Retirement from drinking heavy/high ABV beers

OP please feel free to send me any vintage high ABV beer you no longer wish to drink. I will make sure they are properly taken care of.

 

On weekdays I drink I limit myself to about 400 calories from alcoholic beverages, and I also really enjoy variety (not just of beers, but of alcohol in general) so it's not that appealing to me to just spend an entire evening with one 16oz TIPA or BBA stout. I've really picked up a liking for German beer styles this summer, and currently will typically enjoy a pilsner, helles, or festbier while making dinner, then after dinner I'll have a glass of port. If I want it, I then still have the flexibility for an ounce of scotch before bed

 

I choose to believe the wisdom of Bavaria’s Oldest Brewmeister Nun, who tells us beer has the least calories of all alcoholic beverages, and that beer makes you skinny.
She does the lords work, and thus cannot tell a lie.

 

No doubt about it, the older you get, the harder you need to work to keep your health in check, and the more susceptible you are to illness. I've been cutting back slowly since my 40's, but I still enjoy a good Stout (Barrel aged or just a plain RIS) once a week or so, depending on what is available. It is a treat I look forward to. But I do definitely agree that I would like to see smaller bottle formats for these beers. A KBS 12 ounce format 4 pack is perfect.

 

I feel ya, OP.

This hit me pretty.... hard last year (well hell, these last 18+ months really) as the pandemic hit and I started putting down several beers a day. Every day.

So, you have to figure out a strategy that works best for you. Avoiding the big stuff in a fast way is a good way to do that. I started dosing in an N/A (or two) beer a day, which helps, but after 45 or so I had to watch out for calories (even though I run 50 miles a week). Sometimes it's also other health issues that pop up.
So whether it's veganism, running, cutting out some meat, or a sugar-balance issue - you have to figure it out. We also should be above "health shaming" here - as numerous BAs have some long-term or recent health aspects we're battling. Just found out 3 years ago that I have some weird thyroid thing that doesn't run in the family. WTF? Sigh. Oh well....

But it's good to realize what hits you harder, and then to try to drink lower - the other benefit, I've found, is that it made me explore a wider range of beer styles (Gose, Grisette, lower % lagers etc) that I hadn't been drinking back in my "pale/IPA only" days.

So - good on you, hope this works, and stick around. Join us for WBAYDN and you'll see a pretty wide range of ABV%.

Cheers!

 

I just turned 50 and I noticed this past year it has been getting harder to maintain my weight and fitness level. Thankfully I’ve been able to stave off weight gain so far, but it seems to require more working out. That is one of the reasons I have purposely bought and sought out less high ABV beers lately( although I love them) but not cut them out completely. I do enjoy lagers and other light ABV beers anyway as well. I used to get cranked for TIPAs but have also renewed my appreciation for lower ABV IPAs as well. I do usually run 30-40 miles a week, plus other workouts and walk more miles, which I think is just important for overall health anyway and eat healthy most of the time. Big respect for the guy above who runs 100 miles a week! Wow but that would take up all my free time!! 15 miles a day!!!

 

I’ve had the same experience! I wasn’t going to say no to that pint of Old Foghorn, either!

Another place I used to visit periodically had a seasonal Sierra Nevada handle, and in the winter months they poured Bigfoot. Pints, at the same price as the other seasonals. Good times.

 

70 here and about 10 lbs above my college playing weight. I never liked BBA stouts; they reminded me too much of fraternity row on Friday night. Let me look over here, let's see, kinda dusty but here's the broken record: I miss Young's Oatmeal Stout!!!

 

I see a couple folks that don’t care for the higher ABV brews in big cans. I just want to say, I had a 32 oz crowler of a 14% barleywine sent to me in a trade and I was very grateful.



Until I woke up the next day.

 

Same boat here. I balooned a bit over 200 pounds that was mostly beer gut after finishing up college due to having the income for 8-11% 16oz beers. I finally have gotten to a point where having more than one beer in that ABV range is rare for one night, even for smaller containers just to feel better and ensure I keep my weight loss goals rolling.

 

Expand on this brother, if you are so inclined. Was this an extended fast? You mean from fasting and drinking alcohol or what was the scenario?

 

I just turned 50 and my current beer habits are very little drinking during the week, then on Friday and Saturday I have a few lighter beers and finish with something strong. (Sundays are a toss-up.) It's partly a health/weight thing, partly due to cost, and I've found (as others have mentioned) that too much alcohol messes up my sleep.

While I'm loath to lecture the younger crowd, it should be said that as some awesome things fade over time, other awesome things come into focus, if you're paying attention.

 

I just drink them in the winter when hibernating anyway

 

I had to cut down on high-ABV beers for health reasons, but haven't cut them out entirely because I have a cellar full of big BA stouts, and I like them. I used to drink beers that averaged over 12% ABV, but lately I've favored sour/IPA/DIPA/NEIPA/DNEIPA while also working at drinking down my high-ABV cellar. My average ABV is under 8% ABV these days, and I usually limit myself to one beer a day. As others have said, you can still treat yourself once in a while, perhaps just buying singles of the big beers.

 

I really appreciate the perspectives on this thread. I found the toughest part of aging is weighing the worth of a freshly poured 32 oz. grunt from Liquor Factory. Most of what they stock now is 8% or better, and as tempting as their taps are, I find I have to nurse them to make the night last. I have read Scott Ian's (Anthrax) and Rex Brown's (Pantera) biographies, and sadly, heavy drinking requires effort and takes its toll. Life is too short to punish yourself with pleasure. Anyone drink every beer on either Extreme Beer Fest or IPA Fest nights? I tried... what a mess. There's no shame in slowing, sharing or saving for later. And yes, the children come first. My boys are 14, 12, and 11, and I hope they are noticing how drinking less and drinking the best may be better in the long run.

 

The dude would skip meals to save calories so he could drink beer. 3 or 4 bud lites an evening. No breakfast, he only ate lunch, no dinner. After 10 years it took its toll on his liver and he died from liver failure. We're they connected? Who knows.