What's your favorite Session IPA?

I love All Day IPA, but based on the numerous posts here I bought a sixer of Pinner today. It was brewed less than 2 weeks ago!! I am all giddy!! I think I know how my wife feels when she finds the perfect shoes.

 

I'm digging Two Roads Lil' Heaven... calypso, mosaic, azacca--yes please

 

I love me some Go To, but that's admittedly the only "session" IPA I've had. I still have yet to try Founders All Day and Lagunitas DayTime.

 

Ballast Point Even Keel is quite tasty, but only 3.8%. Perhaps too sessionable?

 

I know its not what your asking but I find a certain pale ale is better then all the ones labeled session ipa. Two Brothers Sidekick.

 

TWO ROADS LIL HEAVEN

 

Founders all day or New Belgium slow ride

 

couple of bests, in my opinion, were a pair of Boneyard one time releases -

Blacklight IPA, was bottled and came in @ 4.2%
and Simcoe Shotgun Session IPA (single/fresh hopped i believe)

Close after those is Breakside's Lunch Break ISA

 

Session IPA = Full flavored IPA with manageable ABV:
1 - DayTime - Lagunitas
2 - All Day IPA - Founders
3 - BOAT (although classified as a hoppy Kolsch) - Carton

The insanely short shelf life that these 'session' IPA's have is criminal. A few more points in the ABV and IBU category provides for (in a retailer or in your 'fridge) much more ample shelf-life. Therefore, I'm still not much of a fan of this style.

 

Glad you mentioned this. Although, I'm not sure what "extra" pale ale means or how it compares to regular pale ale, session ipa, or regular IPA, I do enjoy this beer a lot. It's just SUPER juicy.

 

I liked Easy Jack and Daytime. Pretty complete from a flavor profile, bitterness and malty backbone to support 'em.

 

Finally got to try Pinner, solid. Definitely will buy again, well done OB!

 

Founder's All Day and Mosaic Promise (I believe that was in the 5.5% range)
Evil Twin Femme Fatale Brett was also quite surprising
New Belgium's Hop Kitchen Oatmeal IPA

(I can never just pick one...)

 

I find that most session ipas I've had taste like a fist full of hop pellets dropped in club soda. Not pleasant. The only 2 sessions ipas I've had that had enough of a malt backbone to avoid that character were Green Flash Citra Session and Two Roads Lil Heaven. Both were excellent!

 

As a rule I don't drink sessions, however, Alpine Hoppy Birthday is the one exception.

 

SNPA

 

Rushing Duck's, Baby Elephant. Although I'm a big fan of Founders and Stone's beer's, their low ABV session beers cannot compare to Baby Elephant. To be fair, I'm not a fan of these beers and in the heat of summer I enjoy a good pilsner, but you will be surprised at how good Baby Elephant is.

 

A beer that is sometimes forgotten - Boulder's Hazed & Infused is dry-hopped, a hair under 5% ABV, and has been around since the late 90's. I'd actually take it over any of the newer spins on this idea.

 

Daytime and Pinner are still my favs, but Even Keel and Slow Ride are pretty good too. Easy Jack is bleh....definitely the blandest session IPA that I've tried.

 

I hate the term session beer, but i would choose Lagunitas Daytime for a "I still have to run heavy machinery" beer