Why Session Beer?

I'm not really going to add anything more than what I assume Marquis (the honourable defender of the definition of session beer since the demise of a certain Leeds Utd fan) has contributed to this thread but to the OP if you can drink 2-3 pints of 5-7% (or higher) beer per hour for 3 hours say and still remaining functioning (as in being able to handle a firearm) then you can snatch that term to classify those beers you are drinking.

 

Personally, I began getting into "session" beers (session in this context = ~5% or less) out of necessity. The older I got, the worse the hangovers became, so I wanted lower alcohol. Coincidentally, these are now many of the styles I prefer, regardless of whether I care for the buzz or not.

A German pilsner could be 10% abv and an IPA could be 4% abv, and I'd still grab the pilsner over the IPA. (this is of course hypothetical)

 

Similar story - but for me it has more to do with driving (though the hangovers do get worse and come more easily). As my wife and I moved further and further from the city, drinking responsibly became more of a challenge. I very much enjoy the act of drinking and the taste of beer. So at a party I could basically have 1 double IPA over an hour or 3 session beers over 2-3 hours. Kind of a no brainer for me. It was at that point that I really started to understand the flavor value too. Now I brew something 4% or under at least every other month.

 

I feel that the term "session beer" has little to do with the drinker and everything to do with the beer.It's a beer designed with volume consumption in mind so there are two criteria; it has to be low ABV for obvious reasons and it also (often overlooked) has to be well balanced so the drinker wants more and more.We often hear of palate fatigue in which the initial flavour impact fades,a session beer is the opposite in that every pint tastes better and fuller than the one before. There are quite a few beers available of session strength but which I wouldn't want a second pint of.

 

Where do you drink w/ so many session beers (or any)?

 

While tailgating for starters.

I like talking a bomber of a nice quad or stout to share to kick off the morning and then a 6 pack of something less potent to enjoy for the next few hours before it's time to go inside the stadium.

 

My deck! 1100 square feet of relaxation with a great sound system!

 

Ok so you have zero expectation of going out to a local bar and having a selection of quality session craft beers?

 

The more styles and varieties of quality beer (whether they are 4% or 20%) the better in my book. All these arguments seem to hinge around one thing is better than the other. Duality can be a positive if we allow it.

 

I can't believe this topic is still making its rounds...Why Session Beer?... It's like an alcoholic asked the question and all of us drunks lined up to answer.

Sometimes people want less...not more? Simple...diet coke over coke...an apple instead of a doughnut...a salad instead of pizza...

It's called control...I agree with so many other's above posts...if it's all about the "bang" then drink whiskey, vodka or tequila...volume of alcohol isn't everything...unless all you are trying to do is get drunk? I'm not interested in drinking a double IPA in the middle of the day when I'm fishing or mowing the grass...I'd rather wait till the evening to enjoy over time. In the meantime a great session brew will help hold me over until I can truly unwind.

 

Here's my two cents: The issue is I hear a lot of people complaining about what session IPAs aren't. People need to stop bashing and hating on session IPAs for what they are not and worry about what they are. There are some IPAs I'd consider to be sessionable, but not many. I don't drink IPAs the way bros pound BMCs. If I want to pound back some brews I'll be with the bros pounding down the aforementioned BMCs.

In general, people need to realize that session IPAs are great in the regard that they are the equivalent of an AAL for IPA drinkers - you can drink 4 without worrying about stumbling around like a fool. If you aren't a fan of the lower ABV or maybe simpler, less complex flavor profile, don't drink it. But I really get frustrated when people rate session IPAs on what they are NOT instead of what they are.

 

Because I'm drinking my first Stone Go To . In a tulip glass, its resin smell combined with that piney light bitter aftertaste gives you strong flavors without the abv . Daytime and All Day are two other reasons Why session beers?
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I have had one "session" beer, Anderson Valley's Keelbarlin Pale Ale. First week I bought it had a nice hop aroma, nice light flavor, I was impressed but about a month later the flavors in the few cans was gone. I don't understand a session beer either. Doesn't make sense.

 

why drink budlight, miller lite, coors lite, etc. on a hot spring/summer day when you are enjoying the outdoors when you can have a founders all day ipa? to me thats the real appeal of session beers. No one wants to drink a heay/high abv beer in the hot summer so we tend to turn to the BMC lite beers. until now. Now we can enjoy the beer we love in the summer too.

 

Why hold on to a near 4% beer for a month without drinking it? Most peoples posts in this thread don't make any sense.

 

I drink about 4-6 beers a week, had it, set it aside, and came back about a month later. It is the lowest ABV beer I have tried and I am learning that low ABV beers don't last long with the flavor.

 

This is true, and they're not meant to hold their flavor for long. They're meant to be drunk fresh. If you want to keep a beer hanging around for a while, the higher the ABV the better and the longer it will stay good (or even get better!)
Session beers are for mowing the lawn when it's 80+ degrees outside.
I love the strong, dark Belgians and complex, hoppy brews with high ABVs. I just can't drink more than one or two in a day. I'll take several FS Sessions when I'm going to drink more than that. A 4pack of Rochefort 10 in an afternoon would leave me buzzed and with a burned out tongue.

 

Not from a historical point of view it doesn't. Those so-called sessions where drinkers were in pubs for set hours of the day never had that choice between different beers to choose from - the only thing that was guaranteed was that the beer they were drinking was under 4%.

 

I well remember these times. And believe me the beers were all well balanced and moreish. They had to be in order to get the customer to drink in quantity.You can't sell much beer if people aren't going to drink lots of it.If you don't think,after your glass is empty, "that was nice. I'll have another" it fails to be a decent session beer.
There was in fact a choice but rather limited. The pub down the road might belong to a different brewer.Where I come from we had three local breweries plus Bass. Bass in those days was a class act, nothing like what it is now.The bitters from the three brewers were distinctive; one was smooth and malty with good hop balance; one was relatively sweet on the tongue and the other was bitter and astringent , taking some acclimatisation but immensely rewarding when you got used to it.The last one is still available and remains one of my all time favourites. Similarly with the milds; all lovely but different. Plus, being on cask, they were all subtly different from pub to pub and day to day.
I was quite happy in the day to drink several pints of the same beer each and every night, the secret of a good session beer is that you simply don't tire of it and go looking for something else.Drinking it was sheer enjoyment and despite the massively increased choice these days beer drinking then was just as much fun.

 

Everything is a reaction to something else. Now instead of drinking a huge 15% BBA barleywine or imperial stout, the new fad is 3-4% hoppy pale ales and such. My opinion on this trend is still being formed, but all I know so far is that Stone Go-To IPA is awesome.