Session Ale Appreciation Thread

Lagunitas Daytime Session IPA, 4.0% - have a glass of flowers! Cheers!

 

My favorite type of session beer is English Ales such as Mild Ale and Bitter Ale. Preferably in the format of a Real Ale (i.e., carbonated in the vessel in which it is served – cask ale, bottle conditioned).

My favorite ‘brand’ of Session Beer is my Bitter Ale that I homebrewed this past summer. This beer is not an in-your-face sort of beer that seems to be the most popular craft beer type these days (e.g., IPAs) but has a nice complexity of flavors with hop, malt and yeast produced flavors all ‘playing’ in unison.

A photo of my English Bitter Ale that I am enjoying as I watch the Phillies play the Diamondbacks below. I prefer this beer in a non-conventional for this style glass (i.e., tulip beer glass) since I am of the opinion that bowl shape of the glass lets the myriad of hop, malt and yeast produced flavors shine. Also, I prefer this beer at warmer temperatures (e.g., 50 – 55 °F) since I think this benefits this particular beer style.

Cheers!

 

You're old man. Get with the times.

 

My very favorite cask ale! I found it last night, and certainly plan to drink it all day before flying home!

 

Thanks for this great thread idea @LesDewitt4beer ! I appreciate lower ABV pours. I agree with your assessment to go with the brewer’s description vs. a strict ABV ceiling. Allagash has a Hoppy Table Beer at 4.8%. Who am I to quibble with their beer program?

You’ll see me post “Table Beers” primarily in the Saison Appreciation thread, though sadly less often down the road with Averie’s move of Keeping Together down to Santa Fe.

Honker’s Ale was my first exposure to this style, and I’m glad we can still enjoy it locally at their brewpub and at times at The Beer Temple, my source for the widest variety of session beers (package, cask, draft).

Today I will go with a favorite local brewery a few blocks away from The Beer Temple. This beer is a 3.3% ABV English Dark Mild Ale. It’s been brewed since the first year of this awesome brewery, and continues to be among my favorites. Glad they continue to get solid demand to keep this in the seasonal rotation.

Revolution Working Man

 

Where was that?

Off the top of my head, two things come to mind.

Notch's Tenner at 4%. A Czech Pale Lager, but specifically know as a Světlé Výčepní.

Anything on cask at Back Beat Brewing that is 4% or less.

Cheers!

 

Hey @LesDewitt4beer this one close is to you . I had this loved it @ 3.8% ABV
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29223/663350/

 

Both pics from Chester, England. (sorry to disappoint you )
J.W. Lees at The Boathouse
Boltmaker at Albion

 

Jealous!

 

I wish Trumer was easily available around here. For some reason, it is only sold at bodegas at about double of its normal price. I was considering ordering it to be shipped from out of state.

If lagers are allowed, my session beer is Seconds to Summer by Allagash. Absolutely fantastic 4.5 ABV beer.

 

I never saw Trumer in the NYC area until a few months ago when it showed up at the Westbury Total Wine* in Nassau for $11 a sixer for cans. (They had green bottles too.)

(I also like that Allagash beer)

*technically the "New York Marketplace & Brewery District"
(damn what a mouthful, is it any wonder I just call it Total Wine)

 

I wouldn't mind $11 a sixer for cans, here it is $14-15 for green bottles. And there are hardly any left anyway.

 

I only ever see 12-packs around here (bottles and cans) and the price just jumped to $16 per a few weeks ago.

 

I have enjoyed some session pub ales from places such as Forest & Main in PA, but I really enjoy Carton’s Boat. No picture, but it’s a session IPA clocking in at 4.2%, uses Kolsch yeast and has a nice bitter mineral taste to go along with the hops. Could drink it all day.

 

That is still almost half of what it is sold here for since these are 6-packs.

 

Big Apple pricing.

 

I really enjoyed Revolution Working Man also. As long as I can keep finding it around here, it will be on my list. Another good session ale I had was Triptych Dirty Hippy. An English Mild Brown Ale that clocked in @ 3% abv.