tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9513521467099322192024-03-12T19:48:17.446-04:00The Session Beer Project™Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-55255171332883133372016-04-07T21:05:00.000-04:002016-04-07T21:05:37.340-04:00Apropos of Session Beer Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For all you nimrods who ask me, "Hey, do you drink <i>session whiskey</i>, too? Uh huh, huh, <i>session</i> whiskey!"<br />
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There is session whiskey, you dopes: we call it "cocktails." And <a href="http://www.stgeorgespirits.com/"><b>St. George Spirits</b></a> has a new whiskey designed for making the kind of cocktail I particularly like: 'tall drinks,' or <b>highballs. </b>It's called <b>Baller</b>, and it was made for mixing with a tall glass of club soda and ice.<br />
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So yeah. There <i>is</i> "session whiskey." This is what it looks like. Uh huh, huh.Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-20582436722878614382016-04-07T09:11:00.001-04:002016-04-07T09:25:26.834-04:00Today is Session Beer Day 2016<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9lNTBzyn4Xw?rel=0" width="420"></iframe>
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<i>Hey bartender! Draw one, draw two, draw three more glasses of beer!</i><br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white;">"They say there's twenty-seven pubs from here to Odsal Top</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">And tonight we'll have a pint in every one."</span></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>It's Session Beer Day. Go ye out and have some great session beers. </b></span><br />
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Places to go: I'll be at the <b>Bulls Head Pub</b> in Lititz, PA (<b>World Session Beer Day Headquarters!</b>) from noon to 6:30, feel free to drop by for their total session tap takeover, all beers under 4.5%, all beers $4.50 a pint! <b>Deep Ellum</b> on the Boston border is hosting the <b>Notch </b>crew again for small beer in big glasses. The <b>Olympic</b> in Rockford, Illinois has a bunch of session beers plus a cask of Stone Go To. <b>Akasha Brewing</b> has a variety of local session beers, and you can hook up with OG Beer Guy Roger Baylor for a <b><a href="http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/03/join-me-on-session-beer-day-brewery.html">Session Beer Day Brewery Crawl</a></b> that winds up there. There's always session beer at the <b>Victory</b> pubs in Downingtown and Parkesburg (Penn.), and of course there's <b>Yards Brawler</b> and <b>Philly Brewing Kenzinger</b> all over Philly (<b>Yuengling Lager</b> is a session beer, too!) In the Bay Area? <b>Magnolia </b> and <b>Drake </b>are always rocking some good session ales, as is <b>21st Amendment</b>! See more? <b>Tell us here!</b><br />
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<b>FOR THE BEST SESSION BEER DAY, DO THIS:</b><br />
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<li><b>Keep it under 4.6% (look for lower!)</b></li>
<li><b>Tell us about it (post a comment here, or tweet with #sessionbeerday)</b></li>
<li><b>Tell stories, play cards, sing songs, <i>talk to people</i>.</b></li>
<li><b>Buy rounds!</b></li>
<li><b>Eat some food, spend some money, <i>tip your servers.</i></b></li>
<li><b>Remember: It's <i>low</i> alcohol, not <i>no</i> alcohol. Cab, Uber, Lyft, transit, walk.</b></li>
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<b>Have fun!</b></div>
Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-45192512596625605732016-04-06T09:29:00.000-04:002016-04-06T09:29:00.167-04:00Session Beer Gets New Attention in the UK as WellI've been meaning to put up a link to <a href="http://craftbeerworld.co.uk/tweed-brewerys-sam-ward-on-elevating-session-strength-beers-61486">this article</a> for <i>months</i>; it came out in November of 2015! Seems like a good time. It's about <b><a href="http://www.tweedbrewing.com/">Tweed Brewing Company</a></b>, in Hyde, England, outside the Manchester ring road. They're focusing on lower-ABV beers, "reinventing the pint", and although they have beers as "big" as 5.0%, most of them are 4.5% and under.<br />
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I just <b>love </b>what they have to say about session beer's perception as "<b>samey</b>." Here's the start of the interview with co-founder <b>Sam Ward</b>:<br />
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Well, the idea of Tweed all <b>started over a pint</b>. Myself, Dave [Ward, Sam's father] and Anthony [Lewis] were all sat around talking about how <b>session beers were so boring and samey.</b> We all pointed out that if you wanted something <b>quirky and tasty </b>you had to start moving into the 5% plus beers, which we weren’t really into.<br />Anthony, being a commercial brewer by trade, said that <b>session beer doesn’t have to be that way</b> and went on to say that it’s all usually bitter and dry is because the <b>customer in the pub wanted that</b>… usually <b>male drinkers.</b><br />We sat around and said that <b>beer should be for everyone, </b>men and women and also appeal to a younger drinker. Anthony went on to say that it’s very easy to keep a beer <b>sweet and tasty</b> and eradicate the dryness and bitterness.<br />And that’s really where the foundations of Tweed were laid. <b>A brewery that was hell bent on reinventing the session beer.</b></blockquote>
Sounds good to me, although I'd note that having sweet <i>and</i> dry and bitter as <i>choices</i> is <b>even better</b>. But I love the idea that <b>English brewers</b> felt a need to <b>re-invent the session beer. </b>Goes with this excellent <b>Gustav Mahler quote</b> a friend made me familiar with today (thanks, Tom):<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tradition is not the Worship of Ashes, </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">but the Preservation of Fire. </span></b></div>
Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-11964416465486169152016-04-05T10:12:00.003-04:002016-04-05T10:13:19.055-04:00Building the Session Beer Train: Chris Lohring<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Chris Lohring. Notch Brewing. Session Beer.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Great interview.</span></b></div>
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I'm <b>proud </b>to note that we told you about <b>Chris Lohring</b> and his fantastic idea for <a href="http://www.notchbrewing.com/">Notch Brewing</a>, an <b>all session beer brewing project,</b> <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2010/04/notch-all-session-beer-brewing-project.html">first</a>, right here on the Session Beer Project blog, <i>six years ago this month</i>. And ran <b>an interview </b>with him <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2012/03/interview-chris-lohring-of-all-session.html">here</a>, back in 2012. And I've talked about him a lot since then; <b>naturally</b>, it's a session beer blog, and Notch was the <b>first American brewery</b> to commit to <b>brewing only beers at 4.5% and under</b>. We've seen eye-to-eye since Day One, and that's why <b>when Notch opens their Salem brewery this summer</b>, the SBP — okay, <i>me</i> — will <b>be there</b>, live blogging, tweeting, and drinking their <b>small beers in big glasses</b>.<br />
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But this is about a <a href="http://beveragebusiness.com/2016/04/a-drink-with-chris-lohring/"><b>GREAT interview</b></a> done with Chris <i>this </i>month by <b>Brandy Rand</b> (in a magazine I've been writing for since 1998, <i>Massachusetts Beverage Business</i>, the trade book for the Massachusetts wholesale/retail alcohol beverage industry, and there are some GREAT articles on their website; you should check them out). Chris lays down some <b>session beer basics</b> here, and shows he's got a firm understanding of the new beer market. Check this stuff out (as always, the <b>added emphasis</b> is mine):<br />
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MBB: <i>Session beer was a bit of an anomaly back then; what’s it like now to be a session brewer and <b>do consumers finally “get it”?</b></i>CL: Many do get it, and they are clearly driving our growth as more consumers <b>step away </b>from a “strength = good” perspective and become more knowledgeable. They understand and value <b>beers of full flavor at a modest strength</b>, they understand the benefit. But there is still the machismo consumer that drinks ABV as a badge.</blockquote>
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<i>MBB: What are you most excited about for 2016? </i></blockquote>
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CL: Brewing in my own brewery again <i>[Chris opened Tremont Brewery back in the 1990s, and left brewing after it closed.]</i> – it’s been a long time since I’ve done that. <b>The creativity we will have here is unlimited.</b> You’ll see a very large focus on German and Czech lagers brewed with traditional methods, and as a brewer, this has me the most excited.</blockquote>
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<i>MBB: Explain your Single Series.</i>CL: It’s a new beer brewed <b>every month</b> and draft only. You can’t ignore shifts in consumer preference, and <b>“what’s new” has been influencing draft beer selection</b>. In accounts that constantly rotate drafts, we always have something new to offer every month. Some are one and done, others come back each year with changes. The Single Series will also be available in cans later in 2O16 when our Salem brewery opens. <b>And for a session-beer-only brewery, it’s allowed us to demonstrate the wide array of styles you can brew at under 4.5%.</b></blockquote>
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<i>MBB: You have over 18,000 Twitter followers; has social media been a big part of growing your brand? What has been the key to making it work for you?</i>CL: Without question – it’s the great equalizer. <b>Larger brands cannot compete with us being ourselves. </b>We don’t program, we live our life in beer and share it with our fans. You can’t buy that, you need to live it. <b>The consumer sees right through the larger brewer bull shit.</b> The key? Being real. <b>Having a point of view. </b>Engaging in conversation. <b>Not playing it safe.</b> Not being contrived or obvious. Making fun of ourselves. <b>Taking responsibility and ownership for everything we do.</b> Calling out BS. <b>Defending our friends.</b> Championing our supporters. Being a person, not a brand. </blockquote>
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<i>MBB: What are the biggest challenges you face as a small craft brewer in trying to grow the brand?</i>CL: The stranglehold larger brewers have on distribution channels. When I say <b>larger brewers</b>, I’m not only taking about Bud, Miller, Coors, but the <b>largest craft brewers</b>. Some are publicly traded, others owned by private equity, some owned by Bud or Heineken, and they have enormous power in the marketplace.</blockquote>
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And that's only part of it. Go read <a href="http://beveragebusiness.com/2016/04/a-drink-with-chris-lohring/">the whole thing</a>, and get fired up for <b>Session Beer Day!</b></div>
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Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-28439183575903226082016-04-04T19:42:00.001-04:002016-04-05T09:05:54.035-04:00THREE DAYS TILL SESSION BEER DAY!<b>Session Beer Day is only three days away, this Thursday, April 7!</b><br />
