How to appreciate low ABV beer again?

Good time to bring up Founders Solid Gold. I know of the other thread.....posting here to say after about 3-4, and hop going on you get used to and can taste how clean the beer is. Can taste the corn after a bit too. So another example of beer changing as you drink.

 

Agreed. And with Gose or Berliner Weiss the ABV can even be substantially less than 6% (like 3-4%).

 

Brew them, make them taste like they're not low alcohol, make them available to me. It's as simple as that.

 

For me, it was just a natural progression after I got burned out on too many high-abv, extremely flavorful beers. 10% triple IPAs and bourbon barrel aged stouts are amazing, but in excess they cause so much palate fatigue. I began to crave flavorful low-abv beers that are simple and refreshing. Now the pilsner is one of my top favorite beer styles.

 

It's pretty simple just start drinking low ARV beers again.

 

Probably should just drink what you want to drink. Stop picking beers because of FOMO or the style and just get what sounds good to you and not because its a lactose dipa with 87lbs of hops.

Start drinking for yourself.

 

Is it that you WANT to drink lower ABV beers, or think you NEED to drink them? If it's just because you think you need to, then you're not going to enjoy them. I usually only drink beer on the weekends as I have to get up by 5 AM throughout the week and value having a good nights sleep. I'm also doing the WW program, but I've found a way to incorporate my beer drinking and still lose weight.

 

A Good Plis, Helles Lager, Hefeweizen, and the criminally underrated Kolsch should get you through the spring

 

One year ago I would have hated that restriction. Now it makes me want to visit Utah

 

I got burned out on big stouts this winter, and my found bocks were a great alternative. Lots of great spring seasonal bocks showing up now, and while a dopplebock can still be high ABV, there are plenty of maibocks and similar in the 5-6% range.

 

Drinking a few lactose IPAs and chili cinnamon stouts makes me appreciate low abv beers pretty much every time. I think to myself "this beer is ok, but not as good as (insert name of widely available but well crafted beer here), so why don't I stop paying $4 for one can of mediocre beer when I can have all kinds of beers I truly enjoy?"

And it really is worth noting that the more of these hyped beers we buy, the more classics we ignore, and the more of them will disappear. My locals hardly even carry Two-Hearted anymore, and it remains one of my absolute favorites. Every time I buy a hyped DIPA in favor of Two-Hearted, I am contributing towards the disappearance of a beer I truly love.

 

Every time I'm hungover after some epic stout or IPA fest, I very much appreciate low ABV beer.

 

I have 1 brewery I go to in downtown houston, mainly because they do sessionable beers. I live in the outskirts so I have to behave. Their low ABV beers are packed with flavor, so it makes for a great drinking selection. You just need to go out looking for the right beer(s). I save the big boys for when my wife is driving or I am at home. I still see those big ba stouts on the menu, but they will still be there another day. There are breweries out there that know how to coax a lot of personality out of low ABV beers, found a lot of them in my travels to Oklahoma.

 

It sounds like your trend of 8%+ beers is based on a fear of missing out on something good. There is so much out there, if you miss one good or great beer, there are 10 more coming soon. You don't have to drink every great beer on the planet this year. If you miss out on an annual release, get it next year. Mix it up with light options and keep everything balanced and in moderation.

Its kinda like vacation travel, if you try to cram everything in based on reviews /recommendations, you'll spend your whole vacation racing around and frantic trying to do it all and exhaust yourself. Put a couple "must sees" and build in some cushion for "whatever I feel like' stuff.

 

I never really even look at abv. That being said, last week I was testing a website for a client, and knocked off 3 120 minute IPAs. Poor guy really didn't get his money's worth. Maybe I'll start paying more attention. Maybe.

 

Yikes!

 

I feel ya. I appreciate dubbels and trippels so much! Bourbon barrel-aged stouts. I just love the booziness. I was a big fan of boilermakers back in he day, which a lot of these beers remind me of: Dragons Milk, Bourbon County, & this bourbon barrel Sexual Chocolate I had recently to name a few. This loyalty does wear on the palette, though, and they don’t always pair well with foods.

When it comes to lower abv I love festbier season! Sam Adams Octoberfest. Paulaner, Spaten, and even YuengLing are terrific! Fresh as Helles is out now and that is very refreshing! These all stay between 5-6% which isn’t Low low but they still have good flavor and provide a good amount of effervescence and wetness as a good lower abv lager or ale.

 

And don't forget that if you get in the mood for something hoppy but want to stick with the low ABV there's some solid options like Founders All Day, Stone Go To, SN Pale Ale...

 

Get to know your taste buds.

I took about two months off in early fall last year. First beer back was a pilsner urquell. It felt almost too hoppy. Too spicy. Too carbonated. Too sweet even.

I have a big sweet tooth. I liken many ipa experiences with when I eat or drink something sweet and then try to eat or drink more items that are sweet. Coca cola then some dessert cake. Or some cake then a swig of coca cola. Taste buds are shot at that point. Ipas fall into that same realm.

I was at a point for awhile where it was at least one IPA a night with one or two days of break. But my taste buds never really reset.

Anymore I've turned into a weekend only drinker and the four days with no beer have really reset my senses. It's crazy but im almost to the point where I hate highly bitter beers. I guess my palate was so used to them that that became the norm. Even When I do have a weekend hazy IPA, I almost need two to three for my palate to get used to the hops again. Its the same with coca cola and taking a break. If I don't have one for two weeks, that first one back tastes overly sweet. But if you have two a day, you never really know what you're tasting/missing.

Anymore it's the German pilsners, Czech pilsners, and some lighter session sours that more than do the trick.