Stone Levitation Ale

Small is beautiful.

Less is more.

Who would have thought I'd ever be using phrases like that to describe a beer from Stone, the people best known for Arrogant Bastard (7.2%), Ruination IPA (7.7%), Old Guardian Barley Wine Style Ale (9.5-11.25%), and Double Bastard (10.5%)? Hell, who'd ever have thought I'd be reviewing a Stone beer on the SBP blog? Yet here it is: Stone Levitation Ale, at a lovely and quaffable 4.4%

And it's good. If you're looking for a real California-style pale/amber/red ale, with that pine/citrus wash of hop flavor and tingly hop nose, that you can drink all night...here it is. I cannot fault this beer; it's clean, it's tasty, it's balanced -- on the hop side, but balanced -- and it passes the quaff test. Hats off, Stone: nice job!

For Those of you Against the Conn-O-Session...

There have been a number of complaints about the Kennett Square BrewFest Connoisseur Session going all session beer this year. The easy response would be, "Bummer, dude. Open your damned mind a little." But that's not right: people are used to the idea of "extreme" beers being where the innovation is taking place in American craft brewing.

So take a look at this -- Shaun Hill, hardly a shrinking violet when it comes to extreme beer -- is returning to the U.S. (to open a new craft brewery) and returning to the Kennett Connoisseur Session...with the following: "I'll bring along some one offs - like a 2 year old Flemish Red, Fresh/Wet Hopped IPA, Smoked Sour Wheat beer (loosely based on a Lichtenhainer - a suggestion by Loren (aka Venom)) - 50% home smoked malt, fermented with Brettanomyces and conditioned with Lacto)." That last one's going to be at the Conn-O-Session, weighing in around 3.9% ABV.

Yeah. Session beers are dull, just bitters and milds. See you at Kennett!

ReSession™ Ale at Elk Creek

From my friends at Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks, a new beer that seems to embody the idea of session beer:

Still waitin’ for your bailout?

Well, we got a bucket for you. Of beer.

Introducing our own little community stimulus...

ReSession™ Ale.

A British-style Best Bitter

Nitrogen-dispensed, dry hopped w/East Kent Goldings

ReSession™ Ale, our first session beer

brewed to give something back:

High quaffability, moderate alcohol, economical price

(Imperial Pints only $3.00)

“pleasing on the palate, easy on the wallet”

Starts pouring tomorrow.

And "tomorrow" is today. So if you just happen to be up near Millheim...embrace the ReSession. Elk Creek is really a great place for a session, and one of these days...I'm doing it. (They've still got a little of the excellent -- and also session strength -- Big Trout Stout left, too!)

Session beers at Devil's Backbone

Just heard from Jason Oliver, who's opened a cool new brewpub in the mountains of Virginia, Devil's Backbone. Jason's been brewing at Gordon Biersch DC for years (and other DC-area breweries before that; he's a pro on both sides of the top/bottom-fermenting divide), and has now gone out on his capable own. And he's a big fan of drinkable session beers:

Right now I have two seasonals that fit the bill, the Ale of Fergus English Brown Ale on at 4.5% and the Ramsey's Draft Stout at 4.1%. My year round Helles, called Gold Leaf Lager is around 4.5% as well.

Sounds like a hill trip for a Session is in order.

Recessionale at Flossmoor, Golden at Fifty Fifty

Just heard from the outgoing Matt van Wyk at Flossmoor Station (he's moving on to Oakshire Brewery in Oregon, and good luck to him!):

Hi Lew-
I currently have a beer called RecessionAle. It's a 3% small beer that leans towards American Pale Ale. American mild, if you will? We serve it as the lowest priced beer, to go along with the name. It certainly is not getting the love of our 7.5% IPA (which is $1.75 more per pint) but I love drinking a whole growler at home. Delish! Oh, and our two lightest beers (Golden Ale and American Wheat) hover around 4.5%. Cheers!

And then this from Todd Ashman at Fifty Fifty in Truckee, CA:

We are currently making 'Blonde #1' which is a Golden Ale that clocks in at 4.2%. Selling well and gaining new friends all the time...

Sessionate it!