Why Session Beer?

The masses haven't heard of session beer and only a fraction of BAs have any understanding of what they are.Many session beers , most in fact, are what you would call craft beers.

 

I don't drink sodas. Water and beer.

 

The most simple answer...you can shotgun a 30 pack with your fishing buddies with session ales.

 

To me you can't really "technically" point out what the definition of session beers are. But over all people consider them to be beers you can drink lots of and not be fatigued, palette wrecked, or too full.

If you ask me the big beer companies pioneered it, and perfected it.

Just drink what you like and stop putting some f'n category on it.

Lets talk session liquor, drugs, candy

 

I'm pretty sure the "big boys" didn't.

 

BMC may have perfected one style of session ales.

"Stop putting some f'n category on it", so you'd prefer to buy beer with no idea what you're getting? That sounds like a terrible idea to me, I personally enjoy knowing whether I'm buying an IPA, wee heavy, red, etc.

 

There are already so many grey areas in labeling on beer (Imperial being one of them) I think it's just that we don't need to keep categorizing things.

 

I don't think IPAs should be "sessionized." By their very nature, they're supposed to be overwhelmingly tasty. You can't do that in a can of beer under 5%!

 

I typically like higher abv beers because they tend to be more adventurous in terms of flavor.
I also like being buzzed.
Mostly I like higher abv beers because I can feel good with less volume and calories.

However, I can see the appeal for lower abv beers when you want to knock em' back without getting knocked! Like tailgating, or drinking all day at the campsite.

 

I believe the strength section will answer your questions:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_measurement

 

Got it, we have more in common than not. I agree that MANY session IPA's miss the mark. At least AAL's are balanced, so they are quality in that they are as intended day in and day out, they just happen to be flavorless. And for what it's worth, the Czech Republic brews more session beer than any other country (if we are not counting AAL's as session beer).

I've been at professional brewing for a long while, marketing is not my strength. But all I've seen from craft session IPA's is a few print ads, and if that is enough to sway the consumer, then yes, they are the suckers you call them.

 

"The "Plato scale" is an empirically derived hydrometer scale to measure density of beer wort in terms of percentage of extract by weight. It was developed in 1843 by Bohemian scientist Karl Balling as well as Simon Ack, and improved by German Fritz Plato. The scale expresses the density as the percentage of sucrose by weight, so a wort measured at 12° Plato has the same density as a water−sucrose solution containing 12% sucrose by weight, denoted as 12% Brix. For the brewer, it has an advantage over specific gravity in that it expresses the measurement in terms of the amount of fermentable materials. Degrees Plato are more popular in central European brewing, and occasionally feature in beer names."

That is basically what I posted in my previous post.

Cheers!

 

I don't do outdoor activities. I don't drive. If I don't have to work in the morning, I can comfortably put back 3-5 pours of basically any ABV available, sleep in, and be fine the next day. Often Imperial stouts, DIPAs and Tripels/Quads that push the 10% might be in the mix, not always entirely, but often one or two if I'm out at my usual haunts.

Worknights, I'll have one or two regardless of ABV (usually standard 6-8% type stuff), and not wakeup hungover.

Session IPAs were not made for me in the least bit. Therefore I don't drink them. However, their existence doesn't anger me. And I do enjoy quality, naturally low ABV brews like ESB/Kolsch/Pils/Berliners fairly frequently. I simply don't often need to watch ABV closely based on my circumstances, and therefore drink for taste/what I'm in the mood for.

 

Concerning the German beer taxes I found this article describing the historic background of the German beer tax classes.

The original beer tax was a malt tax which taxed the brewers on the amount of malt used. Then in 1919 they introduced a class based tax system which was based on the beer's wort strength. 1919 was the first such classification system in the tax code (the names for each class and the wort strenghts chosen may have had their basis in the actual market place, of that I couldn't find any information in the article).

In 1919 vollbier covers the full spectrum between 8 and 13%, in 1922 they differentiate between "schankbier" of 8-9% and the stronger vollbier of 9-13%. Then by the mid 30s (if not earlier) schankbier becomes subject to restrictions as per the Swedish government report, and it also says in the 1936 report that according to the German tax authorities 95% of all beer manufactured belonged to the vollbier class.

Then in late november of 1939 they modify the tax system to reduce the vollbier class down to 9-10.3% as a conservation effort for the war. After the war there are strict limitations on the beer production and beer above 2% wort strenght are not allowed to be brewed. In 1950 they introduce a tax system based on 4 classes but they leave out wort strenghts that are over 8% but below 11%. The 1950 tax regime is in place until 1992.

1919
Einfachbier up to 4,5%
Vollbier 8-13%
Starkbier 13%

1922
Einfachbier up to 5,5 %
Schankbier 8–9%
Vollbier 9–13%

1939
Einfachbier 3-6.5%
Lagerbier 9-10.3%

1950
Einfachbier 2-5.5%
Schankbier 7-8%
Vollbier 11-14
Starkbier 16%

It makes sense that German brewers after 1919 would choose to brew a beer with a wort strenght that was in the middle or upper part of the band for vollbier, since there is no financial gain to be had from brewing a beer of 8% or 10% wort strenght vs 13%. Whereas in Czechoslovakia the 9.5-10% limit for schankbier brought with it a lower tax compared to the lagerbier above 10%.

It's also interesting that the German war beer was allowed to be 9-10.3%, so this was obviously considered a sacrifice, to be brewing beer of the strenght common in Czechoslovakia at the time. Then in 1950 the 10-10.5% schankbier falls through the legislative cracks, perhaps due to the class not being able to become popular under the 1919 tax system and later becoming a legally restricted class of beer.

 

Lots of folks would disagree with you. Personally, I like to drink more than one beer, so the session-types are great choices. And after starting out with that one higher abv beer, the next one or two inevitably happen to most everyone. Something about those best laid plans.

 

It would seem quite a few people agree with me too. The argument is neither won or lost. Its a personal choice. I would rather have a bottle of water than a session beer after mowing the lawn. If i am going to have a beer, it may as well be one I really like.

 

Fair enough, but you did say "greater than" rather emphatically. I am in complete agreement that one should drink as one pleases. How else is there?

 

Drinking what you don't like?

 

Legislation can have a profound impact on the drinking culture of a country, as is evident by the posts from UK members who describe the British definition, be it informal or formal, of session beer, and where beer becomes strong above 4%. In Sweden beer above 3.5% is legally recognized as "strong beer". Drinking a 4.5% beer or 5% beer on a weekday without there being a special reason for it would be considered uncommon here, and by many problematic (hence the concept of "after work" which has been adopted, English phrasing and all, as a way to have a beer with colleagues during the work week and thus avoid the stigma that exists). In the US if you are drinking beer you are going to be drinking a beer of at least 4% abv by default, if you're a light beer drinker, or a full 5% or thereabout if you're a regular beer drinker, with no real concern as to what the abv is (as it's seldom even printed on the package of macro beers from what I understand). When I was growing up (and I'm a young adult) my dad would keep a crate of 2.2% beer, which was and is still tax free, and that was a beer which was acceptable to drink on a workday with a meal. For celebrations like Christmas it was common in our family for either 2.2% beer to be served or the "stronger" 3.5% beer, even though akvavit could be served alongside the beer. My mother still talks about a Christmas 20 years ago when one of my cousins accidentally was served the 2.2% Christmas beer, and how comedically inappropriate that was.

 

At what ABV does overwhelmingly tasty kick in?