"Session IPAs"

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by bsp77, Mar 2, 2013.

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  1. Satchboogie

    Satchboogie Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2010 Belgium
    Trader

    Technically India Pale Ales were actually lower gravity than regular ales with ~5% ABV being fairly common, so purely from a historic perspective, a 5% IPA is perfectly within reason.
     
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  2. tjensen3618

    tjensen3618 Maven (1,391) Mar 23, 2008 California

    Those beers were also brewed with english ale yeast and noble hops, a far cry from the beers being discussed.

    If somebody can tell me the stylistic difference between an American Pale Ale like Drakes 1500 and a "session IPA" I'll contact the BJCP and have them create a new style category.
     
  3. victory4me

    victory4me Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2004 Pennsylvania

    Actually "Black IPA" is a really stupid name for an "American Black Ale."
     
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  4. Kinsman

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

    Who the fuck cares?

    I'll be honest, I'm saying this after reading only the OP and just a bit of kzoos' reply. I'm sure someone above has already captured my thoughts in amore eloquent manner but the question just needs to be asked. When a brewer calls a beer a 'session IPA' you know exactly what you're going to get... hoppy but lower in abv than the typical IPA. Nuff said. No need to create a new category for it.
     
  5. Satchboogie

    Satchboogie Initiate (0) Oct 16, 2010 Belgium
    Trader

    There is always overlapping with styles. The BJCP lists American IPAs going as low as 5.5%. The Alchemist had an IPA (Holy Cow) at 5.16% ABV that was unmistakeably hopped like an IPA. If I had that beer blind I would have thought it was a really hoppy IPA. American Pale Ales can be as low as 4.5% according to the BJCP. How is it really that 'wrong' to call a high-IBU, american c-hop beer a 'session IPA' when it's practically in the pale ale range (just barely below the IPA range, modern and historical) and certainly is as hoppy as modern American IPAs are? The only issue here would be the loose use of the term sessionable. Otherwise you really are splitting hairs with how low (ABV) you can go with an american IPA.
     
  6. einhorn

    einhorn Savant (1,175) Nov 3, 2005 California

    Session IPA = Pale Ale. Or hoppy blonde ale.

    I agree that a session IPA (<5% ABV) is a oxymoron.
     
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  7. brewsader

    brewsader Initiate (0) Dec 7, 2012 New York

    so just to be clear--there's no exception for tanks?
     
  8. mychalg9

    mychalg9 Pooh-Bah (2,123) Apr 8, 2010 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    Personally I dont give a rats ass what a brewery calls a beer, if I taste it and think it doesn't fit the style but I still like it, I will probably continue drinking it. As long as I can identify the beer again in the store I'm fine with it, otherwise I'd be fine with every brewery just writing "BEER" on every label and throwing it on the shelf.
     
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  9. patto1ro

    patto1ro Pooh-Bah (2,084) Apr 26, 2004 Netherlands
    Pooh-Bah

    English Bitter is session IPA.
     
  10. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,313) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah

    Come to the UK and there will be a lot of session beers labelled IPA.To add insult to injury these are often low to medium hopped bitters.It's often said that these are incorrectly named but in fact they are well established and go back a century or so to the time when nobody cared too much , styles hadn't been invented and bitter, pale ale and IPA meant more or less the same thing.These beers are as close to the ones which went to India as are the present US interpretations of IPA, simply in the opposite direction! After all, the original IPAs were never strong (under 7%) , highly attenuated , well aged and usually with Brett.
    Examples are Greene King IPA and Deuchar's IPA (which the Bros rate as world class) ,two of the top selling cask beers.
     
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  11. afrokaze

    afrokaze Pooh-Bah (1,962) Jun 12, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Funny you left out 21st Amendment Bitter American, it fits your criteria perfectly. I'd have to disagree with Daytime though, it definitely has a pils malt character as part of the grain bill.
     
  12. raynmoon

    raynmoon Initiate (0) Aug 13, 2011 Colorado

    They have these new low abv imperial stouts coming out soon.
     
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  13. pixieskid

    pixieskid Initiate (0) Jun 4, 2009 Germany

    In total agreement with you there, it's just a new name for a Pale Ale.
     
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  14. pixieskid

    pixieskid Initiate (0) Jun 4, 2009 Germany

    With Brett...unintentionally, right?
     
  15. bsp77

    bsp77 Pooh-Bah (2,185) Apr 27, 2008 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    Forgot about that one. That's a good one too.

    All of these hoppy session beers (using the under 5% rule, not the British 4% rule) are great, at least the half dozen or so I have had. It sounds like most of us can agree on that! Will need another All-Day IPA today.
     
  16. bleakies

    bleakies Maven (1,355) Apr 11, 2011 Massachusetts

    Fiddle dee dee.

    I'm guessing many casual beer drinkers in these United States would be likely to recognize "IPA" as a style descriptor but "bitter" as merely a flavor descriptor.
     
  17. MostlyNorwegian

    MostlyNorwegian Pooh-Bah (2,236) Feb 5, 2013 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    For the American audience and for what the brewer is aiming for. It is what it is. A session(able) IPA. You can call it an American Bitter, which I agree with, but. We call football soccer and we can't even get our gallons right with the rest of the world. So, whatever.
     
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  18. Morey

    Morey Pooh-Bah (1,822) Dec 30, 2007 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    We just reviewed All Day on Friday, and it honestly taste like a Pale Ale to me. It certainly didn't scream IPA that's for sure. I really don't care what they call it, but if All Day is an IPA, and Zombie Dust is a Pale Ale....something just doesn't seem right.
     
  19. marquis

    marquis Pooh-Bah (2,313) Nov 20, 2005 England
    Pooh-Bah

    I think that in general most Brett was unintentional, it just happened and probably appeared to be part of the maturation process and IPA was no exception.It was quite common for everyday beers to be kept in oak for months or a year before being sent out for drinking.Brett was found in Bass as late as 1930.
     
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  20. Holsie

    Holsie Initiate (0) Jun 27, 2012 South Carolina

    Tomato, tomahto--who cares? It's all good. Whether you choose to call it either one, it's really up to your preference and taste. If Three Floyd's wants to ZD a pale ale, let them, If Founders wants to call All Day and IPA, let them. I was happy to have something after a little yardwork that doesn't wear you out. . The people will decide with their wallets. Can't we all get along?
     
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