Session Beers: USA vs. UK

I have to admit... that is the first time I've ever read a formal definition containing the words "garbley and bargly".

 

And with being able to work coherently the next day since most of the alcohol has all ready been broken down by the body and gone down the drain.

 

It always boggles my mind how few people who are into craft beer understand this concept.

While most of them aren't called "session IPAs" anymore, there are a litany of sub 5% "New England Pale Ales" that don't suffer from a thin body, and overly bitter flavor profile.

Beers like Walden from Hill Farmstead and Whirlpool from Nightshift.

Well sort of. You'll still get drunk over time, and become partially dehydrated from a 4% ABV beer. But 4% ABV appears to be the "cut off" or "tipping point" in which an alcoholic beverage will cease to be hydrating in any capacity.

Unfortunately over the years I lost the Scientific American study in which they tested this out.

 

Many session beers were labelled as IPAS. Still going strong is Greene King IPA at 3.6%ABV. This dates back to the time when IPA (the ones shipped to India) were generally the weakest beer in the brewery range and they remained so when strength was reduced by wartime requirements.
So "session IPA" has a long and respectable history.

 

This has been alluded to already, but it seems like American macro drinkers are the more informed ones in regards to the virtues of 4%-ish beer. That makes sense if you consider that the American craft beer movement has long defined itself in opposition to "fizzy yellow beer" and the like. That attitude served the industry well for a few decades by attracting customers who were themselves dissatisfied with the state of American brewing, but that sort of success blinded a lot of people to the fact that Big Beer actually did get certain things right... crucially, that what most people want is in fact a "session" beer.

I think the craft world is waking up to the fact that they've neglected that market, but it takes time to address it. The "session IPA" thing is kind of emblematic of the problem... "well, we only know how to make or market the one thing, so shoehorn it into a 4.8% beer I guess".

 

I've had a few that were satisfying but they tended to be on the higher abv range, approaching 5%.

Edit: Odell Long Stride is very tasty and only 4%abv.

 

IMO session beer, or better beerS, are those I don't think much about while drinking them since I'm busy with something else, equally or even more captivating. It's like a good soundtrack which doesn't distract me from watching the movie but flows nicely in the background almost unnoticed.

 

I've had plenty of English bitters that had full body, rich flavor and were low in alcohol. They generally don't tout these as "session" beers, they just are delicious and easy to drink more than several.

 

It seems to me that there is now confusion/conflation of associating the word “session” with a specific beer (or beer style) vs. viewing the term “session” with a beer drinking experience.

I have been in many pubs in the UK and I personally have never seen or heard of a “session beer” in any of those establishments. Maybe the association of the word “session” with a beer/beer style is because of the new IPA sub-style of Session IPA? With this new sub-style there is a one to one association of the session term with a type of beer.

I would advocate that in the UK folks will go to the pub and have a drinking session with their friends and neighbors and they will consume ‘session strength’ beers (e.g., Bitter Ales) whilst participating in this drinking session.

Cheers!

 

Personally I like to session with Bell's Hopslam @dung

There seems to be a lack of quality session double IPAs, not sure
if Shmaltz is still producing their fine example:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/262/169933/

 

We (rightfully) always talk about the low ABV of British "sessionable" beers, but whenever I have the opportunity to drink cask ale I'm always struck by just how much less filling the beers are with their lower carbonation levels too. The two factors complement each other for bulk drinking.

Personally, I could probably drink more 6% ABV pints on cask in a sitting than I could 4% ones with typical keg/bottle levels of carbonation. Not saying that's good for my liver or the drive home, but my stomach is much more agreeable to the idea.

 

You sir deserve a gold star right here - sessionable beer vs. session beer is better verbiage.

And I agree with you that dispensing the beer via cask does improve the sessionability of the beers.

Cheers to Bitter Ales on cask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Yes session is used in the UK. When I was working in the UK I remember drinking Tim Taylor Landlord on cask, the bar described it as a "strong ale" at 4.1% ABV

Anyway, I would love it if true cask session beers really took hold in the states. People can't really appreciate a great session unless you start in the AM and drinking till closing (on a day off) without getting drunk or a hangover, and show up just fine at work the next day. All drinking a range of mostly sub 4% bitters and milds that are all excellent.

 

One thing that's often neglected in this conversation is that for US craft culture, a session beer is one that can be drunk as part of a session - in the UK (and Germany, and the Czech Republic) it's one that can be drunk for the whole of a session. Obviously both approaches have their merits, but a lot of the skill of brewing a really great session bitter (or an Alt or a Helles or a Pilsner or whatever) is producing something that's got enough going on that it doesn't get boring, but enough subtlety and balance that it doesn't get tiring either.

Yeah - personally I think pale and hoppy stuff can make for brilliant session beer, even in the stronger sense above, but IME it's often more of a hybrid cask pale than a pure Session IPA.

 

People either love hops too much for a session or they like AALs. Im sure theres a market for us I practially only drink Ale and Water so Iwould be interested in a quality session. Newcastle is the only thing I can think of thats common, thats even close.. I think Saint Peters is Low percentage but it got pulled from my store. I see some Golden Ales but I like Ales that can keep a head. So i can find that great.

 

I had UK friends say, "That was a helluva session last night". It's typical of Americans to classify
everything and think that it was our idea. Session behavior is just common decency. Religion argues better more sober than not......

 

'Sorry luv, I'm going out for a sesh with the lads tonight.'

 

That's the way I remember it. It's the process and not the particular beer.

 

My "sessions" are typically comprised of only one 9-18% ABV beer. I'd much rather have one great tasting beer than several meh low-ABV beers. If a true "session beer" is a watery low-ABV compromise, no thanks.

 

That's not a session in any sense of the word. I don't consider a mug of coffee to be a coffee session.
Two points, first and foremost beer is a drink, intended to deal with thirst and to be watery is not inappropriate. But also the idea that low ABV beers equate to low flavour is nonsense.