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<b>I'm breathless with anticipation</b> (okay, I'm not, but if I didn't have so much <i>other crap </i>going on, I <b>might</b> be...). This <b>happily silly event,</b> a toast to the success and continued rediscovery of <b>"small beer in big glasses,"</b> continues to be strong in some great places. We'd like to encourage <i>you</i> to encourage <i>them</i> by drinking session beer, particularly on April 7. Make your preference known!</div>
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If there's a place near you that supports Session Beer, <i>please</i> show them your support by going there and drinking at least two pints on Thursday! If there's not, go to your favorite spot and ask them if they could add some great-tasting lower-ABV beers to their regular rotation, just as an additional option. </div>
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There's another event I just heard about, too, in Louisville (heads up, <a href="http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/03/join-me-on-session-beer-day-brewery.html">Roger Baylor</a>). </div>
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Rick Stidham at <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AkashaBrewing">Akasha Brewing</a> in Louisville</b> tells me they're doing a Session Beer Day event at the taproom. "We'll be pouring our <b>English Mild with Brett</b> (3.1%), <b>American Pale with Brett </b>(4.5%), <b>Belgian Blonde </b>(4.5%), and neighboring brewery <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Monnikbeer/">Monnik's</a> Mild George English Mild</b> (3.5%). Sounds great! And if anyone wants to hook up with Roger on his <b>Session Beer Day Brewery Crawl </b>in Louisville, check that out <a href="http://potablecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2016/03/join-me-on-session-beer-day-brewery.html">here</a>: he's going to be winding up at Akasha. Roger's an OG (Original Geek), who's been preaching alternative beer for longer than I can remember; pre-1990, anyway, and he's great company, so think about joining him. If I weren't going to be at <b><a href="http://www.bullsheadpublichouse.com/">World Session Beer Day Headquarters</a></b>, or at the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/219923325039138/">Notch Deep Ellum Session Beer Day Celebration</a>, or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/639905729483584/">Thanks I'll Have Another at the Olympic Tavern</a>...<i>that's where I'd be!</i></b></div>
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So wherever you decide to go, whatever 4.5% and lower beers you decide to drink, <b>remember what it's all about:</b> spreading the word on session beer and having a good time with people, talking, buying rounds, <b>small beers in big glasses!</b> Go have fun. I'll be live-blogging and tweeting on Thursday. Post comments here (I'll put up a comment target first thing 4/7 just for you to tell us what you're doing), or on the <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/53551065215/">Session Beer Project Facebook</a></b> page (join us!), or just tweet with #sessionbeerday </div>
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<i>Start spreading the love!</i></div>
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Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-50488871308385819932016-04-01T13:07:00.002-04:002016-04-01T13:07:44.777-04:00Session Beer Day Arrives in Ireland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just saw <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/drink/staying-in-stock-up-on-session-beers-1.2592159">this piece</a> in the Irish Times talking up Session Beer Day and the SBP! Kind of surprised not to see any mention of Guinness, or the new Guinness Dublin Porter in it, but hey, craft partisans will be craft partisans. Happy to see the word spreading; <b>spread the word yourselves! </b><br />
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<b>SESSION BEER DAY IS APRIL 7! </b><br />
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<b>SMALL BEER IN BIG GLASSES!</b>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-81293185365280676942016-03-22T09:11:00.002-04:002016-03-22T09:52:14.106-04:00Once Again, American Mild Month is MayI ran this post about <b>American Mild Month </b>last year about this time (which unfortunately means that it's not really all THAT far below this post, but we're working on that!), and it is most definitely worth reposting. So feast your eyes, and get some ideas, and start talking to your local brewer about making some mild for May, American Mild Month. (Mild Month is gearing up, including a connection to the <b><a href="http://www.fuggled.net/2016/01/international-homebrew-project-2016.html">International Homebrew Project,</a> </b>where participants decided to do American Mild as this year's recipe.)<br />
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May has been <b>Mild Month</b> in the UK for years now, thanks to enthusiastic support from CAMRA, the vaunted English consumer group, the <b>Campaign for Real Ale.</b> This beautiful session-type ale is celebrated in May, brewers make special milds, regular milds, and of course, cask milds, and folks drink them up.<br />
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Now beer blogger <a href="http://www.fuggled.net/">Alistair Reese</a> has created <b>American Mild Month</b>, and asked if I would help spread the word. Let's see...<b>unsung delicious beer style</b>; tasty and 'more-ish' at low alcohol levels; <b>classic session beer</b>; and the month after Session Beer Day? <b>Of course!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>Here's the scoop, direct from the Mild Month <a href="http://www.mildmonth.com/">website</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">The project is called <b>American Mild Month</b> because we want to <b>encourage </b>brewers and drinkers in the US to <b>brew and drink mild ale</b>, but it could also be read as a project to create a new beer style, the 'American Mild'.</span><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">It seems almost oxymoronic in this day of ever more extreme beers to advocate for a style as restrained as mild, but here goes anyway, what would an American Mild look like...?</span><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Let's start with color. The SRM numbers for English milds range from 6 to 34, which is basically the entire spectrum of beer. The majority of milds though fall in the dark category, starting at 17 SRM, which is a deep orange to amber color. An American mild then would be deep amber, with red in the mix as well, veering up to brown at the upper limit.</span><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Alcoholic restraint </b>is a hallmark of the modern mild ale, and we believe that an American mild should follow that tradition, <b>topping out at 4.5% abv</b>. We imagine most American milds would fall between 3.5% and 4.5% abv.</span><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Everyone knows that <b>many modern American beers are very hop centric</b> while mild ales tend to be very <b>restrained </b>when it comes to both IBUs and hop perception, remember the official description from GABF...</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Hop aroma is very low...Hop flavor is very low. Hop bitterness is very low to low</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Clearly then the <b>American Mild is not a hop bomb</b>, but neither need it be a hop free zone. <b>'Low' is not the same as 'none',</b> it is all about restraint, and with the wide variety of American hops available the range of hop flavors is actually quite broad, whether its the spiciness of Cluster, the grapefruit of Amarillo, or the tropical fruit of El Dorado, there is room here for <b>differentiation</b>, and dry hopping is ok too. Remember though, before going crazy with the hops, <b>an American Mild is not a Session IPA</b>, or a Session Cascadian Dark Ale, it's still a mild. Traditional English milds top out at 25 IBUs, but for an American Mild we would suggest an upper limit of 30 IBUs.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">One major departure from the English mild style in a theoretical American mild is the yeast. The classic American yeast strain used by many an American craft brewery is known for being very clean, allowing the other ingredients to shine through without contributing the fruity flavors of the British yeasts.</span><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">So there we go, a restrained, darkish ale, with gentle hopping and a clean finish so that the malt and what hops are present, shine through.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">At the end of the day drinkability is the key feature of an American Mild.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There you have it. When do we celebrate it? <b>May</b>. How do we celebrate it? <b>Brew and drink mild ales!</b> Where do you find them? There's a list of participating Maryland, DC, and Virginia breweries at the American Mild Month website (that's where the founders are based). Also try <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/mild-ale/55/">ratebeer</a>, BeerAdvocate (<a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/75/">dark</a> and <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/76/">pale</a>!), and, well, <i><b>tell your local brewer to make one, dammit!</b></i> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually, that should be repeated:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Tell your local brewer to make one!</b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"> </span></span></h2>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;">Get news on American Mild Month at their </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MildMonthUS" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;">Twitter feed</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMildMonth" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;">Facebook page</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.48px;">. And if your local brewer <i>does</i> make a mild, post it there! Or here! And <b>drink Mild!</b></span><br />
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Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-71209199393870653182016-03-21T13:21:00.000-04:002016-03-21T13:21:04.269-04:00Session Beer on the Podcast CircuitI was recently <b>interviewed </b>about <b>session beer</b> for the <b>Experimental Brewing</b> podcast, done by Denny Conn and Drew Beechum, the same fellas who put up all the session beer homebrewing recipes I just posted over the weekend. I thought you might like to hear what we had to say.<br />
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Here's <a href="http://www.experimentalbrew.com/podcast/episode-9-session-session-whats-your-libation">the link to the page</a> with the 'cast. The player's at the bottom of the page, and the session beer part starts at about 33:19. Enjoy!Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-50311995115028761072016-03-19T08:22:00.000-04:002016-03-19T08:22:22.835-04:00Homebrew Session Beer in Time For Session Beer Day!Denny Conn and Drew Beechum, well-known homebrew authors (<b><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0760345384">Experimental Homebrewing</a> </b>and the upcoming <b><a href="http://smile.amazon.com/dp/0760349614">Homebrew All-Stars</a>), </b>interviewed me on their podcast <b><a href="http://www.experimentalbrew.com/">Experimental Brewing</a></b> about Session Beer Day (and session beer in general, and the <a href="http://noplcb.blogspot.com/">horrible Pennsylvania liquor code</a>) recently. I'm going to get a link up to that shortly, but I wanted to get this up ASAP.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YBOJeeAjqA/Vu1EMth3UnI/AAAAAAAARkQ/EweqmJ2YQbcvpxiHJZyikima2lcZ8K7lw/s1600/homebrewer%2Bselfie.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6YBOJeeAjqA/Vu1EMth3UnI/AAAAAAAARkQ/EweqmJ2YQbcvpxiHJZyikima2lcZ8K7lw/s320/homebrewer%2Bselfie.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homebrewer selfie: Dana Cordes mashing in a dark mild</td></tr>
