Session IPAs

Talk Discussion in 'BeerAdvocate Talk' started by EmperorBevis, Dec 30, 2020.

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  1. elNopalero

    elNopalero Grand Pooh-Bah (5,822) Oct 14, 2009 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    For me the difference between a beer labeled pale ale and one labeled session IPA comes down to my expectations. A session IPA will have a lower ABV than what I expect a standard IPA to have (around 4%, no higher than 5%), be hop forward, and unlike a pale ale lack that quality we call balance. I’ve come to feel the watery thin body that I deride in the style is endemic to it, but the better session IPAs adjust or incorporate it into their overall flavor profile.

    I haven’t had Bell’s Light Hearted, yet. I think FW’s retooled Easy Jack is a good, widely available example of what I expect of the style.
     
    #21 elNopalero, Jan 6, 2021
  2. Sabtos

    Sabtos Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,920) Dec 15, 2015 Ohio
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    So far it seems that "watery" may be a consistent attribute to these beer, but I highly doubt that's an intended descriptor or even outcome. I don't think failed brewing is a good reason to create a new style.

    Additionally, the other throughline here is a dislike for it, and just because you dislike the beers breweries choose to label as "Session IPA" doesn't mean stylistically or as a matter of process they are any different than the American Pale Ale style.

    I'd think we'd need to have more substance to the differences in experience, ingredients and the process, and I'm not seeing it.
     
    #22 Sabtos, Jan 6, 2021
  3. barnzy78

    barnzy78 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,601) Jun 2, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    I’ve always thought they should be in the pale ale style, but the way they are marketed as an “IPA” makes me feel like they need their own stupid style.
     
    #23 barnzy78, Jan 6, 2021
  4. zeff80

    zeff80 Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,425) Feb 6, 2006 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah

    Exactly. If thousands of breweries create a beer and slap the words "Session IPA" on the label...isn't Session IPA a style? They didn't put the words "Low ABV IPA" on the label or "American Pale Ale" on the label.
     
    #24 zeff80, Jan 7, 2021
  5. Sabtos

    Sabtos Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,920) Dec 15, 2015 Ohio
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    So SLUSHY BEER, SMOOTHIE BEER, MIDWEST TART ALE, and SMOOJ are styles because some idiot typed it on a label?
     
    #25 Sabtos, Jan 7, 2021
  6. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    This is my feeling as well, which is part of the reason I don't like the idea of having a separate style for session IPA. What constitutes a sessionable beer (IPA or otherwise) seems to be in the eye of the holder (or the palate of the imbiber). In my mind, the expression "sessionable" seems to connote lower alcohol, allowing one to more easily pound down a number of pints at a sitting (or session). However, what's a lower range of alcohol for one person, may not qualify as a lower range for someone else.

    To digress for a moment, I remember reading an article years ago about some distributor trying to introduce Mendocino's Red Tail Ale into the UK. The beer was hugely popular at the time, and I remember the distributor/importer pointing out in the article that in the states, the beer was considered sessionable, given it's relatively low abv., which only added to it's popularity. As I recall, Red Tail ale at the time had an abv. of 6.5%. The reason the article sticks out in my mind, is that apparently the UK audience thought the distributor was making some sort of joke, as a 6.5% abv. ale in the UK was considerably higher than many ales brewed in the UK, and would never be considered a sessionable ale.

    Another reason I've never been a fan of this "style," is for exactly some of the reasons alluded to in this thread. I'm not exactly sure what I'm ordering when I purchase a "session" IPA; most taste like watered down IPA's, while others (the better ones) come across as fairly full flavored APA's. If I'm worried about a beers abv., and want something with a lower abv. (so I can drink a lot more of it at a sitting), I can make that determination myself. I'm an IPA guy, and I do like to see IPA's with a lower abv. (so I can drink more of it), but ultimately I'm the one who will decide whether I think a particular beer is sessionable. Currently, I tend to avoid so call session IPA's, as in my mind that means it will likely be watered down and bland. I've encountered a few exceptions to this over the years, but so far they've been pretty few and far between.
     
    #26 John_M, Jan 8, 2021
  7. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Just focusing on 'Merica beers for now:
    To keep it simple:
    If its < 4.5% ABV it defaults as a session IPA. no questions asked
    If its between 4.5% - 5%, it could be either session IPA or pale ale. If brewer titles the beer as a session IPA it defaults as a session IPA. Otherwise its defaults to American Pale Ale
    If its >5% it can't be classified as a session IPA. (won't get into other IPA style debates...that is another thread).
     
    #27 bubseymour, Jan 8, 2021
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