Session beer

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 2:08 pm

Just curious as to what ppl think of session beer?
It's started to slightly trend in Europe. Some toronto breweries (i.e. bellwoods) are making them.
you tend to sacrifice some flavour for the lower alcohol, but it reduces the risk of drinking and driving.

will they ever be popular among beer geeks?

cheechonaleash · Post by **cheechonaleash** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:14 pm

For me, something like Detour is nice when I want to have a few beers without getting loaded, but still have something that's flavourful.

Beer'n'gin · Post by **Beer'n'gin** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:02 pm

Sometimes I'd prefer more sessionable beer options. A well made sessionable ale/lager that one will want to drink over an evening usually trumps a high gravity-barrel aged-rich and viscous imperial whatever most days of the week.
I enjoy Pilsner Urquel and the like.

J343MY · Post by **J343MY** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 5:16 pm

I guess it depends on what you define "session" as. 4.5%ish can definitely work in a variety of styles. I'm not sure I could ever get excited for something <3% like stay classy though.

liamt07 · Post by **liamt07** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 6:30 pm

English style milds/dark milds are delicious when done right. Granite, Cheshire Valley and Grand River have done some examples, and I'd surely support any other brewery that put out some in the same vein.

saints_gambit · Post by **saints_gambit** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 7:14 pm

I like the idea. I like the idea of having two beers and then being able to go and do something. I think we can all agree that there are some great IPAs out there at the moment, but you can't really drink three pints of 7.5% IPA without some detrimental effects.

I'd be happy with a 3.5% mild or Muskoka Detour or a flavourful bitter or just about anything. Pilsner Urquell is more or less a session beer at 4.3%.

It's not a new concept, but the ability to use the new hop strains and develop a wider variety of flavours in low alcohol beers is excellent.

JeffPorter · Post by **JeffPorter** » Sun Apr 27, 2014 9:15 pm

Detour is pretty great...Muskoka seems to be one of those surprising breweries that don't do a whole bunch of crazy stuff but they were pretty much first out the gate with a real US style IPA and now this one which is damn tasty. I always buy a case of Mill Race whenever I'm in Cambridge and I think calm before the storm is one of our best hidden gems I terms of local beer.

Mind you after a winter lime we just had when we were all drinking 10 abv stouts and 750 ml bottles of St. Bernys 12 I can certainly appreciate something milder.

Torontoblue · Post by **Torontoblue** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:22 am

atomeyes wrote:Just curious as to what ppl think of session beer?
It's started to slightly trend in Europe. Some toronto breweries (i.e. bellwoods) are making them.
you tend to sacrifice some flavour for the lower alcohol, but it reduces the risk of drinking and driving.

will they ever be popular among beer geeks

If you mean started 100+ years ago, then yes it's starting to "trend"

A proper English 'session' ale doesn't sacrifice flavour for lower alcohol at all; it's just that the North American brewers are a long ways behind!

I had the new brew, Groove Session Ale from Tree Brewing over the weekend, and it was just a goddamn, low hopped, oxidized, cardboard malty mess, and at 5% alcohol, it's NOT a session ale!

groulxsome · Post by **groulxsome** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:54 am

I'm a little sad that right now "session beer" generally means "slightly alcoholic hop juice." I get that IPAs are great and that hop character sells in the craft beer world, but do all the new low gravity beers have to be just some hops, some more robust English malt to compensate for the lack of gravity, and lower IBUs? Oh, and maybe some rye to thicken them up?

Where are the Berliner Weisse? Where are the Tafelbier? Where are the faro? Where are the Gose? Where are the milds? There are lots of great lower gravity beer styles out there, so I don't see why (I do see why, it's "on trend" money; it's hops you already have around the brew house; it's the same yeast and malts with less resources into more product for better margins) every brewery has make a Dayboil IPA of some sort. Cans of Berliner Weisse, LCBO. Someone! Nickel Brook, looking at you.

liamt07 · Post by **liamt07** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:58 am

groulxsome wrote:Where are the Berliner Weisse? Where are the Tafelbier? Where are the faro? Where are the Gose? Where are the milds? There are lots of great lower gravity beer styles out there, so I don't see why (I do see why, it's "on trend" money; it's hops you already have around the brew house; it's the same yeast and malts with less resources into more product for better margins) every brewery has make a Dayboil IPA of some sort.

