Poll: your ideal ABV

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Orca, Jan 20, 2014.

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If nothing else was affected, what would you choose as the ideal ABV for your beer?

  1. 0%

    14 vote(s)
    2.2%

  2. 1-3%

    23 vote(s)
    3.7%

  3. 4-6%

    179 vote(s)
    28.5%

  4. 7-9%

    299 vote(s)
    47.7%

  5. 10-12%

    54 vote(s)
    8.6%

  6. 13-15%

    11 vote(s)
    1.8%

  7. 16-18%

    2 vote(s)
    0.3%

  8. 19% or higher

    6 vote(s)
    1.0%

  9. I wouldn't change a thing, even if I could

    20 vote(s)
    3.2%

  10. Other/depends on the situation (explain)

    19 vote(s)
    3.0%
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  1. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This one is just for fun. Let's suspend reality for a moment and propose a hypothetical: All your favorite beers taste exactly the same as they do now, but you can select their ABV. Would you want your beers to be stronger or weaker? No change? Why?

    For me, I think about 6% is perfect most of the time. Strong enough to feel it, but not so strong that I have to really think about what I might be doing for the next few hours before cracking a 750mL barleywine or imperial stout. (Then again, in my perfect world I'd rather just see all beers packaged in 12oz cans so that would be another way around this conundrum.) Occasionally I like to settle in with a really big beer and savor it, especially on a chilly winter night; but I have to admit, it would be nice to get all that wonderful beer flavor without having to manage all the side effects that high alcohol content brings to the party.*

    Cheers!

    * I am an old fart and way past the age when getting really, really drunk was considered a super great time.
     
    #1 Orca, Jan 20, 2014
    afksports, Thankin_Hank, luwak and 13 others like this.
  2. APBT91

    APBT91 Initiate (0) Apr 12, 2013 North Carolina

    I used to want my beer as strong as I could get it. But now, I still like to feel it without having to drink a bunch but at the same time I want to be able to drink a bunch ( without getting wasted) because I love the taste of beer.
     
    #2 APBT91, Jan 20, 2014
    johnsonni, spartan1979 and gshak like this.
  3. Bartos

    Bartos Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2013 Florida

    10.50%

    Cause ten fidy is probably the most perfect beer I can pick up of the shelves and drink everyday.

    I am a big fan of stouts and barrel aged beers and most of my favorites fall in the 10-12% range (with the exceptions of BCBCS)
     
    #3 Bartos, Jan 20, 2014
    mlhyatt, Givemebeer, DruC4 and 1 other person like this.
  4. ChrisMyhre

    ChrisMyhre Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    6.5%
     
    #4 ChrisMyhre, Jan 20, 2014
    seakayak, raffels and markgugs like this.
  5. markgugs

    markgugs Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New Jersey

    I voted 7-9% but ideally would love 6.5%
     
    #5 markgugs, Jan 20, 2014
    johnsonni, A_Frayed_Knot, seakayak and 1 other person like this.
  6. jayrutgers

    jayrutgers Zealot (723) Oct 29, 2011 New Jersey

    4-6/6.5%.

    I like something sessionable. Used to be all about big ABV monsters but as I've gotten more into beer I've come to appreciate things that put flavor and drinkability above all else, not just flavor. Also really tests your palate sometimes, there's something to be said for picking out all the flavors out of a lower ABV lager or ale than say some big bourbon barrel stout. It's a little more refined in a way.

    But it basically boils down to:

    If something is good, I want a lot of it, and high ABV beers can't give me that.
     
    #6 jayrutgers, Jan 20, 2014
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  7. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    So even if you could have Ten Fidy and all of your other favorite big stouts at whatever ABV level works best for you, and they'd still taste exactly the same and not be different in any way, you'd still want them at 10-12%? I ask this because the premise of the poll is not "what's the average ABV of your favorite beers?" but rather "if you could pick ABV independent of all other factors, what would that number be?"

    Just clarifying the question in case people aren't understanding the point of the thread...
     
    #7 Orca, Jan 20, 2014
  8. jayrutgers

    jayrutgers Zealot (723) Oct 29, 2011 New Jersey

    This GUY just wants us to admit that we're all alcoholics and wouldn't drink our great tasting beers if they didn't have any alcohol!

    For SHAME sir! For........shame............
     
