Favorite session beers?

Although it's too expensive for me to actually session, I have really been into Timothy Taylor Landlord as of late. Awesome beer and at just over 4% you could have many without falling apart. Bummer is that it's like $5 for a bottle.

 

Pedigree on cask is 4.5%, I believe, so it is not all that strong. The definition of "session" varies, but 4.5% is close enough for me. Damn fine beer, and I "sessioned" the heck out of it when I was in pubs in Leicestershire.

 

It would never be regarded as a session ale here though. That's more of an industry agreed item up to around 4%. Pedigree would be considered a strong ale, not relative to other beers on the market but in virtue of people's habit of drinking pint after pint for several hours.
Much of my drinking is in Leicestershire, the border is only a few miles away. What parts of that county were you drinking in ?

 

It's been 25 years, but I was working in the city of Leicester, so I managed to visit quite a few of the surrounding villages. I have a good friend who lives in Loughborough, so I visited there a lot. His hobby was bell-ringing in the various village church towers. Also, my place of work had a company pub on-site. That is where I tasted Pedigree for the first time. It was quite a revelation for a guy who thought Michelob was the beer you drank if you wanted more taste!

 

And of course Loughborough is where the church bells are actually cast.A company pub sounds a great attraction!

 

Yards Brawler here!

 

I really like founders All Day IPA, but I also really like Uinta's Wyld Extra Pale Ale. 4% and really good if you are trying to not get hammered.

 

How could I forget New Glarus Totally Naked. Can slam those for days

 

At around 4% ABV, Night Shift's Whirlpool is the hands down winner for me. Peachy, orangy, pink grapefruit. Full of flavor and absolutely delicious.

 

Sold in 4 packs, 16oz cans. I've seen it as low as $9.49, and as high as $12.

 

Lagunitas DayTime and 21st amendments bitter American.

 

If I was serious about sessioning anything I'd drive to Bull City in Durham and get a growler of their English Mild, at 3.8% abv, tons of flavor a bit of a bitter finish as well. The Go Too stuff and equivelent is crap IMO.

 

Smuttynose Bouncy House IPA. IMHO it has more body and malt backbone than the other session IPAs I've tried (Go to, DayTime, All Day, Easy Jack, Left of the Dial). Also like Bitter American but at $10.99 a six pack around here, I'll take the Smutty at $12.99 per 12-pack every time.

 

Westbrook Gose

 

Steeltoe Brewery size 4 session IPA. Out of St. Louis Park MN, its 4.5% and tastes like a full blown IPA. It's really great.

 

Stone GoTo....Nelson Sauvin. Nuff said

 

Bale Breaker Field 41.

Fremont Summer Ale.

 

Pilsner Urquell
Citra Mantra
Bitter American

 

I went with him a couple of times on his bell ringing. I remember sitting on a wooden bench in the bell tower while the team of 5 or 6, IIRC, were pulling on the ropes. I was quite a thing to see, hear, and feel. They start by swinging the bells to get them pointing straight up and stationary. Then each man brings his bell down at the right time for the "change" they were ringing. He'd pull his bell down so it would right and the proper time, and then halt it again upright to wait for his next ring. All from the single rope attached to the bell. The guys on the bigger bells got quite a bit of a workout. Meanwhile, since I was sitting on a bench, leaning back against the front wall of the church, I could fell the whole bell tower move with the rhythm of the bells swinging. I know that church had been there for 3-400 years, but still, it was unsettling.

Sorry for the OT diversion...

 

Coors Light