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Denny and Drew are long-time supporters of session beers (I remember drinking one of Drew's excellent milds <i>years </i>ago at a homebrew event, and loving it), so in celebration of Session Beer Day, they posted a <b>Session Beer Day Recipe Bonanza</b> at Experimental Brewing. It's FOURTEEN homebrewing recipes for beers like milds, bitters, table beers, Berliner Weisse, session IPA, even a session-strength lager. <i>Most</i> of them can still be brewed in time for consumption on Session Beer Day, April 7.<br />
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Are you a homebrewer? <a href="http://www.experimentalbrew.com/content/session-beer-day-recipe-bonanza-14-recipes-you-brew" style="font-weight: bold;">Get at it!</a> And you'll be quaffing fresh-brewed session beer on Session Beer Day!Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-8930238714222537232016-03-17T12:29:00.000-04:002016-03-21T13:27:09.079-04:00SUPPORT SESSION BEER DAY IN 2016!<span style="font-family: inherit;">Session Beer Day -- <b>April 7</b> -- is only <b>twenty days away!</b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>What's the deal? </b>Pretty simple, really: it's a day to drink <b>small beer </b>in <b>large glasses</b>, a day to celebrate the diversity of tasty lower alcohol beers, a day to consider day drinking that won't ruin you. It's <b><a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/p/session-beer-day-april-7-2012.html">this.</a> </b>I like session beer anytime (and I like big, fat beers, and whiskeys, too!), but April 7th is a day to make a BIG deal out of LITTLE beer, to bring it to people's attention that a small beer can have plenty of flavor and be enjoyed with gusto. I love <i>drinking</i> beer, not just sipping it, and session beer is the thing. That's what we're suggesting for the beer drinker: <i>try something new, try something session!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In support of that...if <b>you run a bar</b>, own a bar, order the beer for a bar...<b>please consider supporting Session Beer Day!</b> How? Well, <b>put some session-strength beers on!</b> Almost every market has some craft-type beers that are under 4.5% these days (see the SBP definition of "session beer" to the right), and there's always our old pal, <b>Guinness Draught Stout.</b> We do strongly encourage you to draw a bright line and stick to beers that are <b>4.5% and under</b>, to make the point that a real difference makes a real difference. <b>We don't need no creepers on Session Beer Day!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can do a few, or you can go all in, like SBP supporter <b>Paul Pendyck at the <a href="http://www.bullsheadpublichouse.com/">Bulls Head Public House</a> in Lititz, Pennsylvania</b>, which I'm naming: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>WORLD SESSION BEER HEADQUARTERS FOR 2016</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.bullsheadpublichouse.com/"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SauFIBkCkzY/VurWVJb6VZI/AAAAAAAARhM/oA7rnxFpXbQuGPeMW8pMlFvx0_pxfNoLw/s1600/Bulls%2BHead.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bullsheadpublichouse.com/">Paul the publican and the beautiful Bulls Head bar; I'll be here on April 7, 2016, come in and have a pint!</a><br />
<i>(photo: Lancaster News)</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Paul is not only a great guy and a strong supporter of great cask ale (session beer's best friend), but he's a huge fan of session beer and has committed to a <b>TOTAL SESSION BEER TAP TAKEOVER </b>on Session Beer Day. Every one of the Bulls Head taps (including the beer engines) will be pouring session beers at 4.5% and under! This is where I'll be on Session Beer Day in 2016, and I invite you to come out and join me for a pint; get in on the <a href="https://twitter.com/sessionbeerday">Tweeting!</a> The list so far: </span>New Belgium Slow Ride, Ballast Point Mango Even Keel, Yards Brawler, Neshaminy Croydon Cream Ale, Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, Schlenkerla Helles, Victory Donnybrook Stout (Nitro), Steigl Radler,<br />
Jacks Abby Calypstra <i>(possibly)</i>.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Or how about <b>Notch Brewing</b>, which is going to be celebrating Session Beer Day at <b><a href="http://www.deepellum-boston.com/">Deep Ellum</a></b> in Allston (Boston) <i>again, </i>this year with <b>FIVE SESSION </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">LAGERS!</i> Check that <b>crazy cold-brewed shit </b>out <b><a href="http://www.notchbrewing.com/2016/02/13/lager-and-lots-of-it/">here</a>. </b>Special shout-out to Notch as they make daily progress toward opening their <i style="font-weight: bold;">all-session beer brewery</i> in Salem, Mass. later this Spring!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also in Massachusetts, but not in a bar, the New England Real Ale eXhibition (<b><a href="http://www.nerax.org/">NERAX</a></b>) will be taking place that week, and Session Beer Day falls smack-dab in the middle of it! NERAX has always had plenty of session beer love -- comes with the casks, baby -- and in April of 2011 we had a kind of <b><a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-discussion-at-nerax.html">dress rehearsal for Session Beer Day</a></b> there. Get a ticket, go drink great cask beer at session strength!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The <b><a href="http://theolympictavern.com/event/session-beer-day-thanks-ill-have-another-2/">Olympic Tavern</a> in Rockford, Illinois</b> has been a strong session beer supporter, and they're right there this year with an event titled (I'm blushing) <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/639905729483584/">Session Beer Day -- Thanks, I'll Have Another</a>.</b> Stop in, have a session beer, tell 'em I said hi!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here in Philadelphia, which is a blithely unconcerned <b>center</b> of session beer (we have <b>solid-selling year-round session beers</b> from local brewers like <b>Yards, Philadelphia, Victory, Sly Fox, Weyerbacher</b>, and more, in a <i>variety</i> of styles!), I may be stopping in for an end of day session at the <b>Grey Lodge Pub</b>, where Scoats is cooking up one of his signature crazy events: some kind of session beer shoot-out is evolving, more details as I get them. </span><br />
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<b>Get on board, bar people! </b>People want to drink session beer (sure, there are some grumblers, but they get their variety 364 days a year (okay, 365 this year...)), and they want to drink more than one or two. Get it on, get it out there, and <b>leverage Session Beer Day </b>as a way to make folks aware that you have a beer that <b>tastes great </b>and they can feel better about having two of with dinner. <b>If you're doing a significant Session Beer Day offering, please leave a comment on this post!!</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That also still leaves time for <b>brewers </b>to put together a <b>great new session beer</b>; as I said in January (January? My God, how time flies):</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Take this opportunity to <b>show off your skills </b>and make a session-strength beer, 4.5% or less (you can do it; you can go lower!), that doesn't rely on <b>shouting hops </b>for all its character. We get it, brewers know how to make a light, wildly hoppy beer: EVERY brewer's doing it.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Be different! </b>On April 7th, show us some <i>real </i>innovation, or some <b>real skills </b>to make a beautiful example of a <b>classic session-strength beer </b>that stands apart from the herd of <b>'monkey-see, monkey-do' dialed-down IPAs</b>. Work with specialty malts or non-barley grains, a different <b>yeast, </b>light souring, smoke, herbs or spices, wood-aging, or sure, a light hand with the right hops, a pale ale, <i>there's a thought. </i>Make it tasty but not crushing, make it something <b>"more-ish,"</b> as Michael Jackson used to say. Show the world you're <b>not a monkey</b>, thumb your nose at the "me too me too" crowd, and who knows...<b>maybe find your next big seller.</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Truly, folks: one of the great things about lighter session ales is that they're <i>fast</i>. So <b>brewers</b>, there's still time. <b>Call a meeting, </b>get serious, get thinking, <i>make something really cool</i>, and <b>release it on April 7th!</b> Tell us about it, and we'll blog it, Tweet it, Face-the-Book out of it. Really. <b>We're serious.</b> </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">(I'd have been yelling sooner, but I've been sick like a dog; sorry!)</span></i>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-78165826011643699722016-01-27T11:27:00.002-05:002016-01-27T15:17:04.134-05:00SESSION BEER DAY 2016 IS ON!As I've noted elsewhere, I'm back writing about beer and whiskey as a freelancer. That means more time to do Session Beer Project stuff, which means <b>Session Beer Day 2016 is on!</b><br />
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Session beer has made a <b>huge impact</b> on American beer drinking in the past five years. We've made a difference, and people are drinking lower-alcohol beers, and loving them. Brewers are making them and succeeding financially; not all, but there are some notable successes, like all-session beer gypsy brewer <b>Notch</b>, which is going to be opening a real brick and mortar brewery this spring, shortly after Session Beer Day; <b>congratulations!</b> <b>Yards</b> continues to sell a LOT of their non-hoppy <b>Brawler</b>. <b>Victory </b>always has <i>at least</i> a dry stout and a delicious bitter at their taproom. Hell, <i>Yuengling Lager</i> is a session beer; that's pretty damned successful. (There's session elsewhere, of course: I just happen to be in Pennsylvania.)<br />
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So...has the Project <b>succeeded?</b> Do we take a victory lap and happily <b>shut down</b>, liter mugs in hand, well-done, thou good and faithful servant?<br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">No, we do not!</span></b></i><br />
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The continued success of session beer in America — and yes, in the world, I'd argue — is threatened by two things. First, <b>ABV creep</b>, the same thing that got us here in the first place: a slow, persistent rise in the alcohol content of craft beers, leading to our call to offer some session beers as a real choice for beer drinkers faced with an increasingly 7+% tap array. We saw success there, but inevitably, ABV creep set in.<br />
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"Session beer" has become a trend and a <b>desirable label</b>, which makes it subject to <b>overuse</b>, much like "IPA." It is successfully being applied — as a marketing tool — to increasingly strong beers <i>that are still under 6% </i>but range<i> </i>as high as 5.5%, sometimes even more. Brewers may simply call these beers "session!" and move on, they may justify it with the lame (and somewhat worrisome) "that's 'session strength' for us!", but the fact is...yes, that seemingly small gap between 4.5% and 5.5% is significant. For one thing, well, <i><a href="http://draftmag.com/science-session-abv-processing/">this</a>,</i> Joe Stange's exposition on how drinking 5% beer will get you drunk significantly quicker than 4% beer. For another, 4.5% is supposed to be an upper limit, a <i>ceiling</i>, not a <b>target!</b> If brewers had some serious session skills, they could make deliciously drinkable beers at 4% and lower, not pussyfoot around at 4.8% and say, "Well, that's <i>almost</i> 4.5%, and it's really hoppy, so what's the difference?"<br />
