As far as I no I measure my ABV correctly . I take my OG and FG and plug it into the calculator and record the result . Usually my actual is very close to the software prediction so I never questioned it. People drinking my beer ask me if the beer is stronger than I say it is. I notice it also. Most of my beer is between 5% and 7%. I drink plenty of 7% commercial beer and I would agree mine feel stronger. Any ideas?
Could you be fermenting too warm? Anything warmer than about 68 F is too warm for most styles. Shoot for low 60s.
I’ve noticed that certain types of beer can hit me harder than others, even if the ABV is equal. Not sure of the reason.
In addition to warm fermentation, which creates more higher alcohols and thus will cause hangovers as well as buzz, higher carbonation can be a minor factor. Higher CO2 will drive the alcohol or other chemicals into the blood stream more efficiently. That’s why effervescent tablets are used for fast-acting remedies.
Or it could be that your beer is so much better than the commercial stuff that you just don’t notice how much you’ve been drinking.
I thought it might be fusel related but it doesn’t give me a hangover just a buzz and a nice nap.Most beer I ferment 65 to 70 except Belgians which I push a little higher. I carb around 12 or 13psi. Set and forget method.My bottled I usually shoot for the higher end of the scale. And yes my beer is a lot better than commercial which is why I’m leery about changing the recipe to lower the ABV. I will experiment with temp and carbonation though. I’m not saying it’s bad I’m just trying to understand it.
Check out this calculator:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/It has an ‘alternate’ abv formula that can give significant differences in %, especially as OG increases.
Not sure where community consensus is in regard to the ‘correct’ formula, but for my high OG beers, I usually look at both calculations and figure that it is somewhere in the middle.
I’ve seen that calculator but I usually use the other. Maybe i should use it though . Maybe it’s more accurate.
You just brought something to mind that I realized in the last few years I was making a lot of beers similar in ABV.[ 5-7 range ] So I purposely started to run thru all my recipes and have tried to throw a few more sessions in into the schedule along with an Old Ale recipe. Now that I’ve started to take notice I have several styles plus different ABV ranges. I had gotten into a habit of many the same ABV beers. Some how it seems like a bigger world now.
