The Problem With Session Beers in the US

Though not a new concept, “session beer” is one of the more recent beer trends in the US. Historically speaking, it’s a British term that refers to lower-alcohol beers consumed during a “drinking session,” wherein large volumes are consumed without getting completely obliterated, and usually in a social setting.

It’s a sound concept, and has its place. But here in the US, it’s a flawed practice. Allow us to explain.

Pricing
Lower-ABV beers are typically priced the same as standard or higher-ABV beers. Imports? Don’t even get us started. And if quality takes a hit, as it often does, this makes pricing even more of an obstacle.

USA! USA!
We’re not the UK. We have different expectations. Our drinking cultures are different, so there’s a learning curve. Session beer brewers often need to tell a story just to get people interested and convince them why they should spend more for less. $7 for a faux-pint of 4-percent beer that might be good? Cool story, brah.

A Session What?
Speaking of a learning curve, there’s no standard definition of a session beer. Some say 4 or 5 percent and under, or consider the style, or disregard everything if it’s a beer they can drink a lot of regardless of the ABV or style. Everyone seems to have their own definition, making it a hot topic and an entertaining one to follow online.

Boring!
There’s a serious lack of creativity when it comes to session beers. It’s either an attempt at an old beer style, or a weak, watery failure. Even worse, some fool (or genius) created the “Session IPA,” and it’s taking over the session beer category thanks to bandwagoning brewers releasing hop water into the market in order to capture twice the hype. Granted, some of them are awesome, but overall it’s a boring trend, bastardizing both categories and pushing other sessionable beers and styles to the side.

Snobs
Perhaps they’re frustrated, but we find that many proponents of session beers are snobs. They complain about, and poke fun at, Americans who don’t get session beers, without trying to understand the reasons why. It’s a real turn-off, and not an ideal stance to take if your goal is to educate.

In a nutshell, all of the above problems need to change in order for session beers to truly be accepted in the US.

Respect Beer. ■