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And that's the second thing: <i>really hoppy</i>. Like the rest of the non-mainstream beer category, session beer has been plowed under by the hop lovers: <b>"session IPA"</b> is an inexorable binding of two of the hottest brands that has <b>crushed the possibilities for variety</b> in this budding category, where the promise for variety was so sweet. American brewers have played it safe, gone with <b>baby IPA</b> as a sure thing, sticking with hops as the only tool in the box when it comes to customer enticement and ignoring the fact that the session beers of <b>the rest of the world</b> rely on <i>all </i>the ingredients of beer to make great lower-alcohol everyday drinking beers. It's a <b>farce</b>, nothing less, that American "craft brewing" continues to trumpet the self-congratulatory message of their vaunted <i>innovation</i> when their <b>best idea </b>for making a good, enjoyable lower alcohol beer was simply to make a <b>lower alcohol version</b> of the category best-seller, followed by a Cascading rush as everyone else then raced to imitate it. In case you didn't get it, let me note: that's about as innovative as the big brewers who made a lower calorie, <i>lower ABV</i> clone of their light lagers, called this even-lighter lager "light beer," and then raced to imitate each other. <b>Is that what you've become?</b><br />
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<b>Before "session beer" becomes a 5% IPA, I'm going to propose a challenge to the brewers who <i>are</i> innovative, who have the will and the skill to make something different and delicious for Session Beer Day 2016. This year:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Show Us Your Session Smarts!</span></b></div>
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If you're a brewer interested in participating, it's simple. <b>The "session IPA" has taken over the American session beer category</b>, when it was supposed to be a <i>meta-category</i>, a category that would include many different types of beer at 4.5% <i>and less</i>. Session beer awareness is supposed to be about <i>increasing</i> choices for the beer drinker...and we largely got <b>one extra choice</b> out of it.<br />
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<i>Snap out of it!</i> Take this opportunity to show off your skills and make a session-strength beer, 4.5% or <i>less</i> (you can do it; you can go <i>lower!</i>), that doesn't rely on <b>shouting hops </b>for all its character. We get it, brewers know how to make a <b>light, wildly hoppy beer</b>: EVERY brewer's doing it.<br />
<br />
<b>Be different!</b> On <b>April 7th</b>, show us some <i>real innovation</i>, or some real skills to make a beautiful example of a <b>classic </b>session-strength beer that stands apart from the herd of 'monkey-see, monkey-do' dialed-down IPAs. Work with specialty malts or non-barley grains, a different yeast, light souring, smoke, herbs or spices, wood-aging, or sure, a light hand with the right hops, a <i>pale ale</i>, there's a thought. Make it tasty but not crushing, make it something "more-ish," as Michael Jackson used to say. <b>Show the world you're not a monkey</b>, thumb your nose at the "me too me too" crowd, and who knows...<b>maybe find your next big seller.</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QCw7msM6NZM/Vqg7cahAjOI/AAAAAAAAQwM/JhwLBfXa7Ng/s1600/Lotsa%2BBeers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QCw7msM6NZM/Vqg7cahAjOI/AAAAAAAAQwM/JhwLBfXa7Ng/s640/Lotsa%2BBeers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots and lots and lots of great tasting beers!</td></tr>
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<b>If you accept the challenge, post a comment here, or send me an email (sessionbeerday@gmail.com), and let us know who you are, and where you'll be representing that beer on Session Beer Day, April 7. We'll help get the word out.</b><br />
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Bar owners/managers, beer stores, and yes, beer drinkers: we've got ideas for you too. The brewers need more lead time. Your suggestions for a successful Session Beer Day are coming up.<br />
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And if you feel threatened by this, or think that beer must be hoppy or else, or that only big beers have flavor, or that "session beer" is a fad that's over...your opinions are <i>always </i>welcome. Just try to keep them civil. Thanks.Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-74919790778054364592015-08-17T17:41:00.000-04:002015-08-17T17:41:00.214-04:00Session ScienceIf you still follow this blog, if you still look to see if I'm doing anything, well...I haven't been, for a variety of reasons. But <a href="http://draftmag.com/science-session-abv-processing/">this article</a> in DRAFTMag by Joe Stange is too important to ignore. It's science, baby, and what it does is show that it's MORE than just the extra alcohol you take in when you're drinking stronger beers, it's the gap between your body's processing that alcohol and you taking on more when you have the next beer.<br />
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Here's how Joe explains it.<br />
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A 12-ounce beer of 4% strength contains about 1.4 alcohol units. Let’s say you’re drinking only one beer per hour—you’re probably not, but for simplicity, let’s say you are. In that case, your body <b>processes</b> 1.0 units and leaves 0.4 to begin laying down that gentle buzz. Have another beer the next hour, your body handles <b>another </b>unit, and the <b>excess goes to 0.8,</b> and it accumulates from there. The next hour, you’re at 1.2 units excess. It’s a neat (if <b>oversimplified</b>) way to measure intoxication.<br />Now, a 12-ounce beer of <b>5% strength</b> has about 1.8 units. <b>That leaves 0.8</b> after your hour of your body doing what it does. After another beer and another hour, you’re at 1.6. The next hour, you’re at 2.4—that’s <b>double the excess alcohol,</b> and it only continues to accumulate.<br />Obviously the difference is further exaggerated if we were to compare proper session beers lower than 4%—as they should be—and beers stronger than 5%—like most of today’s novelties.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://draftmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Scan08172015-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://draftmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Scan08172015-2.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chart by Joe Stange, clipped from DRAFT's site. <br />
DRAFT editor: if you want it pulled, <a href="mailto:lew.bryson@gmail.com">just ask</a>. </td></tr>
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Do I agree with Joe about the 4.0% thing? If you're wondering about that, you're missing the point. The point is...the difference in alcohol is <i>real</i>, and the effects are real. It's not trifling. And 4.8% beers aren't saving you much.<br />
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What we want, <i>what we need</i>, are beers that taste good at even lower ABV. Make 'em, brewers, and we'll drink 'em. Consider it a challenge.<br />
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Great piece, Joe. Nice work, DRAFTMag.Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-11048123934977345002015-03-14T10:11:00.002-04:002015-03-14T10:37:21.857-04:00May is Mild Month...in America, too!<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gjrlVHuRvys/VQRHW_cDuxI/AAAAAAAAMms/JYl2q9PanlA/s1600/American%2BMild%2BMonth.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gjrlVHuRvys/VQRHW_cDuxI/AAAAAAAAMms/JYl2q9PanlA/s1600/American%2BMild%2BMonth.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
May has been <b>Mild Month</b> in the UK for years now, thanks to enthusiastic support from CAMRA, the vaunted consumer group <b>Campaign for Real Ale.</b> This beautiful session-type ale is celebrated in May, brewers make special milds, regular milds, and of course, cask milds, and folks drink them up.<br />
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Now beer blogger <a href="http://www.fuggled.net/">Alistair Reese</a> has created <b>American Mild Month</b>, and asked if I would help spread the word. Let's see...<b>unsung delicious beer style</b>; tasty and 'more-ish' at low alcohol levels; <b>classic session beer</b>; and the month after Session Beer Day? <b>Of course!</b><br />
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Here's the scoop, direct from the new <a href="http://www.mildmonth.com/">website</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The project is called <b>American Mild Month</b> because we want to <b>encourage </b>brewers and drinkers in the US to <b>brew and drink mild ale</b>, but it could also be read as a project to create a new beer style, the 'American Mild'.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">It seems almost oxymoronic in this day of ever more extreme beers to advocate for a style as restrained as mild, but here goes anyway, what would an American Mild look like...?</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Let's start with color. The SRM numbers for English milds range from 6 to 34, which is basically the entire spectrum of beer. The majority of milds though fall in the dark category, starting at 17 SRM, which is a deep orange to amber color. An American mild then would be deep amber, with red in the mix as well, veering up to brown at the upper limit.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Alcoholic restraint </b>is a hallmark of the modern mild ale, and we believe that an American mild should follow that tradition, <b>topping out at 4.5% abv</b>. We imagine most American milds would fall between 3.5% and 4.5% abv.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Everyone knows that <b>many modern American beers are very hop centric</b> while mild ales tend to be very <b>restrained </b>when it comes to both IBUs and hop perception, remember the official description from GABF...</span></span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Hop aroma is very low...Hop flavor is very low. Hop bitterness is very low to low</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Clearly then the <b>American Mild is not a hop bomb</b>, but neither need it be a hop free zone. <b>'Low' is not the same as 'none',</b> it is all about restraint, and with the wide variety of American hops available the range of hop flavors is actually quite broad, whether its the spiciness of Cluster, the grapefruit of Amarillo, or the tropical fruit of El Dorado, there is room here for differentiation, and dry hopping is ok too. Remember though, before going crazy with the hops, <b>an American Mild is not a Session IPA</b>, or a Session Cascadian Dark Ale, it's still a mild. Traditional English milds top out at 25 IBUs, but for an American Mild we would suggest an upper limit of 30 IBUs.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">One major departure from the English mild style in a theoretical American mild is the yeast. The classic American yeast strain used by many an American craft brewery is known for being very clean, allowing the other ingredients to shine through without contributing the fruity flavors of the British yeasts.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">So there we go, a restrained, darkish ale, with gentle hopping and a clean finish so that the malt and what hops are present, shine through.</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">At the end of the day drinkability is the key feature of an American Mild.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There you have it. When do we celebrate it? <b>May</b>. How do we celebrate it? <b>Brew and drink mild ales!</b> Where do you find them? There's a list of participating Maryland, DC, and Virginia breweries at the American Mild Month website (that's where the founders are based). Also try <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beerstyles/mild-ale/55/">ratebeer</a>, BeerAdvocate (<a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/75/">dark</a> and <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/style/76/">pale</a>!), and, well, <i><b>tell your local brewer to make one, dammit!</b></i> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually, that should be repeated:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Tell your local brewer to make one!</b></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span></span></h2>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Get news on American Mild Month at their </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MildMonthUS" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Twitter feed</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> and </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMildMonth" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Facebook page</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. And if your local brewer <i>does</i> make a mild, post it there! Or here! And <b>drink Mild!</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-60715685374018745102015-03-07T10:31:00.003-05:002015-03-07T10:31:55.967-05:00SESSION BEER DAY 2015Is it on? <b>Of course it is. </b><br />
