Bell's Light Hearted Ale

Hmmm, I’m thinking most of the blowback from low abv beers comes from most of the awful session ipas on the market. To me they’re just bitter, so if stunningly bitter beers fits a profile for the buyer it’s a hit. But I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone complain about EnglIsh Milds and the like. Noting your list of the low abv beers there’s one PA and none are Ipas. Imo and it’s just my opinion but certain styles work beautifully regardless of the abv, I love EnglIsh Ales of all styles, but ipas are one style that’s a round peg in a square hole. Lots of guys like Founders All Day, so something for everyone, I’d say Easy Jack was the most unobjectionable, but I thought the abv was a tad higher, can’t remember. I’d also say Burials low abv ipa effort was pretty good, but I’m thinking 5%plus, too, you just need malt to balance the style. Founders sells the hell out of it so go for it.

 

I agree with your perspective. I think one of the problems is brewers trying too hard to amp up the hops that they forget about balance. English pale ales (IPAs, bitters, etc.) by English brewers for English pubs have for most of the recent past been session-strength or close to it, so it can be done.

Too many American brewers forget about all flavor components except the hops. A brewer who knows what he is doing can brew low ABV beers that are satisfying, enjoyable, and exhibit good, even complex, flavor, and are well balanced with the hops. The Surly Bitter Brewer I referenced above was one such beer, and it was definitely in the American style, much hoppier than an English bitter. But delicious.

Founders All Day I thought was well balanced and well done, but was not a world class beer by any stretch (IMO).

 

How much is All day IPA in PA?
Bell’s will price closer to All Day than 2 hearted. IMO

 

Sounds terrible, cannot imagine any 3.7% IPA tasting like anything but hop water.

 

From the Bell's social media post:

"Light Hearted, a lo-cal IPA with many of the characteristics of its namesake, but without all the calories, will debut in early 2020,

All malt, balanced, flavorful, hoppy and only 3.7% ABV. More to come."

I see a side-by-side in early 2020 so I can let them know how well they did with that!

Tastes great! Less filling!
Less filling! Tastes great!
Maybe they shoulda named it Lite Hearted!

 

I see all day around $17-18 for a fifteen pack.

I buy it at the spot I go to when it’s $12 on sale.

Enjoy

 

I've had some excellent New England style "session" IPAs (not labeled as such though).

Locally Nightshift's Whirlpool (4.5%), Walden from Hill Farmstead (4%), Baby Genius from Bissell Brothers (4%).

I don't know if those count or not, since it's more in the New England style. But the way that style is designed it really helps with a fuller mouthfeel and retains that hop flavor/aroma at a lower ABV.

Not really the same thing. There's a full 1% difference in ABV. An IPA at 4.7% is a much different IPA than one at 3.7%.

 

I’m skeptical, but I will try it. Only session IPA I really like is Singlecut 18Watt, and that is 5%, so “session” is a loose moniker.

Some folks like the new Lagunitas Daytime...personally I think it is awful.

 

You're a Sox fan? I knew I liked you.

Not that I have anything against the Cubs.

Well that's disappointing. We just received a drop of Todd the Axe Man, and I was hoping maybe someday we'd receive Bitter Brewer (since there's so few Bitters on the shelves...actually none around here now that Honker's is gone).

Oh well.


As I mentioned in my previous post, here's a few "session IPAs" that do quite well on here. And in my opinion, taste like full strength beers. It appears the "key" to brewing a low ABV hoppy beer is to brew it in the New England style.

Bissell Brothers Baby Genius (4% ABV) - Labeled as an "American Blonde Ale", and is currently 6th on the American Blonde Ale list. The rating is 4.13.

Notes: A hoppy, hazy session beer. Eclectic and crushable.


Nightshift Whirlpool (4.5% ABV) - Labeled as an "American Pale Ale", and rated at 4.14.

Notes: New England pale ale; citrus-forward and refreshing.


Hill Farmstead Walden (4.0% ABV) - Labeled as an "American Blonde Ale", and is currently 2nd on the American Blonde Ale list. The rating is a whopping 4.24.

Notes: A sessionable pale/blonde ale brewed with our good friend John Kimmich from The Alchemist. <4% ABV. Hopped with Motueka, Amarillo, and Simcoe.


Tree House Eureka w/Citra (4.1% ABV) - Labeled as an "American Blonde Ale", and is currently 1st on the American Blonde Ale list. The rating is 4.28!

Notes: Our Jam! Eureka w/Citra explodes with citrus fruit on the nose and the palate , and finishes cleanly with light bits of cracker malt. Someone forgot to tell it that it's only 4.1% alcohol. A beautiful and pungent, yet delicate and highly drinkable beer!

