I personally love a strong beer, and when visiting one of Colorado’s many taprooms, seeing a Russian Imperial Stout, a Triple IPA, or another bold flavored choice on the menu makes me smile broadly. At the same time, ordering such a beer makes it difficult to enjoy more than one, and the local food truck food flavors start disappearing under the taste of that deliciously strong beer.
While bold beers continue to be in style, you are likely seeing a lot more options around “Session” beer.
It’s a style that encourages flavor without blowing out your tastebuds, and it’s often well-suited for food and beer pairings. So what exactly is a session beer?
To qualify as a session beer, the beer itself should be a lower APV, typically less than 4.5%, so that you could choose to have multiple in a ‘session’ (get it?) without ruining the taste of your meal or your later plans for that evening. This isn’t just a light beer category however. The emphasis is more on drinkability, and keeping a good flavor in a manner that pairs well with food – think noticeable and complimentary taste rather than overpowering or nonexistent.
Personally, I’ve been keeping New Belgium’s Slow Ride (Session IPA) in my fridge this summer. It’s refreshing and a nice IPA flavor while not feeling too strong or heavy.