Really Strong Beer - Why?

[Slid]

I've seen a few posts recently about brewing really strong beer and there's one thing I just don't get - why?

I don't really understand why Belgian beers are so strong, although on my travels in Belgium and the Netherlands I've noticed they tend not to guzzle their beer so much but rather they sit and savor it. Also they tend to serve the beer in 250 or 330ml glasses rather than pints.

So can anyone shed some light on this? Is there something wonderful about these beers at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10% ABV (and more!) that I'm missing out on, is is it just that y'all like getting hammered?

Cheers,

Matt

My understanding (Brew like a Monk?) is that bars in Belgium were forbidden to sell spirits at some stage during the 20th century and the very strong Belgian beers developed partly in response to that prohibition.

Other than that, the fascination with brewing a strong beer is surely the same as wanting to drive a very fast car, to pootle along city streets at a fabulous 14 mph, desperately looking for somewhere to park.

Most of my strong (> 8% ABV) beers have been a disappointment, TBH, but that said, there are 10L of Barley Wine in the airing cupboard for Xmas 2020.

 

[Zephyr259]

I like strong beers too but some of my best have been 4 - 4.5% bitters and UK pales. As other have said, you get a different flavour when you have that much extra malt in the same volume of beer, it's why some of the old traditional barleywines are so well thought of when they may only be made from Maris Otter and East Kent Goldings. My father-in-law thinks that one of the real skills in brewing is getting a 4% beer to have the depth of flavour of a 6% beer, he was an interesting judge when we did the dark beers last year because he'd adjust his scores based on abv as the higher abv beers were obviously going to have greater depth etc. (a 5.6% brown ale won though, with a 10% imperial stout and 7.5% bourbon stout in joint 2nd). Stronger beers also age better which adds a new dimension that isn't available to a bitter.

Big beers are like an alternative to sipping a whisky in the evening, especially the really big ones. I only tend to have 1 beer in the evening, sometimes I want a refreshing pint of bitter, other times a 250 - 330 ml bottle of old ale, barleywine or saison (my recent on hit 9%) to sit and nurse for a while., either way I'm drinking 2 - 3 units per bottle.

 

[strange-steve]

But I take your point about the opportunity for more complexity Can you expand on that, how are they more complex - is it something to do with combining lots of different malts rather than shovelling in a shed-load of base malt???

I suppose it can be either or depending on the beer. If you use twice as much malt then obviously you'll increase the malt flavours. But that doesn't mean you should just heap in all the specialty malts, I've brewed some high gravity beers with very simple recipes and they still have tons of flavour.

But to try to answer the original question of why, take something like a bitter, golden ale, mild, or pale ale. Now I enjoy those styles, but I've never tasted one which has made me think "wow, this is really special". Maybe I just haven't had the right one, but I have a feeling that even the best examples wouldn't elicit such a reaction.

That sort of response, in my view at least, seems to be reserved for big beers, imperial stout, doppelbock, quad, barleywine etc (geuze is an exception but that's another story). Those are the beers you taste and say "yes, this is something special, I'm gonna savour every drop". The ones with that almost magical quality that you don't get in other styles.

I'm thinking of some of the wow moments I've had, the really memorable beers like Pannepot Reserva (10%), Founders KBS (12.4%), Rochefort 10 (11. 3%), Black Albert (13%), Lervig 3 Bean Stout (13%) to name a few. It's no coincidence that they're all high abv.

These are some of the ones that remind me why I love beer, and just how damn good it can be. If I can brew a beer someday that gives me that same feeling then mission accomplished.

 

[dad_of_jon]

really strong beer - why?

because I can - says he drinking a galaxy hop mk V at a piffling 6.8%

 

[marshbrewer]

I have to admit that I actually get a bit excited if I walk into a pub and they've got a nice 3% mild on. If it turns out to be a cracker I've never had before I suspect I even get a bit of a stiffie.

And if it's one of those rarer than a rare thing, light milds, I usually pass out with excitement.

But, as my hairline testifies, I am turning into an old fart.