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Certain issues beyond my control have kept me from posting here, and I apologize. I blame myself for the proliferation of over-4.5% ABV beers tagged as "session beers" recently; I blame myself for the number of stories in the news that have categorized session beers as "generally considered to be 5% ABV or less." <i>Mea maxima culpa.</i> I'll pay for it, and Lent certainly seems like the right season to begin.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">What better way to start than to declare that </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Session Beer Day 2015 is on for April 7!</span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Displayed in Italy, Session Beer Day 2012</td></tr>
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<b>Of course it is. </b>Because this is <b>our victory lap</b>. After several years of being on the cusp, of thinking 'okay, <i>this</i> is the year session beer goes mainstream!', we're here. Almost every beer bar I walk into these days -- hell, here in Philly, almost any new bar I walk into -- has at least one session beer on tap. Every major brewer has a session beer in their portfolio (or comes grudgingly close; I still won't call Founders All Day IPA a session beer at 4.7%). There are session beer events regularly, there are brewers who make <i>only</i> session beers, session beer has been recognized as one of the major trends in craft brewing.<br />
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<b>We can do Session Beer Day right this year.</b> If you're a bar manager: <i>please</i> consider putting at least three beers on tap that are 4.5% or <i>under</i>. If you really want to support things, don't make them all "session IPA" choices; the Session Beer Project has <i>always</i> been about expanding choices. <i>Lead</i>, don't follow. Find something different, and reward it. If you have equipment for cask ale, by all means put the session beers on if possible; that's where they shine.<br />
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There are so many choices now! Try Smuttynose's new <b>Hayseed</b> (at <i>3.8%!</i>), or the usual SBP favorite: anything from <b>Notch Brewing, </b>where Chris just keeps cranking out the great lower-alcohol beauties. Here in Philly we've got an embarrassment of choices: the consistently popular Yards <b>Brawler, </b>PBC's citywide <b>Kenzinger</b>, Sly Fox's traditional <b>Chester County Bitter</b>, Victory's nitro-fueled <b>Donnybrook Stout</b>, and not a session IPA in the bunch! Boston Beer has added <b>Rebel Rider</b> to their regular portfolio (and I just picked up a sixer yesterday), Green Flash -- <i style="font-weight: bold;">Green Flash!</i> -- has a series of <b>Hop Odyssey</b> session IPAs, Deschutes has their <b>River Ale</b>, New Belgium is on board with <b>Slow Ride</b>...and there are <i>hundreds</i> of others.<br />
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<b>But insist on 4.5% or <i>less</i>. </b> If it ain't significantly less, it ain't significant. We've watched "IPA" become an increasingly meaningless marketing term; even "craft beer" is being hollowed out by arguments over what is and what isn't. I welcome the discussion of whether session beer should be under <b>4.0%</b>, but I dismiss the idea that it is under 5.0%. There's just <b>not enough difference to be different </b>there. If you want more on why, I've written plenty: <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/search/label/defining%20session%20beer">have a look</a>.<br />
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So let's do this. Brewers, get your little beers ready; bars, get your little beers on; and the rest of us? Start asking if YOUR local is doing anything for Session Beer Day, start planning what you're going to do, get creative! If you've got good stuff, let me know! Tweet it up: #sessionbeerday<br />
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Get ready for OUR DAY. <b>Session Beer Day. April 7. Dream Big for Small Beer!</b>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-77074681741926298872014-07-16T18:00:00.000-04:002014-07-16T18:26:28.752-04:00What's Your Problem? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jason and Todd Alstrom put an editorial in the latest issue of <i>Beeradvocate</i> magazine titled "<b>The Problem with Session Beers in the US</b>." They've had a passive-aggressive stance toward session beers from the early days, and this piece fits neatly into that. Because they have such a large bully-pulpit with the magazine, I felt I should at least respond. Because I only see ONE problem the way that they do; the rest of their problems are manufactured, questionable, or just plain wrong.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKKGJWa-J90/Smhq9haYzlI/AAAAAAAABuM/FfVrQSDiWNw/s1600/stone+levi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lKKGJWa-J90/Smhq9haYzlI/AAAAAAAABuM/FfVrQSDiWNw/s1600/stone+levi.jpg" height="200" width="183" /></a><b>Pricing</b>. This is a horse they've beaten <b>well past expiration</b>: if session beers are lower alcohol, they should be less expensive. Other people say it too. But we've <b>had that <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-discussion-at-nerax.html">discussion</a>, </b>and the truth is, lower alcohol beers don't really cost <b>that much less</b> to make or sell. Materials -- hops, malt, spices -- are only part of a beer's cost; there's energy, labor, transport, <i>taxes</i>, promotion, facility costs, debt service... If a pint of 4.5% pilsner is a <b>good pint</b>, a good-tasting beer, why should it be <b>cheaper</b> than a 6.5% IPA? Because it cost a <i>nickel</i> less to make? Or because it has <i>less alcohol? </i>I thought craft beer was <b>all about flavor</b>. If it's about the alcohol, well...<b>why are you drinking it, again? </b>Maybe you ought to think about that. In any case, I'd certainly encourage any brewpub operator or bar manager to think about dropping pints a buck just to encourage the multiple sales sessions are about, but it's not about session being a somehow "lesser" beer. We don't buy that, no matter what the price. <br />
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<b>USA!</b> Americans don't understand what session beer is, they say; we're not the UK (this ignores the session beers in Belgium and the Czech Republic, of course, but we'll let that go). Our drinking culture is <i>different</i>. Well...the biggest selling beer in America is Bud Light. <b>It's 4.2% ABV</b>. We <i>get</i> lower alcohol beer; the session beers we're supporting are lower alcohol too, only they have a lot more flavor. <b>What's so hard to understand?</b> We don't need to be told a <i>story</i>, as the Alstroms suggest. Judging from the success of beers like Founders All Day IPA, all we have to do is get a <i>choice</i>. And boys? <b>Seven bucks</b> for a "faux-pint" of ANY "beer that might be good" is more about the problem with <i>craft</i> beer, not session beer.<br />
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<b>A Session What?</b> There's <b>no definition</b> of a session beer, they say. Well, we're <b>working </b>on it. I think that the <a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/653/">BeerAdvocate 5% definition</a> isn't definitive <i>enough</i>; I like 4.5% better, and 4.0% is good too. But look at how long it took to <b>define</b> <b>"craft beer."</b> Oops...the Brewers Association is apparently still working on that one. Doesn't seem to be hurting sales, though. Yeah. Another <b>non-problem</b>. <br />
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<b>Boring!</b> I'll quote them here, because I agree with a <b>little </b>bit of this...but not much. "There's a serious <b>lack of creativity</b> when it comes to session beers. It's either an <b>attempt at an old beer style</b>, or a weak, <b>watery failure</b>. Even worse, some <b>fool (or genius)</b> created the 'Session IPA,' and it's taking over the session beer category thanks to bandwagoning brewers releasing hop water into the market in order to capture twice the hype."<br />
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This really is a <b>'Wow, where to begin'</b> moment. "An attempt at an old beer style?" What, like <b>much of "craft brewing?"</b> Pale ale, porter, Pilsner, imperial stout, milk stout, Baltic porter, and yes, even IPA: all attempts at 'old beer styles.' What's so bad about that? We're adding mild, bitter, grisette, and Berliner Weisse to the list, <b>oh horrors!</b> If there are weak, watery failures, well, honey, there are overhopped, <b>unbalanced monsters</b> out there too (and they'll cost you a lot more, despite your <b>fear </b>of overpriced session beer). <br />
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Then there's the one spot where I <b>agree </b>with them: "Session IPA." It is taking over session beer, and it's about making money, and it's about a <b>lack of real creativity</b> and the worst kind of monkey-see monkey-do brewing. But...in a time where we have IPA, DIPA, TIPA, Black IPA, Red IPA, White IPA, Wheat IPA, Rye IPA, Blue and Green IPAs, and perhaps IPAs <a href="http://worldofbeer.wordpress.com/2014/06/25/every-beer-is-now-an-ipa/">as yet undreamt of</a> just waiting to be born...why <b>single out </b>Session IPA? Again, <i>this is a failure of craft beer</i>, not session beer. If the Alstroms really want to be <b>muckrakers</b>, and call for a better brighter world of beer, they need to step up and tackle the <b>real </b>problems.<br />
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<b>Snobs.</b> And this is the one that baffles me. "...we find that many proponents of session beer are <b>snobs</b>." Really? Where on earth do you find that? The people I know who are proponents of session beer are mostly just trying to get a couple taps, a few more choices. Complain about people who don't get session beer? Well, <b>yeah, </b>if those are the people who are keeping session beers off the taps! That's not snobbery, that's the same kind of <b>frustration</b> we felt back in the late 1980s when no one wanted to sell craft beer. Just put some on, we'll drink it! Sure enough...Founders makes a lower alcohol beer; it's now their flagship. Odell makes a session seasonal; sells so much they take it year-round. Brewers are finding that if they make a good session beer, it's going to sell well. Of course it is: it's a <i>good beer</i>.<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QfQMZf_BsI/Umax73Mi6NI/AAAAAAAAFk8/N3anCRfupHk/s1600/north-coast-brew-xxv-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6QfQMZf_BsI/Umax73Mi6NI/AAAAAAAAFk8/N3anCRfupHk/s1600/north-coast-brew-xxv-300x300.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
