Why Session Beer?

Completely agree on your take.

 

Can I call bullshit on the "I don't drink to get drunk" proponents? Let's cut the crap, if you drink successive pints of 3.7% abv beer or non session beer you WILL get buzzed. Also if you are an avid beer drinker I find it very hard to believe that the intoxicating qualities of beer are utterly divorced from your enjoyment. It's difficult often to find a craft list w/ a broad selection under 5%. If anyone drinks two Bells Two Hearted they will be buzzed.

 

For me, it's because all the beers I enjoy get me buzzed way too fast. That's what happens when you primarily drink RIS,Quads, DIPAs etc.

I have to stagger my drinking. I like to do a more sessionable IPA or a basic porter after I drink anything near or above a 9% abv.
Then I can switch back to the good stuff.

 

If I want to get a drunk then I just throw some bigger beers into my session

 

I really think some do just that. Cheers friend!

 

While you may obviously find this hard to believe, yes, I like the taste and a very slight buzz. I don't want my day or night to end early because I can't see straight. I can go far, far longer on lower abv's. And I like that. I usually enjoy higher abv's when I'm not socializing for (I'd think) obvious reasons.

Maybe I'm in the minority here.

 

http://www.today.com/food/low-alcohol-session-ipa-great-summer-beer-trend-1D79544329
Good read it claims the All Day IPA accounts for 27% of Founders sales

 

Come for the article, stay for the great comic relief in the comments section!

 

I'd buy and buy Session IPAs at 4.5%* abv and under but I don't buy them if they're over 4.5% abv. If ya catch my drift.

* 4.5 cuz the US has too few brews 4% and under unlike our mates from across the pond.

 

Ditto.... English Milds (and Bitters for that matter) Brown ale, pilsners, Kolsch, and so many other styles are either "sessionable" be design or can be made that way very easily.
Body has nothing to do with alcohol per se. With the right malts or mash temps you can make a very full-bodied beer at very light ABV.

 

Off the top of my head Notch's Cerne Pivo on cask (probably not available to you, so this may not help) was rich and creamy with a velvety mouthfeel. It was everything a nitro is in terms of mouthfeel, and had none of the flavor muted.

 

Michael, do you like Session IPAs? Do you have a favorite(s) Session IPA?

Cheers!

 

America loves light beer.

 

Eh. There are certainly a lot worse light beers out there for people to waste their livers on.

 

It really is simply a light beer. @herrburgess has called it an "IPA Light."

I find it ironic that craft beer in the last 10+ years has largely made a name for itself "imperializing" multiple styles, some of which you could argue shouldn't have been.

And now they're all scrambling to lighten a style that, in my opinion, truly shines at a higher abv.

 

So far I haven't been all that impressed, especially with the 'session' part. The Founders All Day in particular became a chore for me after one and a half bottles. Still, if the time is right and I see the Firestone Walker on draught I will probably give it a shot, because they have built up some trust with me. I have read good things about the Blue Point Mosaic, too.

There are just so many other beers vying for my attention these days, though. And if it's a real session beer I am shopping for, you probably know which one I will most likely be buying: Yards Brawler.

 

"teenie bopper buzz juice"

 

Yup.

It is nice to see articles like this on mainstream sites, and this one was written fairly well too. But the comment sections always seem to be mostly about the requisite posturing. Oh well, at least I got a few chuckles along with the face-palms.

 

The bigger question is "Why session beer at the same price as DIPA's not in a session format??" (Should be offered in 6-12packs if truly a "session beer?") No thanks. My session beer is a single IPA...

 

For a site full of posters that so often claim to love beer for its flavor, aroma, etc. and not the buzz it provides, I feel like I all too often read posts that equate the value of a beer to its abv.

I love session beers done right. They look good, smell good, taste good, and feel good, they just don't get you as drunk as fast. To compare them to non-session beers is not fair, IMO.