Because it's easier to make something big and bold, and hide any minor flaws under the veil of other overpowering and extreme flavours. A lot of these lower alcohol beers (when not hopped to high-heaven) showcase flaws more readily if not brewed 100% bang on.

Ceecee · Post by **Ceecee** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 11:43 am

groulxsome wrote: Cans of Berliner Weisse, LCBO. Someone! Nickel Brook, looking at you.

Oh, man. That would be great!

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 2:21 pm

J343MY wrote:I guess it depends on what you define "session" as. 4.5%ish can definitely work in a variety of styles. I'm not sure I could ever get excited for something <3% like stay classy though.

i wouldn't say that a 4.5% beer is sessionable.

guess the definition would be a beer that would put you below the legal blood alcohol level if 1 an hr's consumed.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 2:23 pm

Torontoblue wrote:
atomeyes wrote:Just curious as to what ppl think of session beer?
It's started to slightly trend in Europe. Some toronto breweries (i.e. bellwoods) are making them.
you tend to sacrifice some flavour for the lower alcohol, but it reduces the risk of drinking and driving.

will they ever be popular among beer geeks
If you mean started 100+ years ago, then yes it's starting to "trend"

A proper English 'session' ale doesn't sacrifice flavour for lower alcohol at all; it's just that the North American brewers are a long ways behind!

I had the new brew, Groove Session Ale from Tree Brewing over the weekend, and it was just a goddamn, low hopped, oxidized, cardboard malty mess, and at 5% alcohol, it's NOT a session ale!

thanks for the snark.

i'm actually referring to beer festivals, where the past decade's featured more booze bombs than traditional beer.

now, the hot, newer brewers are putting out a few lower alcohol brews instead of focusing on strong ales.

Torontoblue · Post by **Torontoblue** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 2:28 pm

atomeyes wrote:
Torontoblue wrote:
atomeyes wrote:Just curious as to what ppl think of session beer?
It's started to slightly trend in Europe. Some toronto breweries (i.e. bellwoods) are making them.
you tend to sacrifice some flavour for the lower alcohol, but it reduces the risk of drinking and driving.

will they ever be popular among beer geeks
If you mean started 100+ years ago, then yes it's starting to "trend"

A proper English 'session' ale doesn't sacrifice flavour for lower alcohol at all; it's just that the North American brewers are a long ways behind!

I had the new brew, Groove Session Ale from Tree Brewing over the weekend, and it was just a goddamn, low hopped, oxidized, cardboard malty mess, and at 5% alcohol, it's NOT a session ale!
thanks for the snark.

i'm actually referring to beer festivals, where the past decade's featured more booze bombs than traditional beer.

now, the hot, newer brewers are putting out a few lower alcohol brews instead of focusing on strong ales.

It's not snark, just pointing out you're wrong....again.

How many beer festivals have you been to in Europe? Of the numerous I went to in the UK, there were very few booze bombs. From memory there would be about a maximum of 10 out of 100+ beers on offer, that were over 6%. For years, the strongest beer available at beer festivals was Orkney Skullsplitter. All the students went for that, used up their tickets and left smashed. The grown ups stuck to regular, every day beers and stayed the course.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 5:21 pm

Torontoblue wrote:
It's not snark, just pointing out you're wrong....again.

How many beer festivals have you been to in Europe? Of the numerous I went to in the UK, there were very few booze bombs. From memory there would be about a maximum of 10 out of 100+ beers on offer, that were over 6%. For years, the strongest beer available at beer festivals was Orkney Skullsplitter. All the students went for that, used up their tickets and left smashed. The grown ups stuck to regular, every day beers and stayed the course.

you know, there are other festivals and other countries that produce beer other than the UK.
not that this list is gospel by any means, but I'd look at trends in the US and Belgium before I'd look at what the UK has done or is doing.

The Bar Towel

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