They conclude by saying that these problems have to change for session beers to be truly accepted in the US. Well...okay. I mean, it's not like it's happening already, without the Alstroms' permission or anything. Heh. Ha. Ha ha. <b>Ha ha ha ha! </b><br />
<br />
Sorry. In the meantime, tell me: what's it going to take for <b>sour beers to be "truly accepted"</b> in the US? Because while I love 'em, I think there's a much longer list of why they ain't going mainstream anytime soon. Gonna write that editorial <b>next issue</b>, guys? Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-53432919932483834302014-04-07T18:01:00.001-04:002014-04-07T18:01:21.903-04:00CHEERS to Odell!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFI8tP9x8_w/UYlauAaCgWI/AAAAAAAAFLM/AuLc98fHay8/s1600/Loose+Leaf+Label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFI8tP9x8_w/UYlauAaCgWI/AAAAAAAAFLM/AuLc98fHay8/s1600/Loose+Leaf+Label.jpg" height="225" width="320" /></a></div>
Just a brief note to say CHEERS to Odell for 1) <b>Not</b> calling <b>Loose Leaf</b> a "session IPA; 2)for acknowledging the love and going year-round with it (YAY!); and 3) <i>doing so on Session Beer Day!</i><br />
<br />
<b>Thanks, Odell Brewing!</b> That gets it. As one person said today, "Whatever. If it says "Odell" on it, <b>I'm drinking it.</b>" <br />
<br />
Congratulations!Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-70388141664406874292014-04-07T17:56:00.002-04:002014-04-07T17:57:37.089-04:00Why I called Sierra Nevada "wieners" about their Nooner Session IPA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kM9OH8ow8kM/U0MS5Fd5C3I/AAAAAAAAH6c/TP3Ez_xTenw/s1600/Nooner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kM9OH8ow8kM/U0MS5Fd5C3I/AAAAAAAAH6c/TP3Ez_xTenw/s1600/Nooner.jpg" height="400" width="223" /></a></div>
<h2>
Heh, heh. It says Nooner. 4.8%? Really? Come on, SN! Can't get it down to 4.5? Wieners...</h2>
That's what I put up on Untappd* two days ago as my "review" of Sierra Nevada's new "session IPA," <b>Nooner</b>. If I felt really bad about it, or that I was out of line, I'd apologize. This is <b>Sierra Nevada</b>, after all; a brewery and a founder, Ken Grossman, which I honestly <b>revere</b>(and still do), one of a small pantheon of people and companies who can honestly be said to have started or substantially advanced what we generally call craft brewing.<br />
<br />
<b>And on Saturday, I called them "wieners."</b><br />
<br />
<b>I don't intend to apologize</b>, because I think I'm right. But I do intend to <b>explain</b>, beyond saying, 'well, you know, I was pretty well into the day at that point, pints of draft, some whiskey, and maybe I was a little <b>jovial</b>.' Which I was, but I stand with <b>Papa Hemingway</b> on this: 'Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.' Or not. Yeah, I had been drinking, but I'm sticking by what I said, and here's why.<br />
<br />
<b>"Session IPA" is becoming a selling point</b>, but it's an ill-defined "style" (and yes, that word bugs me some days, but let's work with it for now) at best. Look at the <b>Smuttynose Bouncy House</b> I just posted about earlier today: 4.3%, and they sidestepped the "session IPA" label. Their beer is a hoppy pale ale, but that's not why they didn't call it a session IPA. They did it <i>because they thought it might be a played-out trend in a couple years.</i><br />
<br />
I agree, and that's why, as I said in an <a href="http://craftbeercellar.com/blog/2014/04/april-7th-is-session-beer-day-a-conversation-with-lew-bryson/">interview</a> with the good people at Craft Beer Cellar, the <b>4.5% bright line </b>is important:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...not so much because of the alcohol. It’s because of the
worth of the label. If “session beer” just means <b>“as little as 0.1% ABV
less than ‘regular beer’”</b>, it starts to lose meaning. Session beer has
to be <b>significantly </b>less than a regular beer in alcohol content. 4.5% is
<b>10% less alcohol</b> than 5.0%; that’s significant. I want it to <i>mean
</i>something, and to <b>continue </b>to mean something, so I’m going to be picky.<br />
We weren’t picky about what <b>“craft beer”</b> meant — Is it about who <b>makes
</b>it? What it’s made <b>of</b>? What it <b>tastes </b>like? — or <b>what an IPA is</b> (it’s
apparently anything someone chooses to <b>call </b>an IPA), and <b>those terms are
losing value</b>. I don’t want that to happen to session beer, so I’m using
every bit of influence I’ve earned over 20 years of writing about beer
to try to <b>fence it off</b>. Making 4.5% a bright line and calling any brewer
— like Sierra Nevada, even — to task who calls their beer “session”
when it’s more than that, is part of the job. <b>I’ll take flak</b>. There will
be backlash. Okay. <b>It’s worth it</b>. This was thankless in the beginning; I
can handle it. </blockquote>
<br />
Maybe I wouldn't have called Sierra Nevada "wieners" if I hadn't been drinking, but...hey, <i>they called it 'Nooner' first!</i> So I'm not completely off there. <br />
<br />
I'm actually getting more concerned about the lame groupthink and sheep mentality represented by "session IPA," especially since it's Sierra Nevada. I really expected something better from a brewer that has produced an iconic, leading Pale Ale, Barleywine, American Stout. I expected a brilliant Bitter, a fearless Mild. But we got a following beer from a brewer that's a leader. I expect better.<br />
<br />
I expect better from the whole industry. I should be happy on Session Beer Day, and to some extent, I am! It's great, we're seeing a LOT more session strength beers from notable brewers, and more and more of them at brewpubs. But...an unending parade of "session IPA"? <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>GOD DAMN IT, AMERICAN BREWERS! You're BETTER than this!</b> And I'm not just talking about session. American craft brewing has become a pathetic nation of followers. Look, a sour sold, let's make one! Look, session IPA sold, let's make one! Look, limited edition beers sold, let's make one! I weep for you. Truly. Show some balls, at least come up with your own name, like "fractional IPA."<br />
<br />
<br />
I think it's significant that the brewer who's become something of the standard-bearer for the Session Beer Project, Chris Lohring at Notch, said this about his own session-strength IPA, Left of the Dial:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So, after all that, how does it taste? Like an IPA, but without any
cloying sweetness and booze that fatigues and gets in the way of
multiple pints and extended good times. Call it a Session IPA if you
want, but to me it’s simply the IPA I’d like to drink, and I think Notch
fans would like to drink.</blockquote>
Which makes me think of his Notch Pils; it's not a good session pilsner, it's a <i>good pilsner</i>. So if your beer is a good IPA, call it an IPA. If it's a pale ale...say so. And if it's a bitter, well, God bless you.<br />
<br />
Here's hoping for a better selection next year. Now get out there: still plenty of time to get some rounds in. That's where I'm headed. Cheers! Drink small, drink often!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*And thanks <b>so much</b> for not dropping a Session Beer Day badge on us this year, <b>Untappd</b>. I know, I know, we don't have the money to pay you, and those badges cost you...no, wait, they don't cost anything, they're virtual. What the hell, Untappd? </span></span></i>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-30351884012701600462014-04-07T16:04:00.000-04:002014-04-07T16:04:22.247-04:00Smuttynose Bouncy House interview<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i>Smuttynose is coming out with a new 4.3% session beer called </i>Bouncy House<i>; it fits into the "session IPA" slot, but they're calling it an "All Occasion American Ale." I talked to Smuttynose brewer David Yarrington about it. </i></div>
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<i><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6A0TH6R5HOM/Uz7hCkJ6LwI/AAAAAAAAH5E/mNpJWkHf-qg/s1600/Bouncy+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6A0TH6R5HOM/Uz7hCkJ6LwI/AAAAAAAAH5E/mNpJWkHf-qg/s1600/Bouncy+House.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></i></div>
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<i>Fun name, Bouncy House. And I see you call it </i>Bouncy House IPA<i>, but the term "session IPA" is nowhere on the packaging.</i> </div>
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It was named by Peter [Egleston]. We went back and forth about that. The decision was to just call
it "All Occasion American Ale." In our marketing, we’ll tell people it’s a
session IPA, but we wanted to design a beer that wasn’t just a <b>fad</b>, a beer a year
from now, people will say, 'Oh, session IPA.' Even using IPA on the label was a
back and forth. But anything we can do to stop confusion is good. People
like fanciful names! Look at some of the beers people are talking about, they
have an interesting name. </div>
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<i>It’s a session IPA; the term people recognize, being a new
style, how do you define it, and has it been defined? Isn’t it just an
American pale ale? </i> </div>
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We wanted to differentiate from that. There’s a fine line
because it’s so low in alcohol and has such a thin body, it can become too
bitter. We’re trying to push that line so it’s <b>more </b>than a pale ale. It’s
hop-forward. A big part is the low ABV, it’s sessionable. [Oh that word!]<i> </i>When we did pilots,
it came down about half a degree Plato in each batch. We wanted to get it in the
4.2-4.3% ABV range, but still have enough mouthfeel.</div>
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<i>The last sample you sent me was at 4.6%, and I chided you about it; that's when I was told you were aiming below 4.5%, and this was a work in progress, looking at malt. What did you wind up with on mashbill? </i> </div>
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The mashbill is our silo malt, an English pale, then Aromatic, Crystal
60, and Cara Hell. We wanted to add — the specialty malts are over 10% — more
mouthfeel, didn’t want it to be thin, and a little color. We weren’t doing a
hi-gravity beer; it starts at 10 P, so we wanted some complexity. Bittering is
Magnum, we do a lot of Magnum. Flavoring is Calypso, aroma is a mix of Calypso
and Saphir. We don’t know how much it’s going to sell, but we had to contract
last year…and it appears that I cornered the market on Calypso! They asked me
to release some of that back into the wild… Hey, look at me, I’m one of <i>those guys</i> who bought
all the hops! But one of the effects of being as big as we are is that when I think about a new beer, [I have to consider]; if it catches on, am I using a
hop that I can get enough of? Everyone wants Citra; what if it takes off? That’s
why we like to blend dry hops, we could adjust it a bit if we had to. All those
practical things the beer-drinking public doesn’t think about. </div>
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<i>Would you have made a beer like this five years ago?</i> </div>
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Interesting question. For me, there
was always a desire… at some point in the evening, I’d take a High Life.
