Esquire: Why the "Session" Beer Trend Makes Zero Sense

Or maybe it is the case that British brewers have developed, refined, and perfected the processes by which the best possible flavors, balance, and drinkability are extracted from of their ingredients at a low ABV. To posit that they would somehow get "better" results by extracting more sugars, alcohols, esters, or hop character or by ignoring "constraints" of ABV, etc., is just silly. A dark mild that is amped up to a higher ABV isn't a dark mild, it's a brown ale.

 

All I am saying is that each beer likely has its "ideal form". Labels as far as beer type are really just identifications techniques developed by humans for simple pattern recognition so let us ignore those. If you make a brew and it tastes AMAZING at 11% then even better at 7% but loses its luster once you drop to 4%, why not just keep it at 7% and preserve its best form? Who cares if it jumps around in style categories?

 

That example works well for U.S. DIPAs vs. "session IPAs." What is confusing me is that you say you have drunk true session ales in the UK and seem to posit that the same applies to them. Perhaps the common use (or misuse) of the term "session" is causing the confusion/conflation.

 

I couldn't agree more!

 

I will add that one thing I loved about my time in Britain (aside from all the good low ABV beers of course ) is that people were always up for a spirited debate....and this thread has been a fine example of that. So cheers to my friends across the pond, and those that originated from there!

 

Hard to do at times, but it's simply a learned behavior. You have to learn how to drink correctly. Most drinkers get their drinking educations at places like frat parties when they're young - and it's all wrong. Unfortunately, some proudly carry that botched diploma with them for the majority of their lives.

 

that is completely and utterly wrong. You have totally missed the point, even after I have already said that the WHOLE POINT of British cask beer is that there is ZERO compromise between ABV and flavour.

I give up. You're not colour blind - you are deliberately missing the point. I'm done.

 

Did you miss the second bit of this post??

Might I introduce something into this conversation? May it be the case that we are talking across purposes here? I contend that targeting a certain ABV so that people can drink more and making flavor a secondary concern is odd and not something I like the idea of.

Maybe it is the case that British Cask Ales and many others simply exist in their best possible state at a low ABV and by chance fall into that session category, whereas many American brewers are now actively targeting the ABV and forefitting other aspects that make beers better in order to adapt to a perceived market?

 

To be fair - if you read the full post, it looks like he's only implicating American craft breweries who are adding a "session IPA" to their line-up

 

If U.S. brewers of "session IPAs" would just be honest and call these beers what they really are -- IPA Lite -- then all this confusion could be avoided.

 

Esquire should stick to whatever it does best, and writing about beer is not it. This is part of an alarming trend on the part of mainstream magazines to jump on the craft beer wagon, using writers with little or no knowledge on the subject and who ramble on with ignorant abandon. Food & Wine and Bon Appetit are just as guilty by pretending to offer expertise in articles that are little more than uninformed filler.

This is how Hearst Corp. describes their publication- need I say more?

"As the only general-interest lifestyle magazine for sophisticated men, Esquire defines, reflects and celebrates what it means to be a man in contemporary American culture. Required reading for the man who is intellectually curious and socially aware, Esquire speaks to the scope and diversity of his passions with spirited storytelling, superb style and a tonic splash of irreverent humor."

No mention of food or beverage at all.

 

It seems all the beer snobs was 13% Barley Wine and 9% DIPA's. Surprise, surprise.

 

every interaction I have had with the dude so far, except possibly the last one, has drawn no such distinction. He has been slandering session beer with no effort to clarify anything, as far as I can tell. Just "session beer sucks hurr hurr hurr".

 

Apparently, they have higher expectations of their readers than they do of their writers.

 

Well man, I don't know that I have given that impression to anyone else throughout this process and I hope that I have presented my points with a bit more articulation and finesse than that. You seem to be resorting to what borders on ad-hominem attacks and are blatantly misrepresenting my views so I will have to say good luck to you now and cease the conversation.

 

This article does two things for me. 1. Once again reinforce what a horrible piece of drivel Esquire is. 2. Make me want to punch in the face of this d-bag writer.

 

I agree. I drink for the flavor, and tend to prefer the flavor or higher ABV's. And because of that, I rarely have more that 1 per day.

However, if I'm at a family reunion (you MUST drink at a family reunion), where I know it's an all day event, I'd rather have something that's low ABV, yet still is enjoyable. So I'm all for the effort to make good session beers.

 

Im not sure flavor is a secondary concern for a lot of these breweries. I think a lot of them are just failing/unskilled at making a flavorful low alcohol ale(especially hop forward ones). That doesnt mean they arent trying though.