, great. If its middle/session ABV, great. I enjoy the flavor and experience from each beer I drink. I have had some horrible high proof beers, and everywhere in between too. It really is style dependent and what I'm feeling. I have noticed the trend of the big monster, get-drunk-off-of-one-beer beers. I guess people want to skip the part of enjoying the brew and get straight to the point? Like they say in the tootsie pop commercials, "The world may never know"

 

[Summa_Brewologica]

I'm all for beer. If it's high ABV, great. If it's low ABV, great. If its middle/session ABV, great. I enjoy the flavor and experience from each beer I drink. I have had some horrible high proof beers, and everywhere in between too. It really is style dependent and what I'm feeling. I have noticed the trend of the big monster, get-drunk-off-of-one-beer beers. I guess people want to skip the part of enjoying the brew and get straight to the point? Like they say in the tootsie pop commercials, "The world may never know"

This is exactly the kind of beer that inspired this thread. I’m not judging anyone for their preference, either. I was just genuinely curious what others thought on this subject. If someone is in it for the high gravity more power to them.

 

[bracconiere]

get-drunk-off-of-one-beer beers. I guess people want to skip the part of enjoying the brew

what do they do with the other 16 hours of the day? i mean even working 5-8 hours still leaves 8 or so hours! not to mention weekends!

edit: what do they do drink water?

 

[bwible]

I have noticed the trend of the big monster, get-drunk-off-of-one-beer beers.

If anything, there has been more of a trend toward lower alcohol and session beers lately. The high alcohol beers are all styles that have been around forever. Going back to days when all the beer was casked and they wrote a number of X’s on the cask to indicate strength. Session beers is a much newer trend. Other than the bitter family, which only came about due to necessity as a response to a shortage of materials during world wars. I don’t think people are looking “to get drunk off one beer” any more than anything else. In a bar, you typically don’t get a pint of an 11% beer. You get a snifter.

 

[Beermeister32]

I think it has something to do with your body - I like chugging a lot of beer, but I do not like getting drunk. I think you could dump a gallon of brew in me, I can hold a lot without sloshing or feeling it much. That means 4-5, maybe 6% ABV.

Wife on the other hand is a wine drinker. On the few occasions she drinks a beer, it has to be a big monster like Arrogant Bastard. I think she is used to that alcohol level, but she sips on it all night. What fun is that?

I’d prefer my gallon of Festbier…. She on the other hand says … “I dont’t know how you can drink all this beer, one fills me up”. .. reminds me of the “less filling” beer commercial…. Less filling? Huh? Doesn’t apply to me.. marketers are a bunch of sissy beer drinkers obviously…. I think we all got a minor in drinking at WSU… bring back the Rathskeller!!!