Summer of Session IPAs

So much opinion. So. Your eyes and palate are just that. Yours.

 

There are a lot of them because a lot of people buy them. All Day is Founders biggest seller eclipsing Centennial. I don't think they will fade like the white IPA.

I for one welcome them. Love to have a cold one (or two--ok three) on the beach or in the boat. Not my choice with a meal or when I want to savor a full body complex IPA but hits that sweet spot for me that even a well made pilsner like a Victory just doesn't scratch.

Personally, I find Even Keel and Lagunitas day time beers outstanding. Call them what you want but I call them good.

 

The more hoppy low alcohol beers, the better.

 

Oh, Pale Ales disguised as IPAs for the same price as IPAs? Yeah, I'll pass

 

I have posted this repeatedly, Meta Modern, if you are in Texas is a great Session IPA, especially if you like Mosaic hops

 

I thought so a month ago but now that it has warmed up I have bought several. But still....

 

Harpoon just added a Session IPA, they used to have a very good session brown but no one bought it (there are reviews from 2014 but those are probably for the limited Harpoon Brown IPA listed under the wrong beer). Session brown came and went before this latest session craze.

 

There is a place for Session Ales in the market, it's a no-brainer for a brewery to add it to their line-up. In my opinion session beers are the entry point into the craft beer world for a lot of BMC drinkers. Personally I don't drink that flavorless insipid crap but many people enjoy them. Breweries are out there to make money, not make you happy, although your happiness translates into their profits.

 

When does it stop being a fad? This will be the 5th summer a row my friends and I drink almost exclusively Boat.

 

Every thread on session IPAs includes someone equating them with pale ales in disguise, so I'll make with the response that also shows up every time: Nah. Pales typically have a much fuller malt presence than session IPAs do, so they're rarely characterized as "hop water" the way session IPAs often are.

I like some session IPAs but the relative lack of malt makes them seem astringent to me, so I'm never inclined to session them.

 

So, a 5% ABV Pale Ale isn't "sessionable" enough?

 

The difference in cost for a commercial brewery to produce and get to market a 4-5% beer versus a 7-10% beer is negligible.

 

Also, the new 21st Amendment session IPA (which I haven't tried) has apparently replaced their Bitter American... which was more or less a session IPA before people used the term "session IPA." Makes me want to try it to see why they bothered reformulating it (and because I'm a fool soon parted from his money).

 

If the beer tastes good, regardless of ABV, I will drink it and enjoy it.

I have had quite a few "session" IPA's that were delicious and I would pay the same I do for those as a 8% ABV IPA. I don't get the mentality with alcohol content, honestly. If a beer is made well it won't matter.

 

That extra percentage point of alcohol really adds up after twenty or thirty beers!

 

Can't speak for beers in UK, but high gravity American made beers tend to have more flavor, complexity and body, than lower ABV stuff.

 

If a brewer knows what they're doing, they can create a lower abv beer with just as much (and I've often found more) complexity as a higher gravity beer.

 

I'll stick with my pale ales...