Session IPA as a separate style

Unnecessary.

 

I'd rather have Triple Ipa and barrel aged whatever become a style before "session ipa"

 

They don't really do anything new for the style, and are generally within the accepted abv range, so I feel like at present they fit fine into the already established categories.

 

Thats generally my stance too. All Day IPA has a good aroma and citrus quality but the body is all water to me. I tried Pop Up IPA this weekend from Boulevard and that seemed better. Different hop profile than all day but at least it has some malt backbone to it. Seems the best compromise is usually in the 5-6% ABV level. Seems they can make it really hoppy and still have solid body to the beer.

 

Lagunitas DayTime is the best "session IPA' out there imo. Had some over the weekend for the first time in over a year having previously had Founders, Uinta, Boulevard and it beats them hands down.

 

To be honest, though they were interesting I was more than happy to return to my usual tipples.

 

the important thing to consider is that unless this is accepted as a new style there is little chance of the World Beer Cup handing out awards in 100 categories

 

We should have a separate category for them since they're not IPAs. They should be called "Pale Ale Lite"

 

Many quality Pale Ale's are going to be offended by this!!

I agree with JJ above. IPA or Pale Ale "Lite" would be a better term. As to whether it should be a separate category on this site, I'll leave that up to the guys who run the site.

 

No, Pale Ales can be quite good. Session IPAs taste nothing like a well-made pale ale. A good pale ale has a nice malty, almost creamy mouthfeel and strong but not overpowering hop flavors. A session IPA is a mess of a beer that makes my mouth feel like it's the morning after I drank a 12-pack of mediocre IPA.

 

Just like IPA and DIPA can be dry or malty, a session IPA is nothing more than a dry pale ale.

 

I think if you like hop forward beers and want something weaker than a pale ale, then golden ales, british interpretations of american pale ales and the likes of Jarl which is referred to as an american blonde are the way forward

I tried All Day IPA in the states on keg and bottle and prefer a lot of the golden ales we get here to it to be honest, it was decent enough but I think golden ales have shown the way if you want a reasonable hop hit, drinkability and lower abv. Of course there's a lot of so-so ones too

 

The indignant response: Pale Ales already exist! Has the whole world gone mad!?

The practical response: Since they are more hoppy and less malty than pales and have a different ABV range, there seems to be enough nuances to distinguish it as a unique style. Don't know if that's necessary or not...

The bro response: Who cares? Drink what you like and call it what you like.

The dick response: Are we really talking about this again?

 

Hoppy Birthday is the Bomb.
Session enough for me. About 1% more ABV than a light beer... But it's actually beer.

 

To say what is or isn't an IPA is dangerous ground.The name has belonged to a whole range of beers including about a century when it was interchangeable with bitter.IPA was never just about the hops from the beginning.