ABV - Which Way Have You Gone?

Rarely buy anything below 9%...

 

As a few others already stated, I didn't vote, because I drink everything, and the only thing that dictates what I consume is what mood I'm in and what's available. I don't discriminate and there's no beer style I don't enjoy as long as it's well made. I have a terrific biergarden nearby that gets very fresh kegs of German beer in all the time and sometimes we'll go there and pound liters of 4.5-6% stuff. Or I'll drink a bunch of BA barleywines. Or I won't drink beer at all and have whiskey instead. Never been much for absolutes.

P.S. While I never really look at ABV when purchasing I did buy a bomber of berliner weiss the other day that was 10 dollars and later realized it was 2.5% and felt a little displeased about that.

 

i should correct my earlier post..obviously lower ABV beers can be just as good as higher ones..and some can be complex..but i was speaking in general terms..i also tend to drink lower ABV beers in summer or just when mood strikes..i'm a fan of both but if i had to pick one..it's be something 8-10% over 4-5%

 

I find myself hovering in the middle at 6-7% but I more than often lean towards the higher abv's when I swing out of my norm... although sometimes a bit lower abv such as a wheat or a pale ale fits my needs in certain social circumstances.

 

Depends on the day i suppose.

 

This a although I find myself trying more lower abv stuff just to try but my comfort zone is usually high 8% and above

 

Up up and awwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

 

Started off really into the 'standard' range: IIPAs, IPAs, Stouts etc. As I've become aware of sours, they've completely taken over, I almost find it hard to enjoy most IPAs anymore. ABV is usually ~5% now, with anything higher usually being the huge stouts that I still enjoy.

 

Technically, as I've gone along I've tried more higher % beers, but I don't necessarily gravitate towards them. It usually comes down to what's available on tap at my usual watering hole, or to take home from my favorite bottle shop, tough I prefer in the 5-7% range so I can try more different things.

 

I went from DIPAs and BA stouts to lambic and AWAs so I have been drinking a lot lower ABV beers on average. I still drink DIPAs and BA stouts but it is less often these days.

 

I answered this strictly on the basis of the current season, which dictates that I drink mostly lower ABV type beers. Fall/Winter are the bigger ABV stouts/Belgians/Dopplebocks etc. Spring/summer are your relatively low ABV styles (pilseners/hefeweissens/saisons)

 

I couldn't vote on the poll without something to the effect of "I don't mind either way" being a choice. The only time I let ABV become a factor is when I try to avoid a lot of high ABV characters. If I want to get through three or four beers (you know, for science and all...) I will arrange them so there's only one high ABV, and it's the closer. I've usually got so many beers on hand that I need to get to that ABV doesn't even factor for one beer every few nights. I'll drink what I'm most excited to try and be done with it.

 

If a beer looks or sounds appealing to me it doesn't matter on ABV. I try to go for lower abv on the session range mostly. I started to get up to 8-9% everyday and it eventually got to me so now I take it easier on abv. Also if I can't make a decision between two are they are generally the same I'll choose the lower abv to help the decision.

 

For the most part I'm a high ABV drinker, except in the summer.

 

I just made my first 'real' homebrew this past weekend and found myself slightly scoffing at the idea of a 6.5% IPA...I guess you can say I've been drinking 'higher gravity' beers over time and it's clearly changed my perspective upon what once was more than normal for me. (all in all, I'm still hoping to enjoy a not-quite-session IPA in a few weeks).

 

Very true with me as well, now that it's less of a stout season and moreso Oberon and hefeweizens.

 

Depends on my mood and the season. Generally, I drink 3.5%-8% ABV beers (as long as they are good quality). Anything over that is occasional.

 

I voted low. I guess I'm getting tired of "surprise, you're drunk!" evenings.

 

I guess it depends of how you classify high and low abv. I would say my general consumption is in the 5-8% range. Sometimes I wander higher, sometimes lower. As others have surely said, it depends on mood and season as well.

 

Having said that, I realized recently that I don't care much for DIPAs and other over-the-top styles. Too boozy, too much of all the ingredients, too much of everything. But beyond that distinction, I don't consider ABV.