Best available hoppy session ale?

Wow, really? I imagine you could easily tell which beer was Heady/Pliny and which was the session IPA, even in a blind tasting. I'm shocked by this result. I must say that's a cool blind tasting. Any other session IPAs in there? If so, how'd they stack up?

 

It's a very good pale ale...really nice on a summer afternoon. But to me, 5.5% ABV isn't really a session ale.

 

I wish it was more widely available for you all, but Marshall's Arrowhead Pale Ale is one of the best sessionable beers I have ever had. It is right around 5.2% abv, but has the hop profile of some of the best IPAs out there. Not overly bitter, has a great malty sweetness, and that tongue tingling hop presence that ive come to know and love. In recent years it hasn't really been that respected, but this year the package stores can't keep them in stock. Been selling by the case for weeks now.

 

My personal favorite is Founder's All Day IPA.

 

Bring out the pitchforks, but I love the under appreciated Pride & Joy by FFF. Then there's the issue of being widely available

 

As far as sessionable and hoppy, my vote goes for red swingline from trinity brewing. Its a hoppy wild that comes in at 3.8% ABV. It isn't "widely" available, but I would drink it by the barrel over any of the session ipa's listed in the poll, even at the $16$ per 750 pricetag.
Edit: I will throw odell looseleaf into this session ipa fray, out of the others I have had (stone, founders, lagunitas) odell's offering blows them away.

 

This was not the Dark Star Hophead but the Brewster's Brewery one.It's not uncommon for beers from different breweries to bear the same name.
I've had both beers head to head and in my view the Brewster's version just wins by a nose.Here they both are , actually in Brewster's own pub

 

No, I got you - you linked to both, and I commented on the one I'd had. But I am very sad that both of them aren't always on cask around here, along with others like them. One of these days I have to do a tour of English pubs - will probably ask you for some tips. Cheers!

 

Carton Boat Beer is my favorite but...

Honorable Mention: Rivertowne Brewing Dayman IPA. Had a can fresh and it was awesome!

 

After having plenty of all day ipa, I think stone's Go-To just has a slight edge over everyone.

 

If you can afford to session beer that costs $45 a six pack then I'd like to come to your next backyard BBQ.

 

I haven't seen Nooner in anything besides the 4 way IPA mixed pack if that helps.

 

The hoppiness of Stone Go To is ridiculous. This is one of my new favorite beers regardless of abv.

 

Since widely available has been tossed in this thread, I'd triple vote Bale Breaker Field 41 pale. Super dry-hopped and sits at 4.5% abv. It gives Nooner, AllDay and Go To the beat down.

 

Only if you swing by HF and the Alchemist on your way over.

 

My personal ratings were Heady, Pop-up, Pliny. Heady was pretty obvious to be because of the appearance. When we did the tasting, we had no idea which beers were involved... only that there was a "very wide range." Others we sampled were: DFH 60, DFH 90, Mothers Doozy, HopSlam, Boulevard Single Wide, Deschutes Fresh Squeezed, Founders All Day, UpSlope IPA. And a couple others.

The group's top 3 were Doozy, Pop-up, Heady. Doozy was a big surprise when it was revealed as the top pick... just shows how much labels can impact perception.

 

Why does a session beer have to be 4.0% abv? Is 5.5% abv not sessionable?

 

Any beer can be "sessionable" for the individual drinker.

But by what metric would 5.5% ever be considered sessionable? Most cite (and I have no studies to prove this, simply what most websites reference) 1 standard drink in the US as a 12 oz. beer at 5% abv. And this 1 standard drink can be processed by the liver in one hour. If you're having a "session" I would think you'd want more than one beer in an hour, so a sessionable beer should be at least below 5% abv.

In the UK, a session beer is defined as anything 4% or lower.

***In Germany, pils is consumed in vast quantities, and most German pilsners fall between 4.9% and 5.1% abv. Czech pils typically land around 4.5%, Pilsner Urquell being 4.4% abv.

The original recipes for Belgian saisons were even lower, some coming in below 3% abv so farm workers could drink them and remain "somewhat" hydrated.

Heck, even in the US before craft beer blew up, Budweiser/Coors Banquet/Miller High Life...etc. sit at 5% abv. And their "lite" or you could read that as "sessionable" brethren on average are about 4.2% abv. The high octane "ice" beers were 5.5% to 6%, which weren't sessionable.

Before craft, no one thought of 5.5% abv as sessionable. I have a feeling folks only attempt to consider that sessionable out of convenience, because craft abv's on this website average > 6% abv, and most of the popular one's (double IPA anyone?) are much higher. But with this wave of beers in a wide variety of styles from session IPAs to Berliner weiss, that tide is slowly turning.

***At Oktoberfest they session 5.9% abv beers in 1 liter mugs. But I consider this an (albeit awesome) outlier.

 

"Hop water"- that's a perfect description. I would choose an ipa any day over a sessionable version with no malt. Otherwise they become too bitter and unbalance just as you mentioned.