Charlie Papazian has been vocalizing for session for a long time. But five years ago,
could I sell it? People weren’t buying. I thank Charlie for advocating these
beers. It would have been hard to sell this five years ago; people were talking
about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">proof</i> of beers at the time! People were
eating it up. If I were running a brewpub, that would be different, 7 barrels
would sell out. But Smuttynose is at a different scale. </div>
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One of the things I find fascinating is that we’re all aging
at the same rate. We all came in when we were younger and could consume a lot.
But the vanguard of the industry is aging. I’m in my mid-40s, and I’m not the
guy out there drinking 10 pints. <b>It’s nice to have a choice to have a session,</b>
have a few beers, chat with people, and still get up and go to work in the
morning. It dovetails in with <b>a movement I’m starting to see to German beers</b>. I
think you’re going to see more of the lighter helles and kölsches; difficult to brew,
but they have a delicacy and complexity. I think that’s going to mesh well with the
session beer idea. </div>
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Making an imperial stout is easier than making these beers.
We’ve all matured past saying that more alcohol
and more flavor means more craft. I love dialing in a smaller beer, they show
their imperfections. I don’t remember seeing beer snobs in the 1990s, but now,
some of these places and people...wow. What I liked was that for five or six dollars
you could have the best beers in the world. I like wine, but I’d never be able
to afford to be a wine snob! I thought that was part of the appeal. But now
this seems to be part of the beer snob. </div>
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<i>We're told we don't have a beer culture here in America. Could craft session beers change that? </i> </div>
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For years, anyone who came back from England said; wow great
time, drink those beers, and have a great time drinking in the pubs. I went,
and I totally get what they’re talking about. They’re easy, anyone could sit
there all evening. It’s so well-suited for having conversation and a few beers.
I hope that’s what we’re moving to. It’s interesting to see other beer cultures
and how they go about it. America still has some of that bingeing, some of that
Prohibition feeling of ‘this isn’t right, so I better get it done.’ You don’t
want people to see you drinking, and that’s a shame. I spent some time in
Japan, and one of the things I love is that it’s always shared. You buy a large
format bottle for the table, and you don’t pour your own beer; you top off
other people’s. It’s a group experience. </div>
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<i>Thanks, David. <b>Happy Session Beer Day!</b></i> </div>
Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-36937078953497012862014-02-28T12:42:00.000-05:002014-02-28T12:42:11.153-05:00Stone's new Go To IPA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pHX2-2MWKqU/UxDKSQ0c7vI/AAAAAAAAHLg/9tbo3kk6Lr0/s1600/GoToIPA_6pack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pHX2-2MWKqU/UxDKSQ0c7vI/AAAAAAAAHLg/9tbo3kk6Lr0/s1600/GoToIPA_6pack.png" height="320" width="293" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.newschoolbeer.com/2014/02/stone-brewing-go-to-ipa-available-next.html">Quick link</a> to <b>The New School</b>'s post about <b>Stone's new "Go To IPA</b>," so I can say a huge<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THANK YOU!</b></span><br />
<br />
to <b>Stone Brewing</b> for making this 4.5%: not 4.9%, not 4.7%, not 4.6%...but 4.5%. Stone says the beer is "hop-bursted," which they explain this way:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
This beer employs the use of the “hop bursting”
technique, which in essence is a hopping technique where all or most of
the bitterness in the beer comes from late hop additions in the
brewhouse, like at the end of boil and in the whirlpool,
instead of the more traditional approach where most of the hop
bitterness comes from earlier additions at the start of the kettle boil.
The result is a beautifully aromatic beer with substantial, but
somewhat mellow, bitterness. The hop bursting also enhances
the flavor retention of the hops, and combined with the dry-hop,
creates a very intense and complex hop flavor.</div>
</blockquote>
Whatever: I'm very curious to try it. <br />
<br />
And of course, all brewers are encouraged to <b>show us what they're made of</b> and go <i>lower</i>...if they have the balls. Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-73696019465563603882014-02-13T22:09:00.000-05:002014-02-13T22:09:00.202-05:00Betting on "session IPA"<a href="http://www.plzdontletbuddie.com/session-ipas-gonna-rock.html">Here's a post</a> from a big beer marketing guy who thinks session IPA is going to be a big winner. Check it out; he makes some great points, and the ad campaigns he mentions were some of the most memorable and most effective ones of the era. This whole thing could have huge legs...and maybe lead to something other than session-strength <b>IPAs...</b>Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-36990475308762736782013-10-22T20:00:00.000-04:002013-10-22T20:00:04.188-04:00North Coast XXV Anniversary beer...is a 4% session beerSorry for the long silence; I was finishing a book, starting a new job, and getting through two massive events (WhiskyFest San Francisco and New York). I've been tweeting about the session beers I've had (@lewbryson), but haven't been able to post for a while. But this news brought me out of the hole:<br />
<br />
<b>North Coast Brewing</b>, noted for big beers like Rasputin, Pranqster, and Stock Ale, has decided to celebrate their landmark 25th anniversary with a <b>session beer!</b> Here's the release, from <a href="http://www.brewbound.com/news/2013/north-coast-brewing-co-introduces-twenty-fifth-anniversary-session-ale">BrewBound</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QfQMZf_BsI/Umax73Mi6NI/AAAAAAAAFk4/zJ-bqCIbAMM/s1600/north-coast-brew-xxv-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QfQMZf_BsI/Umax73Mi6NI/AAAAAAAAFk4/zJ-bqCIbAMM/s1600/north-coast-brew-xxv-300x300.jpg" /></a><strong>Fort Bragg, CA</strong> – In anticipation of long nights of
celebration with the many friends we’ve made over the last 25 years, the
brewers of North Coast have created a Belgian inspired <b>session beer
</b>designed to promote a festive mood while <b>minimizing the consequences of
overindulgence.</b>
<br />
Brewed with pale malts and fermented with the same yeast strain used
to make Le Merle, our Twenty-fifth Anniversary Ale is sharp and spritzy
with a delicious flowery, spicy dry-hop aroma. This limited offering <b>(4% ABV) </b>is available on tap at fine
restaurants and drinking establishments. 750 ml bottles will be
available at the Brewery Taproom and the Brewery Shop in Fort Bragg,
California.</blockquote>
<br />Add this to session beers being noted as <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/experience/food-and-wine/news-festivals-events/beer/2013/10/15/great-american-beer-festival-brewing-trends/2987029/">one of three trends</a> at the Great American Beer Festival this year,and the fact that I'm out tonight at a <b>Pilsner Urquell</b> event that celebrates and declares its session-strength nature (and drinkability), and you get more and more evidence of the acceptance of the session beer idea.<br />
<br />
Once again: brewers, drinkers, marketers, <i>please</i> keep the meaning in "session beer" by using it only for beers at 4.5% and under. We got something going here, and it would be too bad to see it ruined by the same leveling as has hit "IPA," which these days apparently means nothing more than "with hops."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-32956593163965538972013-08-21T09:35:00.001-04:002013-08-21T09:35:37.849-04:00Meanwhile, over in BudMillerCoorsville...You know how I know <b>session beer</b> is the <b>smart new trend</b> for craft brewers?<br />
<br />
<b>Because the big brewers are making higher ABV beers.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Check out <a href="http://adage.com/article/news/millercoors-anheuser-busch-inbev-bet-boozier-brews/243717/">this story</a> in Ad Age.</b> ABInBev and Miller Coors are <b>betting big on boozier beers.</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That appears to be part of the playbook for <a href="http://adage.com/directory/sabmiller-%28millercoors%29/275" title="See recent content about MillerCoors">MillerCoors</a> and <a href="http://adage.com/directory/anheuserbusch-inbev/203" title="See recent content about Anheuser-Busch InBev">Anheuser-Busch InBev</a>,
