Pale Ale VS Session

Here's a hint: it starts with a capital "I" and goes on the label.

 

Triple-Double Imperial Session India Pale Ale. Just to be safe and cover all your bases.

 

You could keep the 7% ABV and just rename it as The Sessionable Seven.

 

Not sure why you picked that beer to ask me about specifically, but I think your question (perhaps unintentionally) reveals a lot.

You're not wrong... I believe that beer was listed here as an American pale ale at one time. Now it's labeled an IPA. I believe IPA is the proper box based on the how this site uses the term. Alpine calls this beer a "Session IPA" and those beers are typically put in the American IPA category here. Personally, I don't like the "session IPA" label Alpine gives it because the beer is 5.25%... and I think that is too high for the category... personal opinion. The IBUs of the beer put it in the IPA category as opposed to the APA category if you subscribe to such thinking.

I have had Hoppy Birthday. When I had it, I thought it was unappealingly heavy-handed. I also had it expecting it to be more like a conventional APA... because that's how it was listed. Would I have liked the beer better if I was expecting it to be an IPA? I've seen how reviews for beers change when the style listing of that beer changes. Some people rate according to style. In addition, I'm convinced that expectations play a role in how we end up perceiving things.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with your last statement about expectations. I've always thought I could better assess a beer the second time I've had it. I asked about that beer specifically because I bought it, and drank it assuming it was Alpine's Pale Ale, and was surprised to see it called a session. It had a lot more body and balance than any session I've encountered so I just thought it was somewhat mislabeled. We can call Heady Topper a session, but we know it's not.