Whats your highest ABV achieved?

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MountainHighYeast

Pickle Rick
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In either beer or wine, what's the highest you've gone?

I recently made a pear and raisin wine that finished at 18% its awful to drink.
 
A few years back I made a tripel that came in at 9%. Just recently, I made a Blue Berry Wheat that came in at 7.5%. These higher abv beers need a lot of time to mature & smooth out.
 
13% in a quad and a mead, both are 13 something, but I've never intended to go higher, but maybe in a close future I will try to go for a big IS, something around 16

Btw, the quad doesn't taste alcoholic at all, thats why I feel I can apply the same methods to a 16% beer
 
A braggot that ended up just shy of 17%. Finished too sweet for me, since I was aiming for 18+. Still got good remarks in competition and from people I shared it with..
 
I did what I called an Irish imperial stout that was just under 13%. it was really good but I like to drink more than a 9 oz pour when I drink so it lasted for.ev.er so I had to give the rest of it away. Hindsight I should have bottled a beer that big instead of it tying up a key for a year.
 
I've gotten more than one Belgian Triple recipes that started at 1.110 down to 1.004 FG using two packs of MJ M-41.
I use the formula (OG-FG) X 131.25 but I believe it's not accurate for high ABV beers.
I can say that compared to a verified 11% ABV beer, the HB mentioned leaves you cross-eyed a lot faster.
 
Coincidentally I was relating my one and only barley wine stats in another thread, but fwiw: cumulative og of 1.150, fg of 1.036, ~15% abv and ~74% attenuation, courtesy of a massive wlp090 pitch and a lot of patience...

Cheers!
 
I had a mead where I got too busy to keep the nutrients right and the yeast got stressed and the 18% beverage was terrible to drink.
I actually preferred the sparkling 8% mead that stalled at 1.03 I had made previously....so sweet, but at least no headache...
 
I've gotten more than one Belgian Triple recipes that started at 1.110 down to 1.004 FG using two packs of MJ M-41.
I use the formula (OG-FG) X 131.25 but I believe it's not accurate for high ABV beers.
I can say that compared to a verified 11% ABV beer, the HB mentioned leaves you cross-eyed a lot faster.

Brewersfriend has an alternate formula for high abv beers that's supposed to be more accurate. For that abv at the old-school method, the new formula probably puts you closer to 13 percent 😮
 
I feel so unadventurous. My highest was around 9.5 and even then I kind of regretted it. Would love to get some cellaring space and do a big oaked Barleywine in the summer and then bottle condition and store for 6 months.
 
Bourbon Stout - 15.5% and it had too strong an alcohol taste. Got another one fermenting now, but I'm targeting 12-14%. I make these in 2.5 gal batches.
 
The triple I brew once a year(usually it's my birthday, yes I spend my birthday cleaning out mash tuns, I mean brewing) ranges between 9 and 13%. 13 is probably the highest I've brewed, and it's probably a mistake to only package this tripel in 750s, but hey it's gotta last all year right?
 
13% in an imperial stout. It was dangerously easy-drinking. I kind of want to dig out that recipe again and make it even bigger.
 
Brewersfriend has an alternate formula for high abv beers that's supposed to be more accurate. For that abv at the old-school method, the new formula probably puts you closer to 13 percent 😮
Just used that with my quad specs and apparently my 12'5 ABV is now 14'4 ABV which blows my mind because it barely tasted like alcohol when I thought it was 12'5, now if I put it in perspective, the alcohol taste is minimal for that ABV
 
I routinely make meads that are in the 18+% range (OG 1.135+, FG 0.995) Good nutrition and temperature control make them perfectly drinkable within months.

I am just starting to make any that are less than that...
 
Brewersfriend has an alternate formula for high abv beers that's supposed to be more accurate. For that abv at the old-school method, the new formula probably puts you closer to 13 percent

I got around to checking out the Brewer's Friend "alternate" calculation for high ABV you suggested (thanks) since that's where I brew. I got 15.33% ABV using the OG: 1.110 and FG: 1.004. I clicked in the "alternate" circle.
If you don't mind, how'd you get the 13% ABV for those numbers?
 
I blew a .124 one time.


wait that's not just normal? i try to make sure i blow at least .1 all day long!


and as far as strongest "beer", caugh, caugh, sugar wash...never can beat turbo! i never really could get it bigget then 16% no mater what grandious claims they made though....

edit: maybe i should of tried it like sake and with some in and out....when the air lock stops blubbling add more into it....
 
With beer ... a brew that was about 6.5%.
I made a honey wine once that got diluted down from about 14%. Holy crap, I couldn't drink it before or even after it aged for almost a year. Eventually it ended up as cooking wine.
 
I got around to checking out the Brewer's Friend "alternate" calculation for high ABV you suggested (thanks) since that's where I brew. I got 15.33% ABV using the OG: 1.110 and FG: 1.004. I clicked in the "alternate" circle.
If you don't mind, how'd you get the 13% ABV for those numbers?

Oh it was a total guess based on your 11 percent with the older formula; I didn't plug it into any calculator
 
Way back in the early brewing days I brewed a Belgian ale extract kit, subbed the yeast for a Belgian ale one and added a heap of brown sugar. I fermented it hot and at bottling it was 8.9%. Problem was I'd bottled it early and had to keep venting that caps so I guess my answer is who knows what it ended up at, it did cause some really crazy and vivid dreams.
 
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