Why Session Beer?

Why session beer? That is a good question. Seems like a waste of money to me. If I wanted to drink a bland, normal abv beer, hell I may as well save my money and drink Miller Light. I drink craft beer for the flavor. I have yet to try a session beer that tasted anything like a normal craft beer. The closest was All Day IPA. It was fairly tasty, and certainly chuggable. But why bother, just chug Centennial if Founder's is your thing. Tastes better and with a little more kick. But to each their own I guess. That's the cool thing about beer (and cars!), there is something for EVERYONE!

I session with Two Hearted Ale, Lagunitas IPA or SNPA. Affordable and tasty as hell.

 

OK, cut and paste with an adjustment from my initial post:

The reality is this - at a bar, the cost of the ingredients (brewer's cost) for a $5, 5.0% ABV pint (an honest 16 oz pint) is roughly $0.48, give or take a dime depending on the recipe. The bar is grossing $3.80, the wholesaler is grossing $0.40 and the brewer is grossing $0.80 off that pint (for 5 - 10K bbls brewer, let's say a 40% GM, which give a $0.48 in COGS). So let's say (and this is pretty close based on experience) a session beer of 4% (a real session beer) is roughly $0.43 ingredient cost to the brewer (cogs), give or take a dime depending on the recipe. If a brewer passes on this savings ($0.05 per pint), how much do you think it will be reflected in the pint price?

The problem many brewers have that are only now releasing session beer? They have thoroughly convinced the consumer that higher ABV beers are MUCH more expensive to brew.

I've been at this for awhile, the numbers don't lie. Overhead is not a variable expense, and the distribution mark-ups have far more impact on the price at retail than the the ingredient cost. I'd be happy to lay out the package scenario too (6 and 12 packs, and my favorite, 22 oz bottles).

 

Torpedo is roughly 216 calories, session ipa is 130 (Notch, anyway). And shockingly, many beer drinkers value lower ABV and flavor and are willing to pay for it.

 

Tell that to the breweries that make $10 IPA 6 packs then $8 DIPA bombers.

 

I much prefer finding a beer I like and sticking with it. even at beer festivals. Last time I was at the ZBF I drank 7 or 8 Tilquin Labics.

 

That must be the daftest thing yet said in this thread.

 

Not entirely (except for being willing to pay for it!)
If I'm driving I always look first at the low gravity beers on offer ; I don't want to go to the trouble of getting myself to the pub and only being able to have a pint or so.
Office workers and teachers having their lunchtime break in the pub have to be conscious of what they drink too.
Also, because my head for alcohol isn't what it was, if I'm going on a pub crawl again I have to bear in mind the strength.

 

I don't know any brewers selling 6 packs or bombers but I do speak to many of them about the economics of the industry.From my homebrewing experience I also know how little beer costs to brew if it's only about materials.
As for tax, a pint of 5% beer in the UK carries roughly a $1 tax bill. This rises pro rata with ABV until 7.5% is reached and a higher tax rate kicks in.That means around $2 a pint for an 8% tipple. Regressing to say 4% ABV the tax will be around $0.80

 

I think that niche definitely is there. You wouldn't believe the number of 4%-ish golden ales with American hops being sold in the UK today. People do want that stuff and I don't see why that wouldn't be the case in America as well.

 

That all makes sense when comparing 1 pint of session beer to 1 pint of 5% beer. But session beer isn't supposed to be 1 for 1 is it? It's made and advertised to be drunk in volume compared to that 5% beer.

If the consumer is drinking 2 or 3 session beers instead of 1, the bar isn't grossing $3.80, they're grossing $7.60 to $10.80, the wholesaler isn't grossing 40 cents or the brewer 80 they're grossing 80-1.20 and 1.60-2.40. From that customer, from that drinking session.

Is the waitress taking 2 extra trips to a table, no she's bringing a second beer instead of a glass of water. Does the guy at the distributor have to move 2 pallets of beer instead of 1, sure, does that mean they need an extra guy - maybe if they were flat out busy, but probably not.

Is the brewer spending $1.29 on ingredients instead of .48, yes but with that increased volume shouldn't the cost of those ingredients drop .. or does Inbev spend as much per pound of grain as a nano?

If that session beer is being drunk 2 or 3 to 1, then those kegs are being drained 2 to 3 times as fast, they're being used and refilled far more efficiently. The brewing equipment is either being used more often, or a bigger (more efficient) setup can be used.

Bottles? Yeah bottles probably suck. Because they and their related packaging are one and done, but I have to think an order for 2 to 3 times the bottles or 6 pack carriers, or cases results in a lower price per unit.