which have turned to <b>pricier, higher-alcohol line extensions</b> to
recapture share from <b>growing liquor brands</b>. The latest entry: <b>Miller
Fortune</b>, which will debut next year at <b>6.9% alcohol by volume</b> with a
marketing strategy aimed at luring millennial males during <b>nighttime
drinking occasions</b>.<br />
<br />
The brew, in the works for months, follows A-B InBev's recent
launches of <b>Bud Light Platinum and Budweiser Black Crown</b>, which both
check in at <b>6% ABV</b>, compared with 4.2% for most light beers. The goal
for brewers is to reach variety-seeking drinkers whose <b>habits lead them
to the liquor shelf</b> and away from beers their fathers drank. </blockquote>
<i>(Can anyone tell me what the latest sales curves are like on Platinum? Thought I heard they sucked. Oh, <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-01/not-even-justin-timberlake-can-save-bud-light-platinum">here</a> it is: "Not Even Justin Timberlake Can Save Bud Light Platinum") </i><br />
<br />
Guys, guys, guys...People don't want beer with more alcohol. They want beer with more <i>flavor</i>. And Bud Light Platinum doesn't have <b>beer flavor</b>, it has <i>added</i> flavor, <i>artificial</i> flavor. Session beers have real flavor, and that's what people want. Good luck with the big beers; you're only about <b>eight years </b>behind the curve. Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-27646560101422831342013-08-21T09:22:00.000-04:002013-08-21T10:57:01.828-04:00And the Beat Goes On...Heard from a <b>regular SBP reader</b> recently (and not just <i>any </i>reader: <b>Steven Herberger</b>, the guy who <b>designed our logo!</b>) about something he heard at an industry celebration. I'll let him tell it.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bkomYALgVSU/UhS8vlJr0vI/AAAAAAAAFYU/H1xSadGF7v4/s1600/Russ+Klisch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bkomYALgVSU/UhS8vlJr0vI/AAAAAAAAFYU/H1xSadGF7v4/s1600/Russ+Klisch.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Russ Klisch is a bit excited about this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Was at a <b>25th Anniversary</b> tasting for the Milwaukee micro
<a href="http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/"> <b>Lakefront</b></a> recently, and a question was asked of <b>founder/owner <a href="http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/about">Russ Klisch</a></b>: What do you see as the <b>next big thing in craft brewing?<br />
</b>"I think more <b>sessionable, lower alcohol, but highly flavorful
beers </b>are what you'll see next. We're planning a highly hopped beer
with a <b>low ABV</b>." (Not verbatim, but the gist of his answer.)<br />
<br />
To which I replied, <b>"That's great to hear."</b></blockquote>
<br />
Yeah, I know: he said "sessionable," and that's <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2012/03/sessionable-not-here.html"><i>verbo non grata</i> around here</a>, but it's the gist of what he said -- as Steven put it -- that's important! That's <i>another</i> solid craft brewing figure who's of the opinion that <b>session beer is the hot trend. </b>Of course, Lakefront's summer seasonal, <b>Wisconsite</b>, is already at 4.4%, so he's putting his malt where his mouth is. <br />
<br />
And let me just tell you...there's a <b>LOT more people</b> going to drink (and <b>buy</b>, brewers...<i>buy</i>) session beers than there are ever going to be drinking <b>sour beers</b>, the beer that most alpha beer geeks would note as the hot trend. Sours have their place, and they're <b>trending</b>, and I love 'em (especially now as the weather's heating up again), but it's a <b>niche</b>. Session beer could <b>blow things wide open</b>.Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-2114264518425411972013-08-10T10:29:00.002-04:002013-08-10T10:29:40.416-04:00Return of the Mighty Mites Session Festival!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D54Lwbtb6IQ/UgZLBbFPueI/AAAAAAAAFXQ/c5hcLAMeaaY/s1600/mightymites+2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D54Lwbtb6IQ/UgZLBbFPueI/AAAAAAAAFXQ/c5hcLAMeaaY/s400/mightymites+2013.png" width="255" /></a></div>
The West Coast is <i>most definitely</i> getting session beer, despite what you might think, given their predilection for big fat IPAs and DIPAs and such. Last year there was a big session fest in Portland called <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2011/08/session-beer-fest-in-portlandi-missed.html"><b>Mighty Mites</b></a>, for instance...and this year, they're doing it again.<br />
<br />
A week from tomorrow, August 18, it's the return of the Mighty Mites. You can get all the details <a href="http://www.brewbound.com/news/2013/the-mighty-mites-beer-fest-returns"><b>here</b></a>, at BrewBound, but here's a teaser: <br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>PORTLAND, Ore. — </strong>In a world full of Double IPA’s and
Imperial Stouts <b>a hero will rise</b> to stand up for the small, lighter,
sessionable beers of <b>equal flavor and tastiness</b>.
<br />
Faster and <b>tastier</b> than a can of Silver Bullet, <b>The Mighty Mites
session beer fest </b>is back for a sequel on Sunday August 18th as part of
the Hawthorne Street Fair in front of famed bier bar Bazi Bierbrasserie.<br />
<br />
Featuring beers that fall under the “Session” style category as
defined by being <b>5% abv or below</b> <i>[I'll take what I can get...and check the ABVs below; </i><b>most </b><i>of the brewers get it.] </i>The Mighty Mites presents a selection
as <b>varied</b> as they are <b>flavorful</b> from single hopped IPA’s to tart
refreshing Berliner-Weisse’s and Lagers and even a <b>session Cider; </b>our
taplist has <b>multiple Great American Beer Fest medal winning beers</b>. These
types of beers are perfect for quaffing multiple pints without filling
yourself up or over indulging in alcohol and the Mighty Mites street
party will make for a perfect summer respite as part of the Hawthorne
Street Fair. As part of the annual fair <b>The Mighty Mites will be the
only beer garden on the street</b> and the only full street closure on 32nd
place just off Hawthorne marking the west side of where the street fair
begins.<br />
<br />
<b>Partial Beer List:</b><br /><b>Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider:</b> “Session-Style Ciderkin” <b>Under 4% ABV.</b><br />Burnside Brewing: lowercase IPA - At 4.8% ABV and 50 IBU. <br /><b>Green Flash: Citra Session IPA</b> <b>4.5% ABV, 45 IBU</b><br />Eel River: Cali Pale Aromatic dry hopping with Simcoe and Citra hops, 4.8% and 38 IBUs.<br /><b>Lompoc: Lompeizer</b> Brewed with Pilsner malt and 30% flaked rice. <b>4.5% ABV</b><br /><b>10 Barrel: Swill</b> <i>[Been hearing a LOT about this beer.]</i> Grapefruit infused Berliner-Weisse with soda added. More beer and less soda than the traditional radler makes for a great summer beer. 4.5%.<br /><b>10 Barrel: German Sparkle Party </b><i>[Straight Berliner, an increasingly popular session style]</i> <b>4%</b><br />
<b>Fort George: Devil’s Advocate </b> Made with 50 lbs of beets, 4 lbs of Blood orange puree, and just enough Citra hops to make this beer pleasantly layered; pours a deep rose color almost magenta with a bright pink head. <b>4.35%</b><br /><b>Widmer: Portlander Weisse</b> <b>3.4% ABV</b>. Peach ginger and blackberry coriander syrups available.<br />Hop Valley: 541 Lager A crisp and refreshing American lager. 4.8%<br /><b>Breakside: Session Brown</b> A rich and full bodied English-style brown ale. SILVER MEDAL, 2012 GABF, ENGLISH-STYLE MILD, <b>4.0% ABV </b> 14 IBU Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951352146709932219.post-76115985472095941272013-08-05T14:27:00.000-04:002013-08-05T14:27:03.679-04:00Annnnnd....More good Session Beer Press, this time from HoustonNice piece about session beer from <a href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2013/08/summer_session_low_alcohol_for.php"><b>Houston Press Food Blog</b></a>, all about drinking session beers in the summer heat. There's a plug for the Session Beer Project, too, and while the writer (Nicholas L. Hall) says he tends to "edge toward lenience, keeping things under 5 percent," he then interrupts his hymn of praise to Founders All Day IPA -- at 4.7%, as <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-landmarkand-issue-how-hard-line-do-we.html">noted below</a> -- to drop this in: "If they could sneak the alcohol down a half percent or so, this beer would be nothing short of miraculous." So I think he's really with us in spirit!<br />
<br />
More press, more beers...I'm starting to think that <a href="http://sessionbeerproject.blogspot.com/2009/01/its-official.html">my work here</a> is done. Lew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.com2