4 of 5. Why is the alcohol content important for any given style of beer?

Question

4 of 5. Why is the alcohol content important for any given style of beer?

Answer 1

Because without knowing what the alcohol content is, a person does not know how many they can drink before they get drunk.  For example if one beer has a content of 4%, and another has 8%, then a person can drink twice as many of the 4% ones.

On another note, beers with less alcohol content tend to taste better on hotter days.  Beers with great alcohol content tend to taste better on colder days.

Answer 2

http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html

It is much the same as with any other parameter that defines a particular style. Alcohol is important in that it has in addition to its psychotropic affects, sensory influence on taste and to some extent aroma. Since we define beer styles by their characteristics, controlling and manipulating them is important. Some brewers do not think in terms of beer in styles. But rather as lighter or darker or seasonal. The styles designation is a relatively but helpful new practice in brewing. The main parameters are specific gravity (S.G.), color (SRM), bitterness (IBU), and alcohol (ABV or ABW).

The alcohol influences a beers' style in body; aka mouth-feel, a warming of the mouth or throat, and in the end intoxicating effects. Also not commonly considered is the sensory (taste) of the alcohol or higher alcohols called fusels. By study of the style guidelines you will see that any particular style has a range of each parameter. And many styles there exists a crossover between styles. This then shows a relation of particular beer style to one another. So the alcohol content is just a reference point to keeping an individual  beer within old or new traditional and thus customary parameters.

Answer 3

Alcohol content is important for a number of reason.  For one it allows a person to drink responsibly.  It is important for the style of beer.  The alcohol content helps determine the style of beer.  A stout with an alcohol content of, say, 5.6%, might fall into an English Sweet Stout category, while a stout with 9% might be considered a Russian Imperial Stout.  This is also true with IPAs.  At 6% it would probably be considered an IPA, while at 10% it would probably be called a Double IPA.   Some people also feel that higher alcohol beers have more flavor, because more malted barley and other fermentables are required to push the ABV content that high.  A larger amount of hops must also be used to balance the flavor.  

Beyond this it also helps a person determine the amount of calories in the beer.

Send me a message if you want to talk more about beer.  www.beeradvocate.com is also a great place to learn.

Answer 4

I'd personally (stress on personally) argue that it has less to do with the actual ABV and more to do with the gravity of the beer.  These numbers are clear indications of how a beer starts and where it should finish and either can quantify certain aspects of a beer such as viscosity, sweetness, dryness, and things of that nature.  ABV doesn't really indicate this because two beers can share the same alcohol content but have different starting and finishing gravities.  The ABV is directly derived from these numbers though.  

To defend my position some breweries/brewers don't list the ABV on their beers at all but rather post the specific gravity of the beer on the bottle.  To a person in the know this can give you a general idea of how the beer is going to feel in your mouth and possibly what it's going to taste like if you have a relative idea of the grain bill.

Answer 5

It's important because it's a reflection of the amount of grain / malt used and the sweetness or dryness and depth of flavor of the finished product.

Answer 6

ummm... that's why people generally drink beer.

Answer 7

The alcohol in a beer and the chemistry behind how it got there affects how it tastes in your mouth...a lot! Because of this, alcohol content is one measure people pay attention to in order to understand beers.

People also like to know the alcohol content of a beer to understand how much it will affect them.

Answer 8

Well yeah it is a guideline for targeting a distinct beer desired. Such as stout or scotch ale. If we define the parameters we can better understand how to brew and enjoy that beer.

Alcohol is just one of those things we tabulate as important as it does influence are enjoyment of a style of beer. Think of it as a bookkeeping of any given beer-the master recipe guideline.

Answer 9

cuz ppl like the alcohol or beer would just be soda

Answer 10

Some of the best beers have a lower alcohol content. Guinness is a perfect example.

Some teenagers want the biggest buzz for the buck though.

Answer 11

If I understand you correctly, then I have to disagree. I choose a beer for taste/flavor, not for it's alcohol percentage. That is not of importance to those who drink beer for the pleasure of it and not for the sole purpose to get hammered as fast as possible.

Answer 12

Alcohol content is large based on the ingredients which are used in the brew. There higher the content the more fermentable material is used to produce the extra alcohol. So while the abv (alcohol by volume) so does the flavor.

There are big differences in flavor between a IPA and a Double IPA. Same goes for a Stout and a Russian Imperial Stout. Most often, when speaking of quality craft brews, the abv increase so does the flavor.