How Strong Do You Brew?

[Goofinder]

When I tell people I brew my own beer, they always seem to have this idea that home brew is really strong and only made to get you drunk. I'm sure there are people out there putting 3kg+ of sugar into a kit to bump up the ABV%, or regularly brewing stronger Belgian ales, but I've only gone over 5.5% once or twice in 25+ brews.

So, how strong do you usually brew to? Ignore that RIS you brewed to get you through the depths of winter, or the one-off attempt at a light beer or barleywine (unless that's all you brew).

I usually aim for somewhere around 4.5 - 5.0% ABV. What do most of your usual brews come out to?

 

[matti]

I brew mostly beer for my own consumption and try to keep it below 5 %.
Because of this reason I seldom venture away further then Lagers, British ales or APA's.
And most people that drink my beer these days say not bad for HB.
Well that what happen most of the time. I will not tell of the other times :lol:
But if you are into the deep end like half of this lot at AHB I suspect you'll get a whole lot of different answers that this one.

 

[Tyred]

I normally don't pay much attention to the alcohol content. I'm brewing more for the taste.

As to how much alcohol is in my brews, it depends on what I'm brewing.

 

[joecast]

brewed a few stronger beers around 7%, but they just sit around too long. ok for aging, but not for drinking on a regular basis. when get home from work and want a beer, the 4-4.5% mark is about right.
joe

 

[Pumpy]

great question Goofinder you will find the 4.5-5.0% is the sweet spot ,under or over that the kegs will remain half full in your beer fridge, unless you live at Bindi's in that case it is all over 6.0% ( I dont know how he does it )

Pumpy

 

[monkale]

I tend to stick around the 5% to 5.5% IPA,APA and a nice chocolate stout, go for flavour rather than drinking for effect . But in saying that drink some of Bindis :icon_cheers: and its flavour and effect with a big Effect on your head.

Cheers

 

[Bribie G]

The beers that have been my favourites, since my 20s, like Heineken and the Myriad of local beers in Germany, Greene King Abbott ale etc have all been around 5%

Arriving in Australia in the 70s I was delighted to find beers of similar strength and 5% is my sweet spot.

Of course Australian Mega brews are now tending down and down until I predict that in ten years they will be at NZ 4% strength. That's one reason that I said 'f^&% this, I'll start brewing my own.

 

[Goofinder]

Have to agree with those who say the stronger beers hang around a bit too long. I'm a fan of having a couple and remaining relatively coherent. Having said that, I appreciate the flavour you get from some of the bigger beers so I'm looking into doing a few smaller batches so they don't take up valuable cupboard space!

 

[Dave86]

When I first started brewing (after the first few where I didn't bother with the hydrometer ) I was preoccupied with turning out beers with an OG of 1050+ to make sure I hit the 5% mark. These days for standard pale ales, bitters etc I try to keep them below 4.5% One of my the biggest hits around here I've done was my NZ mild/light which came in just under 3% (may have had something to do with the 95g of fresh NZ hops added in the last 15 minutes of the boil :icon_drool2: (I really should do another batch!)

I'm happy to have most of my beers come in around 4% these days, plenty of flavour to be had compared to whats on offer at the pub! I'd like to try another batch of mild/light and see if I can bring it in at 2% for summer to have a breakfast beer on tap! I am partial to the stronger beers when the mood strikes however, just had a pint of American IIPA, tasty!

 

[Fermented]

Mine have ranged from 4.52 to 6.0% (using the ((OG-FG)/7.46)+0.5) method).

The Leffe Blond clone was the strongest at 6 and it sure felt like it. I'm looking forward to trying to make higher ABV% Belgian styles in the cooler months so that I can expand my knowledge and therefore get some modicum of skill in this hobby.

Tyred is dead right. Brewing for the taste and not the buzz, I think, is the reason. Even after a handful of brews, I can no longer face what was once a favourite (Asahi). Even my beloved Hoegarten seems not up to the job sometimes.

Goofinder too is dead right. There is a perception out there that home brew = shite or = high ABV% for cheap drunks. Fortunately, I am blessed with some Euro mates (Alsace region and others) who know the joy of home made everything. I'm trying to make them into converts too.

