Why Session Beer?

First, ask your liver the same question.

As for getting good session beer, much depends on the beer style. If a session beer goes to 50 or 60 IBUs, it seems that nothing is there to balance the bitterness and take out the harshness. On the other hand, in blind tastings some years back most people preferred Irish draught Guinness at 4.3% abv to stronger versions.

As for the Brits and their session bitters, keep in mind how easily round-buying ups intake from one or two pints to a "session" of eight or nine; I speak from experience. Then imagine that the pints hold Triple Imperial IPA. The wagons roll down the street filled with prostrate bodies. "Bring out your dead drunks."

 

I much rather prefer session beers. I can drink a whole 6 pack and not puke and if I drink a 10% abv 4 pack I will probably puke. Its a no brainer.

 

Coincidentally I'm trying to decide tonight if I want 1 Victory Dirtwolf Double IPA (8.7%) or 2 Troegs Sunshine Pils (4.5%).

I don't consider this a session, but I'm weighing my options.

 

No, we have proper 20 ounce pints.
6% ABV isn't a session beer simply because it is 6%. Nothing to do with the drinker, it's all to do with the nature of the beer itself.
Take a table. If you sit on it and use it as a chair it remains a table because that's what it is.Take a 6% beer and using it as a session beer doesn't change it into one.

 

Slowly enjoying a 6% or above beer doesn't make it a session beer. That's just pacing yourself, but basically gets the same thing accomplished as enjoying session beer(s).

If I'm driving to and from a nice dinner with my wife and I get a high power craft or import, it's the only one I get and I also get water to drink along with the beer.

Does that make me a lightweight? Maybe, don't really care. My tolerance is nothing like it was in my early 20s. I do know this: it's a lot cheaper to do that than buy 2-4 beers, getting a DWI or worse, getting into an accident because I'm too buzzed and too proud and manly to ask my tired and pregnant wife to drive.

 

Gotta love all these people saying they don't drink beer to get drunk but in the same breath expounding on how they like session beers because they can drink more of them.

 

Exactly. You can drink lots and not get drunk. Last May I drank in 11 pubs in an afternoon and arrived home is a fully functioning condition.

 

Right. I can have 2 or 3 pints of a mild at 3.5% for every pint of a 9% double IPA. Personally, if I'm sitting at the bar for an hour or two, I'd much prefer the former. Especially if I'm making the effort to go out to the bar. I could have 2 or 3 pints of the 9% double IPA, but I'm fairly certain I'd be drunk by the end of the second hour, definitely after one hour.

Extrapolate that out to 5 or 6 hours.....

 

Please , lets NOT start the session beer wars again.
I think it would be wise to say, drink how and what, and when you like and not label it anything but enjoyment.

I personally do not enjoy drinking MOST weak beers.

I on the other hand respect getting a full 20oz PINT. We do not get that here in the USA (rare if we do). We get 14oz shakers or 12oz in a bottle, sure there are exceptions. So what anyone drinks in 1 night can be defined by a name, so let's let the folks in the UK have their own terms OK? after all most of us are descendant's from their, sure not all. We can agree they made beer LONG before we did....they been drinking good beer when we switched to German/Czech pils (lager)(most of us anyway).

The point is; drink how you want to and what you want, let's not fight about their terms. Really once and for all let them have this please?

So we go out, we never LABEL it. Other than when we go out to drink, and stopped by a pub and had a few. Lets face it we DO NOT have pubs in walking distance to 90% of us. (Sure if you live in big cities and downtown, there are exceptions) most of us live outside towns, or in towns where you have to drive into. You know what I mean here. If you ever been to the UK you would understand.

Of course I grew up in Texas and in the worst town for beer: Houston (1940-1960). I personally have no idea what its like to grow up in Boston, or NYC....they may have a pub culture up there??? I do not think they ever though of it being a session though. get it... If not oh well

Cheers!

Just my 2 cents.

PS: I know this will never end this debate (if you can call it that).

 

How about a "Why _______ beer?" thread for each and every style.....

 

Are these two sentiments somehow contradictory or incompatible?

 

I drink what ever tastes good. Some times it a 14% Abv stout and other times its a 3 % Abv Lambic. The only thing I do notice is the more and more I try new beer the less and less the alcohol percentage I am actually drinking. Two of the best beers I have had recently was Cantillon Kriek and Night Shifts Whirlpool. Both delicous in thier own right.

 

I don't drink to get drunk but I'm gonna drink a ton of these lower abv beers so that I get drunk. It just takes me longer.

 

Please be aware that this reply doesn't apply to just you but to anyone who thought my original post was serious.
When a nap is suggested as a way to make a high ABV beer a session beer, shouldn't that be somewhat of a tipoff that I wasn't being serious?
From now on, when I post something that's supposed to be a joke, I guess I should state that it's a joke before writing anything else. But damn, it's only beer, it's not politics or religion.

 

If you out to quickly drink your problems away, I can understand why you wouldn't like session beers.

If you are forcing yourself to "drink more to get a buzz" then it is quite possible that you need to get a little introspective about your drinking. If the beer tastes good then why would you be forcing yourself to drink more? Do you force yourself to drink soft drinks? Many people like beer and drink it for the taste and the subtle effect of alcohol. They want to be able to drink more, enjoy more, and drink longer - thus called "session beer".

 

I've had 5 hours sessions on Tetley's Mild and been steady on my legs. An Imperial pint of Storm King (I know, stupid idea) on an afternoon Manhattan pub crawl had me on my knees. Almost literally.

 

You're missing the argument. The idea is to drink a lot of session beers because they don't get you drunk.

 

oh I got and its TOTALLY cool. ITs just folks used to get nuts over this session beer definition......as for the nap its sounds like a good idea to me. I just figured folks are just too serious about a term the UK folks invented is all.

yea sarcasm and the internet are difficult to convey....

heck I am just happy the grammar and spelling police are not bugging folks as much as they used too..... I write like I talk, it might sound dumb, but I am not as stupid as I seem to be.

 

you drink, you fall down no problem, as long as your just walking and just falling on yourself who cares?

 

About 4 years ago I discovered FS Session Lager at the same time I was clearing out our house to move. My father-in-law came over to help and between us we drank up most of the 12 pack I'd purchased as we worked through the afternoon. It was cold, crisp and thirst-quenching, it didn't knock us out and, best of all, it tasted REALLY good on a hot afternoon. My FIL said it was better than his usual, Mich Golden Light.

This is why session beer is a good thing.

BTW: He now alternates the MGL with Leinie Hoppin' Helles. One step at a time.