Your ABV sweet spot

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by HorseheadsHophead, Mar 18, 2016.

?

What is your preferred abv limitation?

  1. 0% - 3%

    1 vote(s)
    0.3%
  2. 3% - 5%

    22 vote(s)
    6.5%
  3. 5% - 7%

    127 vote(s)
    37.7%
  4. 7% - 9%

    109 vote(s)
    32.3%
  5. 9% - 12%

    61 vote(s)
    18.1%
  6. 12% - 15%

    13 vote(s)
    3.9%
  7. 15% - 20%

    3 vote(s)
    0.9%
  8. 20+%

    1 vote(s)
    0.3%
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  1. Broanoke

    Broanoke Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2013 Virginia

    3-5 Lagers
    7-9 IPAs
    9-12 Stouts/Barleywines
     
  2. MarshallBirdhouse

    MarshallBirdhouse Initiate (0) Feb 19, 2013 Kentucky
    Trader

    I need more low ABV Berliner's in my life tbh.
     
  3. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,313) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah

    I like drinking beer. I do not like falling over or walking into posts.So a low ABV is mandatory.
    I've had all sorts of beers of different strengths and found out a few things. One is that the palate adjusts to flavours just as eyes adjust to light levels.So an 8% beer won't be twice as tasty as a 4% one by a long way and a "watery" beer comes to life half way down the glass and all the subtle nuances start dancing on the tongue.
    Palate fatigue soon arrives. One of the tricks played when we didn't know any better was to wait till someone had drunk 3 or 4 pints of session beer and give him one with a double Scotch added.It always went undetected.
     
    HorseheadsHophead and Crusader like this.
  4. Lochnessmonster

    Lochnessmonster Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2013 Florida

    9%-12% is definitely my sweet spot...I unfortunately inherited a high tolerance from my dad, so if I'm drinking session stuff I might never see a buzz. In addition to that, imperial stouts are my favorite style, so my choice would be 9-12 regardless.
     
    HorseheadsHophead likes this.
  5. Beersnake

    Beersnake Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,884) Aug 17, 2013 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I rarely drink anything under 10%. I just find that beers below that often lack the flavors and complexity that I love. Sours are the obvious exception.
     
    HorseheadsHophead likes this.
  6. ivegot3Dvision

    ivegot3Dvision Pooh-Bah (1,810) Feb 9, 2015 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I enjoy beer as more of a dessert than a huge drinking experience. I'd prefer something in the 12-20% range. I would much rather have 8 oz of something at 19% than 3 pints of something in the 4% range.
     
  7. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Not so much a sweet spot but i enjoy beer and find i can have 2-3 in the 5-7 % range without being wasted. Now i do like 11-15 % brews also but 1 of those is it for me.
     
    mschofield likes this.
  8. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,252) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    Ideally I like 4.5% - 6.5%. That covers everything from alt and dunkel through export stouts and most IPA's.
     
  9. Premo88

    Premo88 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,670) Jun 6, 2010 Texas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

  10. Silke_Neryn

    Silke_Neryn Pooh-Bah (1,947) Nov 1, 2014 Sweden
    Pooh-Bah

    5-7%, of the options available. Ideally I would like to start at around 4% though. Cap it at 7%.

    And Ayinger Celebrator is at 6.7%, not 7.6%, so it's all good.
     
  11. dbrauneis

    dbrauneis Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,071) Dec 8, 2007 North Carolina
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I chose 7-9 but I could be 5-7 as well (probably more of a 6-8 range for me).
     
  12. AugustusRex

    AugustusRex Initiate (0) Apr 12, 2013 Canada (ON)

    I would have chosen 4-6%, I chose 5-7% instead.
     
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  13. BFCarr

    BFCarr Pooh-Bah (2,328) Feb 13, 2012 New Jersey
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I don't tend to drink many at a time so I like to error on the high side of content. Plus I enjoy a brew that can mask a high ABV.
     
  14. MacMalt

    MacMalt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,322) Jan 28, 2015 New Jersey
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I would say 8-10% which encompasses many of the stouts, barleywines, and quads that I like.
     
    BFCarr likes this.
  15. Beef_Curtains

    Beef_Curtains Initiate (0) Oct 14, 2013 Ohio

  16. Mlkluther

    Mlkluther Initiate (0) Sep 22, 2014 Canada (AB)

    5-7%. I'm a runner who enjoys beer. Lots of beer. Mostly IPAs but I also enjoy pretty much everything else.

    I like 5-7% range for a number of reasons:

    1. Calories. When you get above 5-7% and you're looking at 300+ calories per beer and that gets difficult.

    2. Drunk. I drink beer because I like beer - not to get drunk. I'm not a teenager anymore.

    3. Most excellent, or at least decent, beers can be found in this range. The exception being the great Trappist beers - but as a Lutheran pastor myself - I make an exception for the monkish beers.

    4. 5-7% allows for more than one beer. When you're drinking a 10%+ stout or Quad that's gets difficult to put away more than a couple without getting stupid.
     
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  17. JuicesFlowing

    JuicesFlowing Initiate (0) Jul 5, 2009 Kansas

    3-5% for me. For some reason I get a better buzz on lower ABV and can wake up feeling absolutely fine even after all day drinking.
     
  18. tigg924

    tigg924 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,076) Apr 30, 2008 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    Most of what I drink regularly is closer to the 5%-7% range.
     
  19. DaftCaskBC

    DaftCaskBC Maven (1,359) May 7, 2011 Canada (BC)

    I find myself consistently brewing in the 4.5%-5.5% range. But most often I brew 4.8% beers.
     
  20. Urk1127

    Urk1127 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,790) Jul 2, 2014 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    4.5% and i have to TRY to catch a buzz which i dont really like to be wasted so thats good for me. 4.5-5.5%
     
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