Your ideal ABV in a beer?

It will be 94° while enjoying a Steely Dan show tonight- a crisp, clean, cold, straw-colored lager at 5 something % ABV will be fantastic.

 

Good thread, you know my answer. Things have lead to that I only drink low abv, what's more, 0.5% max. Kind of an arbitrary limit, but consensus is that represents no alcohol, and the market is evolving. Many styles are offered as NA, waiting for more though.

 

I'm a big fan of the 3-6% range. Huge variety of styles to keep the palate happy and lower abv to keep the liver healthy(ier).

 

Put me in the 4.5% and under range. I particularly like the sub 4%, but like some others, I'm starting to show my age a bit.

 

I love barrel-aged Imperial Stouts and English Barleywines, so there's that. Cheers!

 

Shocking!

 

Most of what I drink is in the 4-6% range as my favorite styles are session style brown ales, lagers of all sorts and nitro stouts.

 

3-10% ABV...oh wait.

Real answer, whatever is appropriate for the style. I don't want an English Bitter more than 4.5%, but I don't want a Belgian Strong Dark or Quad less than 9%.

 

My favorites are mostly > 10%, although I try to limit my serving sizes to 4-5 ounces. There's just something warm and comforting about a toasty and chocolatey imperial stout that makes me not want to stop. (Which is what led to me once putting away a bomber of Imperial Biscotti Break Natale - Pretty Please With A Cherry On Top in one sitting. Lesson learned.)

 

6 to 9. 16 oz cans preferred.

 

Do tell us more, sir!

 

I'm not into drinking beer for the alcohol 'high' effect, but I'm in it for enough alcohol to provide the quality beer taste. I've been trying to drink every other beer as a NA beer, so I know the flavor is affected by reduced alcohol, and even up to around 4.5% the flavor is sub-standard to me. I voted for the 6-9 percent choice, but 5-8 percent would be more exact to my liking.

 

I'm all for the "standard" 4.5 - 5.5% ABV range. The styles I like most fall into that range. Most have stronger (but similar) bretheren and I prefer the taste of the milder ones. If anything, to me stronger beers lack nuance and instead hit you over the head with certain super-potent flavors. There are exceptions, but give me table strength in 8 out of 10 instances.

 

I could not cast a vote because my option was not there.
The thing is, it depends on the occasion, my mood, time of the day and/or the condition of my palate at the given time.
Need I mention, the music on WWOZ at the time.