Firestone Walker - Easy Jack

5.2%abv is not a session beer by any generally accepted definition.

 

Now that's what I'm talkin about.

 

Kern could make Just aSESSION ipa

 

Boat is 4.2%

 

Kern does make Single Track. This site lists it as Pale Ale but I seem to recall it being listed as an IPA at the brewery. This beer's amazing and only 4%. Wish they would bottle this one.

 

It's just my opinion, but I don't think anybody should be drinking a six pack of anything per day.

 

Well then I think most people would consider it a session beer.

 

Maybe I can find it in MO. I'm sure uncle Si would approve.

 

I have been drinking craft beer for years and love hoppy brews. I've enjoyed many DIPA's from all over the country, with Heady Topper, Hopslam and Gandhi Bot being among some of my favorites. I am also a big fan of bourbon and love strong, boozy flavors. I also love session beers of lower strength and I especially love session IPA's and their prominence these days. Please explain to me how I can't handle IPA's and how my wanting more session IPA's is me trying to be cool?

 

Session IPA =/= Pale Ale

Two key differences, in my mind: as a general rule, session IPAs have much less body but a hoppier flavor profile than pale ales.

Styles are fluid, but anytime I see someone say that these two are the same thing with just different labeling, I can't help but wonder if they've had very many so-called "session IPAs". Or APAs. Or ever bothered to actually compare them.

One of the more apt descriptions of a session IPA that I've ever read (and apologies to the BA who coined this--I would give credit if I remembered who it was) was that it's basically hop water. I can't think of any pale ales that I would describe that way.

 

I have only had a few Session IPAs (one that I recall is Founders All Day IPA)

I look forward to trying Stones Go To and Sierra Nevada Nooner.

All of the Session IPAs that I have consumed have had thin bodies. Since I have only had a few Session IPAs I personally feel uncomfortable stating that all Session IPAs have this attribute.

Why do you think that Session IPAs ‘have to be’ thin bodied?

Cheers!

 

can we name at least 6 session ipa's?

 

I guess "have to be" isn't necessarily the way to say it, but I've had most of the session IPA offerings from major brewers and have yet to come across one that wasn't thin. Just for some context, I've had the following:

Boulevard Pop-up
Founders All Day
Lagunitas DayTime
Sierra Nevada Nooner
Schlafly IPA (Can Sessions)

And I'll fully admit that part of my perception comes from having also sampled the "standard" IPA offering and APA offering from each of those brewers, and in every case, the session IPA has less body than both the standard IPA or the APA from that brewer. And the session IPA also tends to have more hoppiness than the APAs. So whether we call them "hoppy APAs" or "session IPAs" really makes no difference to me. I don't intend to come across as some kind of style hardass. My point is merely that they are distinguishable. Maybe not to the point of being their own style, but to the point of being deserving of a separate term. Maybe sorta like "Mexican Stout" has started to become a pseudonym for imperial stout with chiles and spices.

I'm curious--you say that you've only had a few, but being a relatively new phenomenon, I get the impression that there aren't a ton more out there. Maybe that's my own ignorance talking. But perhaps a "few" is still a relatively large sample size.

Heck, Stone Go To and FW Easy Jack very well change my general impression. If so, then I'll gladly change my tune.

EDIT: see above in bold. there's seven for ya

 

I'm sure we will, but all bottles will likely be a minimum of 4-5 months old! lol! Damn you High Grade!

 

I can't wait to try this one

 

Row 2, Blind Pig & Happy Hops will keep that from happening...

 

weird naming arguments aside, count me in for being interested in this beer. firestone walker knows how to hop (wookie jack is the shit). i like light beers with lots of hop punch.

the only problem is that they're even more freshness sensitive than others. like founders all day IPA, when that arrives at the store i really could drink it all day. a few weeks on and i'm back in the "if i wanted water i would have poured that in the glass and saved some money," camp.

 

I find Go To about as thin as All Day, but Stone's Levitation has a great body at about the same ABV (IIRC, Lev is 4.4% and Go to is 4.5%). Unfortunately, it is very hard for me to find fresh; Seems like it was released a decade too early

 

I don't do much else with them, but these are like ambrosia for beer league sports.