    #8 jayrutgers, Jan 20, 2014
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  9. Bartos

    Bartos Initiate (0) Mar 8, 2013 Florida

    Probably yes, because most of the time I prefer to drink only 2-3 beers in a night.
     
    #9 Bartos, Jan 20, 2014
  10. PaulyB83

    PaulyB83 Maven (1,399) Sep 1, 2013 Michigan

    Around 8% for IPAs and around 10% for stouts/barleywines. 6% or below for just about everything else.
     
    #10 PaulyB83, Jan 20, 2014
    Lipsntoes and Robert_Baratheon like this.
  11. Crusader

    Crusader Pooh-Bah (1,725) Feb 4, 2011 Sweden
    Pooh-Bah

    In the perfect world the beers I drink would be around 4.5% abv. Low enough to be sessionable, but still servicable for those occasions when you want some help with your sociability.
     
    #11 Crusader, Jan 20, 2014
    tarawho likes this.
  12. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Nah... not me. I know better. I started a similar thread quite a while ago asking if people would still drink beer if it didn't contain any alcohol, but still tasted and smelled exactly the same. The almost unanimous answer was HELL NO; only a few people said they drink beer purely for the taste.
     
    #12 Orca, Jan 20, 2014
  13. ChrisMyhre

    ChrisMyhre Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    I misunderstood then. 6.5 seems to be the perfect balance of flavor but not too much alcohol. Honestly sometimes i would probably be around that and sometimes it would be 0.0 ABV. If I could have all of the taste and none of the calories I would be very happy.
     
    #13 ChrisMyhre, Jan 20, 2014
  14. Ohmmygawd

    Ohmmygawd Initiate (0) Sep 10, 2013 Minnesota

    The beers I drink on a normal bases are usually around the 6.7% range but my favorite beers can range up to around 9-10%. A good beer with dinner shouldn't be too high but having that special one and done beer can be a real nice treat.
     
    #14 Ohmmygawd, Jan 20, 2014
  15. AHeaston8

    AHeaston8 Initiate (0) Dec 9, 2013 Ohio

    I wish there was a choice for 6-9%. I like to taste the hops, malt, and everything else before I want to taste the alcohol. But, I like beer with a little kick to it. 7% is my sweet spot. One example of beer I didn't like was Sierra Nevada Narwhal, simply because the alcohol taste was so prominent. That's just me though. Lagunitas tends to brew all their beers with 6-9% ABV. I have yet to have a bad beer by them
     
    #15 AHeaston8, Jan 20, 2014
  16. Immortale25

    Immortale25 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,775) May 13, 2011 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    1-3% If I could drink as much beer as I wanted without hardly getting a buzz, I'd be in heaven. Just imagine walking into a 5-star beer bar with tons of options on tap and in bottles and being able to say, "I'm gonna drink 10+ awesome beers tonight and still be able to drive home." This is, of course, given that all these beers still taste the same as when they had alcohol in them. Now, if they still contained the same amount of calories, that's a different story.
     
    #16 Immortale25, Jan 20, 2014
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  17. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah, I considered including calories in the discussion but decided against it. That's kind of a no-brainer, as I doubt anyone is thrilled about consuming empty calories. The point here (if there is one) is to get a sampling of what people consider the ideal ABV for beer, independent of everything else.
     
    #17 Orca, Jan 20, 2014
  18. SerialTicker

    SerialTicker Pooh-Bah (2,851) Jun 18, 2012 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    I'd gladly drink beer if it were 0% if it happened to have the same exact flavor. A buzz is nice, but I don't need it, and there'd be fewer calories.

    My second/realistic choice would be 7-9%
     
    #18 SerialTicker, Jan 20, 2014
  19. Relik

    Relik Zealot (603) Apr 20, 2011 Canada (NS)

    I voted (other) my "ABV needs" fluctuate on: time of day, day of the week, season, beer style. 6-6.5% is a sweet spot for a lot of styles, but sometimes I want a 3.5-4% and sometimes its 8-11%. I can be all over the map and drink 5-6 styles in a night or just stick to a Pils for a week.
     
    #19 Relik, Jan 20, 2014
    Jsteez, afksports, tarawho and 1 other person like this.
  20. PSU_Mike

    PSU_Mike Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2013 Pennsylvania

    4-6 is sufficient.
     
    #20 PSU_Mike, Jan 20, 2014
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