Why Session Beer?

I was in the pub from noon to about 7pm today, why on earth would anyone want to only drink 1-3 beers over that time?

I think I had about 9 pints in total, not exactly drunk particularly quickly

edit; and talking of session, this was what was on draught at the first. I'm sure Marquis would approve of the abv and all of us would like the flavour

 

In Britain, guidelines tell us that having two pints of 5% beer is excessive drinking. Any more than three is binge drinking. The average strength is around 4%. Low alcohol beer is around 2%. Strong beers are 5% and over (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale would be considered strong). I have had beers of 3.5% that taste wonderful and have a great 'mouthfeel'. It is unfortunate that many American beer lovers don't know about and are unable to try such beers. What are thought of as session beers in America would still be considered fairly strong to most beer drinkers here (ignoring those beer lovers who have been influence by (contemporary) American beer 'culture' (stronger is better)). See above!

 

I'm personally glad for the american influence, it's good to have the added choice now, at least in bottle form if not on handpull - at that pub for example. Best of both worlds

We still need a lot of the crappy pubs to pull their fingers out and offer better beer, either on tap/in the fridge or both.

 

Your right I do go more often when enjoying their light hop taste

 

And of course, breweries (Mallinsons, Oakham etc.) have done some wonderful things with American hops in beers of standard strength (around 4%).

 

Yes, except in the cities pubs find it difficult to sell anything much stronger.People don't take the trouble to go to the pub and then only drink one or two.
This was at the Marquis of Granby (at Granby, where else?) a few weeks back;notice two Hopheads , the Brewsters won by a nose

 

For what it's worth, my favorite kind of session-strength beer is something like a table saison (something which is inexplicably hard to find), in large part because of the way it can pair with foods that I like to eat, especially fresh vegetable dishes, light grains, and seafood. Drink a little or drink a lot, it tastes good with food, and either way it won't put you under the table. That's my ideal session beer, and I drink it for its pleasantness and versatility.

 

This is why: it's a hot day and you have nothing to do. You decide you want to relax on the porch and listen to a baseball game. You are going to love a 4.5% pilsener.

 

To answer the original and not all the replies: to session for the sake of doing a session. If I'm only drinking one or two beers, they will probably be stronger, whereas if I want to have a lot and not die (hyperbole) from it, then obviously session beers will see me through, and it's great that more flavorful options are being released all the time.

 

I think you are confusing low flavor and less intense flavor.

 

I think there's a terminology issue here. To me and all my drinking friends, getting a beer or wine "buzz" means the initial, relaxing, glow that encourages socializing. Going considerably farther becomes being drunk, hammered, etc.
Session beers make it possible to maintain the buzz for a longer time without getting totally drunk.

 

You paint quite the picture.

 

I feel you. I think that adjectives describing drinking vary from person to person. What someone might think is "shmammered" someone else might call "tipsy".

There was a study about this not to long ago, how men tended to use heavy, forceful ways to describe how drunk or not drunk they were, while they almost always described women as 'tipsy' regardless of if they were just cruising having a good time or passed out throwing up on themselves.

"The current study showed that natural language intoxication terms are applied to others similarly to oneself," said Levitt. "Specifically, results supported previous research by showing that moderate intoxication terms such as 'tipsy' were applied to female vignette characters more than male characters, even when female characters were heavily intoxicated, and that female participants applied these terms more than male participants. In contrast, heavy intoxication terms such as 'wasted' were applied to male vignette characters more than female characters, and male participants applied these terms more than female participants."

 

I remember the good old days when Gold Label was widely available in pubs.

 

Lololol!

 

The current beer scene in the US is a good example of how a tax regime can influence the types of beer brewed. If stronger beer were taxed more heavily - as it is in most countries - there wouldn't the same predominance of high ABV beers.

 

Hey Ron, speaking of taxes on beer, Wyoming has the lowest rate in the US for tax per gallon, 2 cents per. It hasn't changed since the end of prohibition. There are efforts to raise it to 18 cents per gallon but so far, they've been shot down.

 

That's not really any tax at all.

 

Quite right, you're bloody well right!

 

The biggest problem for me isn't necessarily the higher abv of many American beers, but the serving format. If I get a glass of wine at a bar, it's 3 - 5 ounces. Many of these IPAs and double IPAs come in 22 ounce bottles, and obviously the majority are in 12 ounce bottles. Heady Topper is a 16 ounce can! 16 ounces? Why? Once I crack that can I'm committed to the equivalent of over 2 regular strength 5% beers. I can have double the volume if it's a 4% beer.

One of my local bars offers each beer in a 10, 12, or 16 ounce glass. It's nice, because if it's a 9% double IPA, I can choose the 10 ounce and then move onto something else.