( Actually, I think mild is a much unappreciated style - it's so sociable and what, for me, pubs are all about. Several pints, all night, nattering with your mates without getting so slaughtered that the next day is a write off)

 

[lee smeaton]

Not 100% sure for beer but I am predominately a cider maker that dabbles in beer. It is very important for us to get the cider above 7% (as a minimum) to reduce the risk of spoiling and mould growth (especially when using natural yeast) and increase its shelf life. I am currently drinking my October 2018 pressing to be fair its more of an apple wine now as I got a malo-lactic secondary fermentation which "ate" the protein / pectine haze.

 

[Zephyr259]

I have to admit that I actually get a bit excited if I walk into a pub and they've got a nice 3% mild on. If it turns out to be a cracker I've never had before I suspect I even get a bit of a stiffie.

And if it's one of those rarer than a rare thing, light milds, I usually pass out with excitement.

But, as my hairline testifies, I am turning into an old fart.

( Actually, I think mild is a much unappreciated style - it's so sociable and what, for me, pubs are all about. Several pints, all night, nattering with your mates without getting so slaughtered that the next day is a write off)

Do you have a good mild recipe that you brew? I tried one and it's not very good, too thin and roasty, like a watered down dry stout...

 

[marshbrewer]

Do you have a good mild recipe that you brew? I tried one and it's not very good, too thin and roasty, like a watered down dry stout...

In a word - No.

As you have no doubt found, it's a style that leaves you nowhere to hide any brewing inadequacy you might have (and I have plenty!). I think a good, solid, interesting yeast is essential, something that brings flavour to the party. Base malt - either mild malt or one of the pales that has something about it. This might sound odd, but Fuggles are really helpful; don't bitter with challenger or something smooth and efficient, use Fuggles. Try a 30 min rather than 15 / 10 min addition. Personally, don't go anywhere near chocolate malt in a dark mild. That's about as far as I've got. But as I said, I haven't cracked it yet so that all might be balderdash.

 

[pms67]

James Morton who wrote Brew says that alcohol is a flavour carrier?
Who am I to disagree

 

[Hoppyland]

I've always found stronger beers richer and more flavoursome.

Well, just goes to show how different people's tastes are! My preference is for around 4% ABV. Much more, and I find that the alcohol tends to have too much influence. Every very strong beer that I've tasted I have disliked a lot. But then, I prefer lighter-bodied very hoppy beers. Having said that, I quite like Guinness (not the nitrogen stuff) and I don't think I'd want that much stronger.

 

[Peter Scandlyn]

Because you (I) can. Simples.

Same as I carry one with that other nasty spiritual (there's a clue for you) habit that's not allowed to be discussed here. Because. I. Can.

 

[Nicks90]

I look at it this way,
If whiskey was only distilled to 25%, would it have that same intensity?
If wine was only 6% would it be able to carry off such a huge range of different flavours and subtlety?
Would port be the exquisite drink it is if the base spirit was 25% and wine at 6%?

Therefore if you make a beer into what is effectively a wine, does it have the ability to pack the same sort of punch as a bottle of chateaunuef du pape red?
I think the answer is yes, but with the added bonus that you don't need exceptional grapes, lucky weather and can make exactly what you want just by choosing base ingredients

 

[IainM]

Each to their own, but for me it's because I simply like strong beers. Not all of them. I'd rather not drink than have a Special Brew or a Tenant's Super but, as Steve said, so many of those stand out 'wow' beers for me are strong ones. Imperial stouts, double IPAs, Belgians, barley wine. These are fantastic, not to get trashed, but to sip and enjoy the same way I'd enjoy a wine or whiskey.

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Although i'm enjoying IPA's and hoppy beers more now, I still prefer a strong dark beer that seems to change taste as it warms in the glass. There is a time and a place though, i'll have an afternoon pint of APA, IPA that tend to be around the 4% mark and an evening pint or two of something stronger. I've found that as I've got older my stomach bloats with lighter beer that tends to be more fizzy so prefer not to drink that in the evening which with two young'ns is when I have a beer now.

On the Belgian debate, I think like most things there is some absolute tasteless tosh and some beers that are absolutely magical, but again for me these tend to be darker and stronger. Saaz is a great hop.

 

[Richard_H]

I suppose it can be either or depending on the beer. If you use twice as much malt then obviously you'll increase the malt flavours. But that doesn't mean you should just heap in all the specialty malts, I've brewed some high gravity beers with very simple recipes and they still have tons of flavour.

