Session IPA style on Beeradvocate

Talk Discussion in 'BeerAdvocate Talk' started by AlcahueteJ, Apr 2, 2013.

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  1. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,242) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Society Pooh-Bah

    I'm not a fan of further complicating styles, but would it make sense to create a separate list on Beeradvocate for session IPAs?

    There's a significant difference in flavor profile and strength, and there's certainly numerous session IPAs being brewed. These beers are often rated much lower than single, and certainly double, IPAs. Therefore it may become difficult to ascertain the top beers for this style because they're buried below regular IPAs. If the brewers are calling them a separate name, do they deserve a separate category on a rating site, similar to double IPAs?

    Thoughts?
     
  2. mmmbirra

    mmmbirra Pundit (877) Apr 19, 2009 Italy

    English India Pale Ale seems to fit the bill in some regards.
     
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  3. kemoarps

    kemoarps Grand Pooh-Bah (3,256) Apr 30, 2008 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I see the point of adding a new style, especially in light of some of the issues you raise, but I also think you're correct in the 'where do we draw the line with new styles' kind of thinking. Do we create a separate categorization for citrusy hops vs piney hops vs whatever? chocolate stouts vs coffee stouts?

    I think an easier to apply strategy would be to have keywords that you could search by, have word clouds or certain keywords. Might be able to thin out nuances within a broader style...
     
  4. Eriktheipaman

    Eriktheipaman Pooh-Bah (2,303) Sep 4, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Yeah it is a tough trend and one of my favorite new styles. I guess it could also be considered a APA/American Bitter?

    I don't think it's worth splitting hairs and creating a bunch of new categories so that's why I take most ratings with a grain of salt.
     
  5. brewfly

    brewfly Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2012 New York

    there is a real grey area on what a sessionable ipa is. I consider torpedo a session ipa where others would say 7.2abv is to high to be sessionable
     
  6. ericj551

    ericj551 Pooh-Bah (1,638) Apr 29, 2004 Canada (AB)
    Pooh-Bah

    I think I just heard Ding cringe.
     
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  7. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Is there any way in which a "session IPA" isn't just a Pale Ale? In my mind it's just a pale ale with different branding.
     
  8. ericj551

    ericj551 Pooh-Bah (1,638) Apr 29, 2004 Canada (AB)
    Pooh-Bah

    IPA is also a type of pale ale. I don't know that it necessarily needs its own sub category, but there is definitely a distinction besides marketing.
     
  9. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    christ on a cracker. there is already a category called PALE ALES that works just fine.
     
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  10. Kinsman

    Kinsman Maven (1,457) Aug 26, 2009 Nevada

    Absolutely not. They're pale ales, just with a fancy invented style name given to them so they sell better. Seems to be working so far.
     
  11. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    brewers figured out if they change the hop bill, drop the malt and call it a session IPA they can charge $3 more a sixer and people will gobble them up.
     
    Duff27 likes this.
  12. FunkyMacGroovin

    FunkyMacGroovin Initiate (0) Sep 22, 2009 California

    An IPA is a pale ale with more hops and a higher ABV. A session IPA is an IPA with less hops and a lower ABV.

    Explain how a session IPA is anything other than a pale ale.
     
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  13. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    To be fair, many of them (like Daytime) aren't all that expensive.
     
  14. ShogoKawada

    ShogoKawada Initiate (0) May 31, 2009 Pennsylvania

    Oh, I'm just being a grump. But I can't wait for the calls for 'session imperial' categories which are inevitably coming.
     
  15. mschofield

    mschofield Pooh-Bah (1,871) Oct 16, 2002 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah

    My Session Double IPA is not just a regular IPA with a crazy name!
     
  16. ericj551

    ericj551 Pooh-Bah (1,638) Apr 29, 2004 Canada (AB)
    Pooh-Bah

    I think that's an oversimplification. It's an indication that the pale ale is going to be hopped at higher levels, and malt characteristics will be reduced. I'm not arguing it needs to be it's one style on BA, but I like the idea of the beer in any case.
     
  17. beastmammoth

    beastmammoth Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2010 New York

    judging from Daytime, it is different from a pale ale. Like was said above, they drop the malt way down.. there's less body than a pale ale with similar hop strength. The lighter body makes the hops come through more, so it's more bitter. Not sure they need their own category, I would still call them pale ales, but they are different in that way. And I dont get how daytime is in the IPA category on here, that baffles me
     
  18. Jason

    Jason Founder (0) Aug 23, 1996 Massachusetts

    "session" is not a style and will never be here ...
     
    ufmj likes this.
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