alcohol burn and taste?

I love boozy beers, with an alcohol taste/presence. However, if its a strong burning sensation I am really turned off by it because it tends to then dominate and mask the other flavors.

A few beers Ive had recently that have had boozy/alcohol flavors contribute nicely:
He'Brew Jewbelation Sweet 16
Westbrook Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Citrus Ninja
The Bruery White Chocolate, Black Tuesday, Fruet, and Chocolate Rain

A few beers that Ive had that I think are ruined (or at least worsened) by boozy heat:
Stone RIS
BCBS
certain varieties of Yeti (others its not so noticable)

 

I love the alcohol taste in regular BCBS and Uncle Jacobs. Not so much in DFH 120 Minutes (gross).

 

I thought I was the only one who thought this about the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. I mean I tasted the chocolate but the alcohol was very prominent. I hear this beer ages well so I am currently aging two bottles. Hopefully in a year the alcohol will be a lot more subdued.

 

Generally I would prefer beers with little to no alcohol burn.

 

I enjoy a little warming sensation on the finish of my beers, especially barrel-aged brews. Some tend to be a bit over the top though. Anything 13% and higher are too much for me when young. The first bottle of Surly SŸX that I had burned the nostrils before I even poured it.

 

Pretty much anything above 10% ABV is hard to pull off in my experience. The burn is not something that I look forward to.

 

I am also not a fan of fresh Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. I have purchased this beer many times over the years. I make it a practice to not drink this beer fresh but allow it to age for a year. After a year of aging this beer is very tasty; the hotness goes away.

I have not really run the experiment of aging Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout over multiple years so I can’t comment on what happens with extended aging.

One beer that I did age over many years was Stone Imperial Russian Stout:

· Fresh: I didn’t really care for this beer
· One year later: the beer was ‘better’ but still not thrilling
· Two years later: the beer was much improved! I enjoyed drinking this beer
· Three years later: the beer was OUTSTANDING!
· Four years later is this year. I will drink this beer (my last bottle) sometime in January or February 2013

Cheers!

 

I appreciate the alcohol burn because if the beer is good enough, its going to somehow balance out. Brown Shugga is a great example. Tons of booze but the sugars just totally neutralize it.

 

I like to let bourbon county sit out in a glass for some time before I drink it. The burn really overpowers the flavors and by giving it a big heavy pour and letting it sit really changes the whole BCBS experience.

 

I agree too, to such an extent that I don't even see a point in aging it, why not just pick an imperial Stout that doesnt taste like chocolate flavored ethanol?

 

I drink straight bourbon as regularly as i do beer, so honestly i rarely find a beer that even comes close to being what people call "hot". Even my wife drinks 4oz of bourbon like it's water.

I love beers with alcohol as a main feature flavor, as long as it isn't an acetone like note.

Some of the beers listed in this thread as hot make me laugh.

 

2012 dfh world wide stout - too hot
2008 dfh world wide stout - perfection

 

I cant stand it unless its a big BA stout. I usually knock a beer for that.

The only beer that I truely, honestly enjoyed the booze in was GLBC BA Blackout. Paradox Isle of Arran had a nice boozy scotch to it as well (even aged for like 4 years).

Honestly, I hate buying it because I know I cant touch it for at least 6 months, which usually happens.

 

I have often tasted "hot" beers when judging homebrew. Got to keep the fermentation under control.

 

Yeah, you need patience if you purchase Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout but it is indeed a tasty beer after a year of aging. Having stated that there are a number of RIS beers that I like to drink young; e.g., Victory Storm King, North Coast Old Rasputin RIS, and some others.

Cheers!

 

Sam Adams Utopias does it well.

 

I cant even drink Brooklyn Black OPS. I know people enjoy it, and all the power to them. I just cant do it. Too much booze up front for me.

Cheers mate!

 

Hahaha chocolate flavored ethanol. I actually didn't know that it tasted SO much like alcohol. Probably shoulda done a little more research before I bought it. At this point, I might as well age it seeing as I didn't like it fresh.

 

I agree.

When I want that burn I'll typically go for some single malt or some sambuca.

 

I really liked Backwoods Bastard. One of the better beers in the style that I've had. I'll never understand the love for Fruet, but I generally do like bourbon notes in beers as long as they're well integrated. Hot booze is generally not desirable if it burns while actually in the mouth, but I've no issue with a pleasant burning sensation in the stomach from time to time.