Your favorite session IPAs

Carton boat beer
Green Flash Citra session

 

Hi. We all noticed the shift, many of us imbibed, while some of us found a new way to drink more and stave off the inevitable beer belly.

Over the summer, and while I've always drank lower ABV brewes in warm weather, my IPA consumption was largely focused on session stylee IPAs. Less hangovers, more enjoyable evenings, and less fat on my stomach made it a good change to life. Fast forward to mid-autumn and I'm back to drinking standard sized IPAs and many other midrange styles...and the blubber is coming back too.

So where are the lower ABV cooler season brews to be had? There's not many in my region. In fact, schwarzbiers aside, the only sub-5% beer I found in my shop was Long Trail Barn Ale, a maple infused 4.2% brown ale. Good beer, but I like variety.

Any recos that are not local/draft only beers, that you want to call out?

Thanks

 

Brown Bottle Pilsner Urquell is great in the winter!

 

Don't know whatcha got up there but Stone Levitation if you can get it is a good one. Says 4.4%, officially listed as an Amber Ale but comes across closer to a brown ale IMO

 

Mayflower Porter @ 5.5% isn't in your range but not that far out of it and delicious.

 

+1 Always include this as an extra

 

I know you said no draft-only, but you're NYC-based right? Barrier brewing make a few sub-5% beers in more autumn/winter-friendly styles. They quite often turn up at bars, or for growler fills at stores.

Edit - but you're right - struggling to think of any bottled options

 

Do like I do - drink slower and take longer breaks between beers.

 

Founders All Day is year-round, and I still see Lagunitas DayTime, but those might be leftovers from summer since it's listed as rotating on BA.

 

I am generally not a fan of Session IPAs since the majority of the brands I have tried all have the same unattractive quality (unattractive for my palate) of being too thin and watery.

My personal favorite Session IPA of 2014 is Sixpoint Sensi Harvest IPA. It is very tasty and at only 4.7% ABV very sessionable. Get them while they last!!

A year round Session IPA that should be available in NY is Founders All Day IPA. It is a good beer overall but a tad too thin for my personal taste.

A very good Session Ale that is available in NJ is Carton Boat Beer.

Cheers to Sixpoint (@Sixpoint) and Carton (@augiecarton) for producing tasty low ABV beers!!

 

I haven't had very many good widely-distributed "session IPAs" because I feel they lack body/balance.. for instance, All-Day is quite hoppy but thin and without much malt sweetness- but some of the stuff coming out of Vermont does really well in terms of attaining a nice balance with a ton of hops- Lawson's Super Session and Alchemist Holy Cow to be more specific.

 

I hear that!!!

Cheers!

 

Not really the most exciting suggestion, nor is it seasonal, but I like Honker's Ale year round. Not as hoppy as a session IPA, so it's a bit maltier, which makes it nice for the winter to my palate. At 4.3% abv, it fits the bill.

Other than that, you have me stumped. I drink sub 5% abv beers year round, but I can't of too many winter seasonals that fit your criteria.

 

Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale - 5%, put a drop of water in the can, 4.999%

 

The only Session IPA I enjoyed this year was Upland Campside. Everything else tasted like a diet IPA.

 

Session IPA will be the new reigning paradigm in 100 years, replacing light American lager.

 

Most of them taste like some combination of fizzy onion or weed water but I did have a few decent ones. Ska's Rudie and the BJ's summer session are the only two versions that have any kind of distribution, though.

 

I though Daytime was my favorite session of the ones I tried.. founders allday is great at the beach though..(cans)

 

I hear your dilemma and second it! I recently discovered that a lot of the Irish style dry stouts out there (in the Guinness mold) are in the 4.5% range. You'd never know it, because they taste super thick and hearty. I don't see why someone couldn't up the hops in that formula (maybe not quite to black IPA levels) but just to give the beer a little more kick. It seems that the darker the malts that are used, the more illusion of body can be created. Maybe it's time for some session red or brown IPAs. Brewer's take note!
btw...my favorite session IPA so far is Ballast Point's Even Keel. It clocks in at 3.8% and is amazingly flavorful.