 

I think you mentioned the music thing last time as well. I will repeat my point using music as an example. If I were looking at a "Best of Bach" cd that was $15 for 60 minutes and a "Best of Beethoven" cd that was $15 for 200 minutes, I would absolutely choose the Beethoven cd, because I get more music (abv) for the same price. Comparing loudness of solo vs rock music would be like comparing IPA vs stout; they are completely different "genres". I would pay $10 for a six pack of IPA (rock music) but wouldn't pay $2 for a six pack of wheat wine (country music, which I really don't like).

 

I am 37 and don't "get" the appeal of session beers. Sure i will have one on occasion but certainly don't seek them or find much appeal in them (by session, I mean anything under 5%).

 

What they allow is drinking of reasonable quantities without undue consequences. Say if you are on a long journey and stop for a refresher or wish for a drink during lunchtime when at work. In these circumstances a pint or two of a genuine session beer (and 5% is ridiculously high in this context) will be just the job.
Flavour and ABV, though connected, do not necessarily go hand in hand. I've had a well known DIPA of 9.2% ABV which couldn't stand comparison with a local brew of half that strength and I've had session beers which are astonishingly flavourful.
But I come from a background where beer is a drink. Look at all beer literature, beer songs and pretty well all beer folklore and it's about drinking.Not many songs written about sitting at home sipping two or three 12 ounce bottles!Beer to me is what you can drink lots of.

 

You grew up/ live in a different culture than I. I completely understand your point of view. I don't think many people are allowed to drink alcohol on their lunch break here in the US. My job involves a ton of driving so it certainly isn't an option for me. I see your point but still stand by my opinion.

 

I grew up in much the same national culture as you. If you were to spend a few weeks in the UK where a 3.5% beer is both acceptable at lunch and full of flavors to enjoy while sharing time with your buddies you'd have a better chance of appreciating session beers as defined by UK standards (roughly 4% or less). And if you lived and worked there you'd find that a) your body processes out 3.5% ABV quickly and that b) it is an accepted part of daily life.

In the US we have this mixed Puritanical background to contend with and that changes radically what people view as acceptable.

BTW: you'lll find very few true session beers in the US and even fewer breweries that have mastered the art of producing such beers to have full flavor profiles. But we should also note that the UK has session beers primarily because of national legisations that came about during WWI. Effectively their brewers and drinkers turned a necessity into something valuable and worth experiencing.

 

You're assuming people drink like they're "supposed" to.

Also, grain's cheap. I'm not a professional brewer, but when I make a session beer at home, versus an IPA, let's say, the difference in the cost of the grain bill can be as low as $4-$5 depending on what I'm using. The hops are where it gets expensive, and it actually takes a buttload of hops to impart a significant hop flavor into a session IPA (let's go with that example because it seems to be the only thing people think of as a session beer).

The most important aspect of this equation though isn't ingredients, it's overhead. It costs me roughly the same amount in water, fuel and time to make a session beer as it does an IPA. On a 5-10k bbl scale, these costs can be quite large. Now take into account that fermenter space is being taken up, and these fermenters need to be cooled. You probably have to pay someone to monitor fermentation (even if it's yourself). Kegs are expensive. Doesn't matter what liquid goes in them - takes the same amount of time to fill them - and you have to pay someone to do it. Then there's the rest - turning on the lights at a brewery, running pumps, CIP, caustics, hoses, maybe you (and you probably should) hire an accountant. Out of the cost of making beer, ingredients aren't the biggest part. Just because a 3.5% beer is half the strength of a 7% beer doesn't mean it costs half as much to produce. I'd venture that it's at best 15-20% less.

 

Why is it shocking that I, amongst others, value lower ABV beer? I like beers that I can drink multiple pints of without being a hungover mess the next day. Why is that so strange?

 

I like the guy who says describing the flavors of beer is absurd because "it's just beer and NOTHING more."

 

Like my grandmother on a coach tour of Scotland who when asked if she might look out of the window replied "Why, it's only scenery out there"

 

I think this is the problem for many craft drinkers. You need to actively seek out sessionable beers, and then when you find them, find the great ones. Outside of the session IPA, I doubt many new craft beer drinkers are checking out <5% abv US craft beers. The most popular beers are almost all above 5%, and usually much higher.

You may would never seek out something such as a Troegs Sunshine Pils (4.5% abv) unless you do the leg work and try all different US pils because you're a pils fan. Most have tried Victory Prima Pils (5.3% abv) but that's about it.