 

You bet, Harold Baines is my favorite player, next to Ken Berry -- how 'bout you? ()

You're too young to have been tainted by the '69 Cubs.

 

Hmm, I’ve never thought about it. I do have an old Mike Lowell t-shirt from when they won it in 2007.

Used to be a HUGE Clemens fan when I was a kid.

Sox fans always felt some empathy towards the Cubs fans with the whole curse and loveable losers thing.

What did the ‘69 Cubs do?

 

My question to Founders how could this possibly be true ? To get to 3.7 abv something has to go. Like most I’m guessing the malt goes, as does the calories, sugars after all, the balance certainly goes, the hoppy stays. There’s no way you can get from 2H to LH without something going, its not scientifically possible. Now it may certainly be acceptable to a lot of beer drinkers, time will tell, but there’s no way in hell it could be close to the beer 2H is.

 

Have you had Slightly Mighty from Dogfish Head, or the newly refurbished Lagunitas DayTime?
Both are excellent and almost singlehandedly changed my position on session IPAs.
I'm not sure if Lord Hobo distributes to NC, (although they do to FL, so maybe) but their Hobo Life is another one of my favorite session IPAs.

 

Daytime? Really?? To each his own, and if you like it, that’s awesome. But I thought that beer was atrocious...undrinkable.

 

Oh, the hell they did! Sox fans and Cubs fans have never had any love for each other... hey, waitaminit -- you're talking about the wrong Sox team, aren't you?!

Spent 85% of the season rollicking in first place then folded like a cheap lawn chair when the heat was on, is all -- broke the hearts of 9 year old kids all over Northern Illinois.

 

The only session ipa I though was decent was from Burial, and I think it’s over 5 abv. Not a beer style I seek out to be honest, I really don’t drink enough beers at any one time to worry about a few calories here or there. My palates shifted a lot, I’d say I drink more Pils, and AAL than ipas. 5 years ago it was 100% ipa. But no I haven’t had a session in a while, so perhaps given the current market there’s better sessions ipas available, my views might be skewed by past horrors. I hope LH is a hit.

 

While the Beeradvocate community certainly doesn't think these beers are shit (including Daytime, although many of these reviews are probably older before the recipe change), they're no way near as highly rated as the New England style session beers I listed previously. None of these are above a 4.

Slightly Mighty - 3.59

Hobo Life - 3.93

Daytime - 3.97

I'm going to guess Daytime's rating is mostly off the strength of its previous recipe, in which the ABV was 4.65%, not 4%. Big difference there.

Slightly Mighty is 4% and Hobo Life is 4.5% (and I would argue more towards the New England style). The lower the ABV goes, typically there's less flavor and balance.

Read the description of Hobo Life as well, certainly sounds like a New England style IPA.

Hobo Life Session IPA is heavily dry-hopped with Citra and rests on 20% flaked oats. Refreshing and bright with notes of lime and grapefruit zest to entertain the palate, Hobo Life is a go-to for any session.

Oh wow, I'm an idiot, I thought we were talking about the RED Sox, which I realize now, makes no sense given your location. It's why I was so surprised that you were Red Sox fan.

I always forget the White Sox exist (sorry , although I have nothing against the White Sox either).

 

Maybe Bell's figured out how to use specialty grains (think barley tea) to keep some flavor there without adding to the abv. (I think that's technically possible.) We'll see.

 

It's definitely scientifically possible. I've had completely non-alcoholic beer that utilizes the linked process (Bauhaus NA Homeguys Helles), and it's superb, a little drier than the non-non-alcoholic version of the same beer (because alcohol creates the perception of sweetness), but the hops and malt flavors are completely intact. I've had the beers side-by-side, and I honestly think the non-alcoholic version is better due to the dryness (and the base recipe is good). Now, I'm sure Bell's isn't utilizing that process; it's expensive, and I don't think it can handle volumes for significant distribution at this time. I really wish far more breweries made an effort to produce full-flavored non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beers; I'm here for the flavor first and foremost.

All Bell's is claiming is "many of the characteristics of its namesake." I'm sure it won't be as tasty, but, at barely over half the alcohol and barely over half the calories, it may well be worth it for many people who aren't just looking to maximize flavor. The relatively high calories for the low ABV do make me worried that the beer will feature excessive residual sugars (and thus resulting sweetness) to substitute for alcohol in an effort to achieve "balance" with the hoppiness. Consumers these days demand that IPAs be much sweeter and less bitter than I think they should be, so the "balance" consumers have come to expect usually isn't balanced at all.