But to try to answer the original question of why, take something like a bitter, golden ale, mild, or pale ale. Now I enjoy those styles, but I've never tasted one which has made me think "wow, this is really special". Maybe I just haven't had the right one, but I have a feeling that even the best examples wouldn't elicit such a reaction.

That sort of response, in my view at least, seems to be reserved for big beers, imperial stout, doppelbock, quad, barleywine etc (geuze is an exception but that's another story). Those are the beers you taste and say "yes, this is something special, I'm gonna savour every drop". The ones with that almost magical quality that you don't get in other styles.

I'm thinking of some of the wow moments I've had, the really memorable beers like Pannepot Reserva (10%), Founders KBS (12.4%), Rochefort 10 (11. 3%), Black Albert (13%), Lervig 3 Bean Stout (13%) to name a few. It's no coincidence that they're all high abv.

These are some of the ones that remind me why I love beer, and just how damn good it can be. If I can brew a beer someday that gives me that same feeling then mission accomplished.

I have to agree with all of this, i am a fan of beer that is 6% + even though half the beer i drink is around 5%

Take the stronger ales for example, old crafty hen (6.5%) king goblin (6.6%) old tom (8.5%) fullers 1845 (6.3%) are all more complex in terms of flavour and deliver a bigger punch compared to most commercial ales that have a lower alcohol %, i still drink those session ales but i find they are slightly bland compared to the stronger ones

The difference when it comes to the Belgian stuff is massive, there are nice Belgian beers at the 5-7% mark but the tripel's and quads in the 8-12% range are in a different league, the yeast and malt flavour are utterly sensational and sometimes leave you lost for words. This for me is the absolute holy grail of beer, nothing else comes remotely close

Stronger beers/ales are generally small batch and/or the flagship drink. The longer time scale including a much longer conditioning time which is sometimes in barrels must play a part in this as opposed to XYZ drink being brewed on a huge scale for a 1 week before going into bottles/cans and distributed globally

The lower % beer/ale makes more sense most of the time especially if your out socialising or at a local beer festival that starts at lunchtime, but to me the stronger stuff is what i really enjoy

 

[matt76]

Thanks for all the responses everyone

I have to say this is actually very inspiring, in two ways:

Firstly in terms of trying beers - I've had DIPAs, sure, but perhaps not really thought enough about what I'm drinking, the malts, the hops... and perhaps I also need to revisit some Belgian styles, Imperial stouts etc

And secondly in terms of brewing - I suppose it stands to reason that if we go from, say, 4 to 8% ABV then we're doubling up on the malts so the malt flavours should be more pronounced..... But also we need to add more hops to balance so the good flavours and aromas should also stand out more.

Perhaps I should be looking into brewing an imperial stout pronto to give it time to condition for next winter!

 

[HoppyTommy]

How elderly? A lot of old farts could ingest sand all day and still have to get up 5-6 times a night.

This chap must have been in his 80's.

On a similar note one of my elderly patients was told not drink fluids after 7pm at night to help with overnight urination problems. His answer to this was to move his 5 pint consumption 4 hours earlier and start drinking at 3 o'clock rather than 7 o'clock. Problem solved (as long as you're retired of course or have no other plans for the day)!!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

 

[phildo79]

Balance is key. The correct ABV for the flavour profile of the beer. I am fed up trying to find a good 'session' IPA. I have given up trying. It just doesn't seem possible to make a really good IPA under about 6%.

I seen a recipe earlier today for a 'session' RIS. Before looking at the ingredients, I checked the ABV. It was something like 6.3%. I didn't even bother reading on. That isn't a RIS. That's a decent ABV for an oatmeal stout.

 

[pms67]

Balance is key. The correct ABV for the flavour profile of the beer. I am fed up trying to find a good 'session' IPA. I have given up trying. It just doesn't seem possible to make a really good IPA under about 6%.

I seen a recipe earlier today for a 'session' RIS. Before looking at the ingredients, I checked the ABV. It was something like 6.3%. I didn't even bother reading on. That isn't a RIS. That's a decent ABV for an oatmeal stout.

Have a try of Vocation breweries Life and Death
Pride and Joy
Heart and Soul
All session hoppy beers