Meh. Time for another beer.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[bindi]

I did not vote/poll in this.
Time for "Golden Belgian Bliss Piss" [Mid] very tasty.

 

[buttersd70]

I find it completely incomprehensible that there is this belief that in order to have max flavour, abv needs to be > 4.5-5%. "big beer for big flavour". Rubbish. Sorry, guys, but I can't subscribe to such a narrow train of thought. Yes there are some great 'big' beers. But there is no whay on the planet anyone will convince me that a big grain bill is a prerequisite for a big flavour. Big alcohol content, or even big grain bill, does not equal big flavour (necessarily). Some of the best beers I've ever had have been 3.5%ABV or lower. Cask Ale, anyone?

 

[flattop]

I am still brewing for taste, not for ABV but i aim for between 4-5.5%, i have upped my fermentables and toy with DME/LME but the quantities are relatively small.
I did brew a Dark ale aiming for around 7%, it finished at about 6.5% which is fine, but i want to be able to come home from work, have a beer and possibly get back behind the wheel if i want to leave the house, i will not drive if i have more than one standard drink so i need to be happy that what i am brewing won't leave me senseless.

If i wanted to write myself off i would have bought a still instead.......

 

[Goofinder]

I did not vote/poll in this.

I reckon your sig says enough

I find it completely incomprehensible that there is this belief that in order to have max flavour, abv needs to be > 4.5-5%. "big beer for big flavour". Rubbish. Sorry, guys, but I can't subscribe to such a narrow train of thought. Yes there are some great 'big' beers. But there is no whay on the planet anyone will convince me that a big grain bill is a prerequisite for a big flavour. Big alcohol content, or even big grain bill, does not equal big flavour (necessarily). Some of the best beers I've ever had have been 3.5%ABV or lower. Cask Ale, anyone?

I never said that you need a big beer for big flavour, more that there is something that you get from the bigger beers that you don't usually get from smaller beers. You talk about cask ale, but where can we get that here? I had a couple when I was in Europe a couple of years ago but didn't know enough to appreciate it then.

PS. I'm really looking forward to trying your mild and/or bitter at the case swap. I definitely like the idea of a lower alc beer that is still full of flavour.

 

[bindi]

I find it completely incomprehensible that there is this belief that in order to have max flavour, abv needs to be > 4.5-5%. "big beer for big flavour". Rubbish. Sorry, guys, but I can't subscribe to such a narrow train of thought. Yes there are some great 'big' beers. But there is no whay on the planet anyone will convince me that a big grain bill is a prerequisite for a big flavour. Big alcohol content, or even big grain bill, does not equal big flavour (necessarily). Some of the best beers I've ever had have been 3.5%ABV or lower. Cask Ale, anyone?

That's true, tried a few that were very hop driven and little malt or the other way around, good beers they were.
I am guessing it's like the esters,malt or or whatever it is from Belgian inspired beers [and I don't brew to style very much, what ever that is] that is enjoyed and brewed around here.
That is why I home brew, it's what I like, big beers, not all but leaning that way.

 

[jayandcath]

I always lean coming out of Bindi's as well.

Jay

 

[peas_and_corn]

Averaging out I voted 6-7%

 

[white.grant]

It really depends on the style. I've got an 8% wiezenbock, a 7%ish belgian blonde a few 5%ish dunkelweizens, a 4% wit and a 3ish% brown ale, in the cellar at the moment.

My problem is that I can't taste the alcohol in the w'bock or the blonde, so they go down really easily which is great as far as fermentation control goes, but I keep getting sucked into drinking two long necks of 8% weizenbock and that's just stupid -- and it hurts the next day .

I'm planning a stack of mild ales for the summer, 3% ABV tops. Flavourful, economical, and I can last all day :icon_cheers: .

cheers

grant

 

[SJW]

The North German Pil I am brewing tomorrow is the first under 1.050 in a very long time, so most of mine are 5 or 5.5%

 

[peas_and_corn]

My biggest problem with ABV is that when I edit a recipe I go "well, it could do with more of *this* and more of *this* and I don't take away much grain from the recipe. As a result the fermentables go up and as such the ABV. However it still tastes nice and that's what I'm going for!