Is bitterness in a beer only related to hops, or is it due to thehigher percentage of alcohol in a beer? I see reviewers using the term "boozy"- I can taste this in a Barrel aged English Barleywine, but is the bitterness also attributed to the ABV?
I don't think so. From what I've read, the bitterness comes from an acidic compound derived from the hops in the brewing process. I'm sure someone will chime in with some scientific jibber jabber, but no. Unless, of course, I'm completely wrong. In which case, yes.
Bitterness is from the hops. High ABV may show up as a certain burn or sensation of heat and/or may also add a touch of "sweetness." So "Boozy" usually means its a bit like drinking a mixed drink where the alcohol is the dominant ingredient in the flavor profile. Lots of Barleywines, e.g., the English style, won't have bitterness but the alcohol can be found. However if you have fresh SN Bigfoot (an American style Barleywine), they use a lot of hops to get some bitterness that eventually fades out with age. Edit: That said there are some folks who do pick up a certain amount of bitterness from alcohol itself, its a genetic type thing and not true for all. So the thing to look at is what happens when you drink an alcoholic beverage that doesn't have any hops at all in it. Try tasting an IPA along side a shot of vodka that is mixed with a 2-3 shots of water and see what happens.
Well stated. Bitterness comes from various types of alpha-lupulic acids extracted from the hops during boiling portion of the brewing process.
To me, booziness, and alcohol burn and taste are more sweet than bitter. Some double ipas at around 9% nearly make me gag with sweetsugarstuff (that's German- Sorry I love German beers). I think everyone tastes things a bit differently, but to my tastes- (German, Belgian, English, modern American beers.....everywhere)!- great beers always show you how to balance malt, hops and abv. Gaining an appreciation for any style really takes time.
When drinking barrel aged stouts, a lot of my friends will use the term "boozy" to refer to the bourbon flavors the beer acquires. Unfortunately, there is considerably variation in the way people (even experienced beer drinkers/tasters) use some descriptors. One mans "hot" is another mans "boozy" and so on...
The oak from barrel aging can add a slight bit of tannin acid which may come across as bitter. Mostly your higher alpha acid hops are where you get your bitterness. Look at a hops chart or in a home brew supply book , you will see alpha acid %. Those 10 ish and above will impart bitterness over the course of the brewing process.
Alcohol isn't bitter, it can be hot like distilled spirits, it might be a touch sweet and hot like whisky or bourbon picking up flavor from charred oak barrels. Bitter is purely from hops.
When I say "boozy" in a review, I mean that it's still a bit hot and the alcohol presence is more than some other beers in the same ABV range. It's not always a negative, in fact it works very well with some beers, but sometimes it can overshadow some of the nuanced flavors of the beer.
Bitterness usually comes from Hops, Grains, Other additions (spices/herbs), Yeast, Oak/Wood, and in some cases, yes, Alcohol. Whether or not people find alcohol itself more of a bitter or more of a sweet taste comes down to genetics.
Bitterness can also be attributed from roasted malts. Not all bitterness is from hops. However, bitterness and alcohol/boozy taste and no relation to bitterness. Bitterness has no impact on ABV, however, how hops react and taste differ based on the ABV of a beer.
negative. Roasted malts or coffee added can increase the bitterness. Many stouts use minimal hops but can be very bitter from the malts used.
I think bitterness can help mask the alcoholic qualities of high abv beer, which may explain the relation you're referring to. But bitterness is never caused by the high abv itself.
Yep your right , I had IPAs on my mind and not stouts, obviously deeply roasted malts and adjuncts affect the flavor as well.
This is a good point. I am also a vodka drinker- Absolut- so I know the taste of alcohol. When I am tasting a beer, I seem to taste "alcohol" e.g the bitter sharp taste seems similar to Vodka. According to the posts, either this is genetic or I am am interpreting the hoppy bitterness as alcohol. A spicy bitter IPA is not the same as the bitterness in an Old Ale. Different hops . Last night I drank a lower ABV Old Ale, with a bitter finish,and I was questioning whether the bitterness could also be from the alcohol. There is a difference though, perhaps, between an alcohol bitterness and a hoppy bitterness. Comments?
I personally hate the "boozy" flavor in beer. High ABV beers where the alcohol is present just ruins it for me. When I drink a beer, I want to taste beer. Not booze.
Taste threshold for alcohol is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8% ABV. Ergo, if the alcohol content is less than that, you won't detect it.
