Be Nice

That, roughly, is me, adorning the "new beer window" at Tired Hands Brewing in Ardmore, PA. Jean Broillet IV, the owner/brewer, inspired by...something, named his latest beer, a session IPA (Jean makes a lot of hoppy beers (really wonderfully aromatically hoppy beers), a lot of session beers, and a lot of funky beers), Be Nice. It clocks in at 4.2%, and he describes it as a reddish session IPA. When someone -- rightly -- asked if that wasn't the same thing as a pale ale, he responded that it drinks like a DIPA, and he didn't think anyone would guess that it was as low in ABV as it is.

I guess I'm going to have to make the trip out to Ardmore and try this one. Only...not today, as I'm without a car. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe Friday. I mean, I don't see any way I can not have one (or four) of these, right?! Thanks, Jean, pretty cool!

Session Beer Day 2013 is ON!

SESSION BEER DAY 2013?? 

Yes, Session Beer Day 2013 is on. We've got some interest already, and I'm going to confirm that Session Beer Day 2013 is on April 7, a Sunday. Sure, most of us have work the next day...but it's session beer, that's what this is about. So start planning: brewers, think about new ways to get good flavor below 4.5% (other than throwing in tons of hops...sheesh) and fun collaborative brews with other folks; wholesalers, talk to your suppliers about the opportunities this means for the lower ABV end of their portfolios; importers, this is a perfect time to bring in those delicious low-ABV beers your brewers are making; bar owners/managers, let's see some planning and fun events for the session beers; homebrewers, let's talk competitions (and having some fun!); and drinkers...make suggestions on what you want to see, and do, and drink!

Remember: April 7 2013 is Session Beer Day, a day to celebrate great-tasting lower ABV beers! Go 4.5% and under, go 4.0% and under, but show some love.

Dream Big For Small Beer!

Eagle & Lion: another session-loving brewpub

Caught wind of this place recently: the Eagle & Lion Brew Pub (clever name for a place in Griffin, Georgia). I'll let their website tell the story:

The Eagle & Lion Brew Pub is now open for drinks and food. The unique brewery specializes in English-style Real Ale served from the casks they were conditioned in. The brewer, Mark Broe, trained at Brewlab at the University of Sunderland and worked several years at the Grand Union Brewery in London. The opening line-up will include a mild, an ordinary bitter, a gold, a special bitter, a single-hop varietal IPA, and a stout. The 8 barrel brewery is from the Birmingham Brewery in the UK. Craft keg beers will be featured along with interesting bottled beers, as well as a full service bar. The scratch menu emphasizes pub food and changes daily.

Currently, the house beers include Tipsy Toad (3.7%), Golden Eagle (4.2%), Brass Monkey (4.2%),
Yes Face IPA (4.5%), South of Taylor Special (4.5%), and the non-session but what the hell I'll throw it in anyway East Griffin Stout (5.0%). Now there's a session beer line-up! They do have non-session guest taps, too, so you can take your big-beer insistent buddies along (and carry them out if they try keeping up with you). 

Barley John's Brew Pub -- sessioning along

Got an email recently from Brian Lonberg, head brewer at Barley John's Brew Pub in New Brighton, Minnesota. Just gonna reprint the pertinent bits; he's doing session beers, and I know you'd be interested. (They just celebrated their 12th anniversary, too: congratulations!) It's a sure bet they'll have session beer on Session Day, too. He's still using "sessionable," but I figure that could take a while for me to stamp out completely...(that's tongue-in-cheek, Brian!)

I have been following your blog for a little while now, and have a couple of session beers that would be prefect for your blog.
Our Little Barley Bitter (year-round beer!) is a pretty excellent example of a British Bitter, clocking in at 3.5%.
Our Northern English Brown Ale is also quite sessionable at 4.3%.
And at 5.2% (assuming you're still calling that sessionable) we have our newest seasonal called Vulgare's Munich Dark - a Dunkeles that is anything but your common lager. (It's not session, but I'm a big fan of Dunkel, so I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed.)

Good to know more folks are doing session regularly (and doing lagers, too!). 

Session Beer Symposium in Michigan

Just got this; more proof that session is catching on. Copper Canyon is a brewpub in Southfield, Michigan.

Copper Canyon Brewery Presents

Beerposium #25, Aug. 6, 5:00 PM

Session Beers

Session Beer is a relatively new term (earliest ref appears to be in the 1980's), however, “session” is a term that dates back to WWI. During WWI, workers were allowed to go to the pub in two different 4 hr “sessions” and at the time beer strength was mandated by law and high tariffs. So, effectively, it was a time where one could go to the pub, have several beers in a “session” and not stagger home. Here we are doing a tasting of beers under 4.5%. Remarkably, there are many beers out there that fulfill this standard and are still quite tasty. You will be surprised by the variability of beers and styles that will be represented. These are the perfect beers of summer, where you want a couple to quench your thirst, yet allow you to finish the work at hand.

Reservations will be taken as seating is limited. $20 in advance $25 day of event. You will get at least 12 different beverages.

Battlefield in Fred-burg goes session in a Scots way

Got a message from an old friend, Lyle Brown, who -- after years as a very accomplished homebrewer (won silver in the GABF Pro-Am in 2008 with a rauch; more on that shortly) -- has made the jump to commercial brewer at the new Battlefield Brewing Company at The Pub in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I will reluctantly, sadly, admit that I haven't had a chance to stop in yet (gonna happen, it's on the way to the brother-in-law's and Blue & Gray Brewing and A. Smith Bowman Distillery (home of Virginia Gentleman bourbon), where my good friend Truman Cox is about to take over as master distiller).

However! Lyle knows I like a good session beer, so he sent news: We now have Spotsylvania Scottish 70 on tap at 4.0% ABV. This beer is a malty sweet beer, with a mild balancing Styrian Goldings bitterness, yet light in body and ultimately drinkable. There's also Chancellor Pale Ale (4.6% ABV) an American style Pale Ale with Cascade, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops.

I'm not going to quibble about 0.1%, I'd dive in on that Chancellor. Besides...Lyle said he's also got a Rauch Marzen tapping in a few days, and I don't give a damn what ABV that is; if I get half a chance, I'm getting some!

The Pub is at 4187 Plank Rd, Fredericksburg, VA 22407, 540-785-2164.  

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!)