Beer sitting : Average ABV? (+poll)

12.7% average for me with 95% above 10% ABV.

I wish that lower ABV beers had the same thickness and flavor as big, malty beers, but most do not, and so I usually can only have a beer per session.

The last lower ABV stout that did have the thickness and flavor that I enjoy in bigger beers was Tree House Single Shot Vanilla Bean.

 

Getting an average sounds suspiciously like math. Math is for work. Beer is for not work. Unless I'm drinking with clients. Either way, I drink whatever I feel like that happens to be around and don't sweat it.

 

I start with 6% or less, and then finish with somewhere between 6-8%. Rarely I get above 9% usually for some world-class beer. In my opinion, the best and proper lagers are under 6% and the best and proper IPAs and stouts are below 8%. Occasionally I will try a stout >9% and give credit where it's due.

 

This is beer drinking season. I want big BA stouts and Barleywines, I'll drink those thin watery DIPA's in the summer!

 

I love my beer spreadsheet! I like updating my spreadsheet when I'm drinking beer. I like updating my spreadsheet after I pick up new beer. I like filtering on my beers to decide what to drink and trade. From this spreadsheet, I know the best time to drink the beer (many of my beers will age well), I can sort on ratings, ABV, price, how old they are, my previous ratings, tasting note comments, estimated calories (do I want to drink something less than 1000 calories tonight???), style, etc.

When you have hundreds of beers, there's some enjoyment in choosing the "right" beer(s) for the night.

Haters gonna hate but I actually enjoy the hell out of Excel Anyone else love Excel? No? Sounds like I need to start a new post.

 

I love excel. Because it helps me make money so i can turn my brain off at noon and drink beer. Beer isn't about analyzing and thinking. It's about feeling and the absence of thinking. Unless you can turn drinking it into a career. Then you can go on with your bad self.

 

I totally disagree For some, beer enjoyment can be about analyzing and thinking. Beer drinking can be whatever you want it to be. It doesn't have to be an escape from your daily work, chores, obligations, etc. It can be incorporated into so many things. Personally, I love playing music, video games, browsing the internets, watching movies, actually getting things done, where I just want to enjoy a beer at the same time. It can be anything.

Excel doesn't help me make money, but it does help me organize my life and help me make better decisions, including with my beer collection. How does one keep track of 200+ beers? How do you know what you have?

Not to derail the conversation, but just my thoughts. For anyone interested in Excel-related beer matters, I've created a new post here - https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/love-managing-my-beer-collection-in-excel.633992/

Also, and this may be another topic worth posting about, but I feel like how you enjoy beer may totally depend on whether you're an introvert and extrovert. I am assuming that you are an extrovert and I am an introvert. Being an introvert, I am more interested in the details of beer and not just how or where I am enjoying the beer. I feel like it is a major factor in how one enjoys, analyzes, and discusses beer.

So that I'm not completely derailing, my additional thought on this thread is that I usually start with something that I really want, could be anything, usually in the 12%+ range, something that is good that I will remember, and if I feel like having another beer after, I move onto something cheaper or something that I have more of so that I'm not always digging into the best of the best.

 

Ha, and I was reasonable sure that first pose was a joke! You sir, are a nut. And I mean that in a good way. Go on and enjoy your spreadsheet and all the pleasure it brings you!

One question I have from this thread is how long a "session" is considered? I certainly have no problem drinking three 8% (give or take) over a 3 hour evening that often consists of doing whatever around the house, making and eating dinner and all that.

 

Should I be reading this thread on my second Hopslam of the night?! I actually count beers for the week, mostly due to weight loss/maintaining goals. My number for the week is 20 drinks, which gets complicated when you factor in abv and serving size. I try not to cheat- two hopslams should count as 4 drinks.