Off Topic: Beer Gone crazy

[Lee Michaels]

I suppose it had to happen...

[Robatoy]

top 5.5%... in fact I can't think of one over 5.5% that I like. Erdinger Weiss, I suspect is higher than the rated 5% because after 12 bottles of 500ml, I got myself a buzz. Besides Erdinger and Grolsch, there isn't much out there that blows up my skirt. So, some good ones, a whole slew of mediocre beer, and quite a few that I would pass on if offered, regardless how hot it was outside. Many of those awful beers are Canadian/US made, although there are some palatable NA beers like Sleemans and some Sam Addams. Grolsch is my staple and has been since

1641.

[Tim W]

obtained by fermentation. They claim it is beer because they don't add alcohol or distill anything but the strength is increased by freezing out the water. That's an additional process which is not part of traditional beer making.

I might try a bottle though.

Tim w

[Stuart]

But what's the point anyway?

I drink beer because I enjoy it and its a nice long drink when you're thirsty. When the weathers nice I can sit out in the garden with a pint and enjoy it. Then I can go back to whatever I was doing before.

A pint of that stuff and I'd either fall asleep or fall over. Either way I wouldn't get much else done and it would certainly be dangerous to try to do anything in the workshop.

If I want a "strong" drink, maybe in the evening before I go to bed, I'll pour myself a wee dram of whisky - single malt of course!

[FrozenNorth]

Exactly, who wants a shot of beer. They come in bottles of a certain size for a reason, to drink in one sitting while relaxing or taking a break. That stuff, forget it.

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------------------- As a guy who worked for me once said, "You drink beer because you are thirsty, you drink alcohol to get drunk."

Lew

[Kerry Montgomery]

It's out of my price, though. $40 for a 330ml bottle!

[-MIKE-]

I agree with everyone about that beer being pointless. If I have a great tasting beer, last thing I want to do is stop at one gulp. And although I enjoy that nice relaxed feeling I get from the alcohol, I drink it for the taste, mostly because I'm way over sweet beverages in my "old age."

But if anyone's drinking beer to quench your thirst, it's a one step forward, two steps back approach, since beer is a diuretic. There are two kinds of thirsts, though.

It's no big deal, if your thirst is simply from wanting something to drink with a meal, or you're just craving a cold beer. But if you're out working and getting that cotton mouth feeling, you need to chase that pint beer with a pint of water.

[notbob]

I can't say for certain, not knowing the process, but higher alcohol levels can be obtained by natural brewing. I know that up to 25% can be reached by re-adding starch (grain) and more and more strains of yeast that are resistant to dying at normal alcohol levels. Basically, they are force feeding/fermenting the brew to higher and higher alcohol levels. Sammy Adams Utopia is one example.

nb

[Seismo R. Malm]

This is the beer, I don't know any other beer that is as strong as Utopia. I have tasted it (my regular beer bar sold it a couple of years ago, price was

160 Euros per bottle). Not bad but doesn't taste like beer at all.

I think that they use this yeast:

they add sugar, not starch. I think that they can't even use malted grain as you need 50% sugar solution to get 25% alcohol and later additions must be much higher as they have to start much lower. If I remember correctly, they add mapple syryp in the end.

Very difficult process and not worth it. I would stop at about 18%. There are some great beer at around 10%, I would rather take two of these than single 20% one.

For example this is a great beer:

malm

[notbob]

I won't argue, last having researched this about 5 yrs ago and having a geezer memory. ;)

I am in complete agreement as I sip my Bigfoot Ale. The biggest I've experienced was a small brewer who made a monster barleywine at about

16% abv that was aged for 16 mos and bottled in champagne bottles. I don't know if he's still around, but was the best beer I ever tasted.

nb

[Tom Murray]

If you are in Seattle in March you should look up the Hard Liver Festival. Several bars have various Barleywines on tap. Quite enjoyable.