Monday, April 7, was National Session Beer Day. And as I write this (a day or more before you’re reading it), I’m enjoying a Loose Leaf session ale at Odell Brewing Company to celebrate. Loose Leaf weighs in at a paltry 4.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), but it offers a robust hop character that pairs well with sunshine, backyard barbecues, and cornhole tournaments. It’s just about the perfect session beer.
A session beer is simply an ale or lager that one can enjoy in quantity without falling victim to ethanol’s more debilitating side effects. Opinions vary as to just how alcoholic a beer can be while still remaining “sessionable” (a neologism of beer geeks if ever there were one—look for it in the Oxford English Dictionary any day now). Everyone agrees that barleywine is out of bounds, while light American adjunct lager certainly makes the cut, although if you’re drinking light American adjunct lager in quantity, you’re probably more concerned with the score than the beer. But I digress.
Brewing a satisfying low-alcohol beer at home is more challenging than one might initially imagine. The consensus seems to be that 5.0 to 5.5 percent ABV is about the upper limit. But less alcohol means less malt. Less malt means fewer hops for balance. And all of the above could conspire to deliver less flavor.
But making a great session beer needn’t be stressful. To wit, introductory kits often fall well within the bounds of what constitutes an acceptable session beer—such as, well. . . wit. Here are some things to consider if you’re formulating your own session recipe.
- Malt: Both extract and all-grain brewers need to limit fermentable sugars to keep the alcohol low. In particular, stay away from simple sugars, which can make an already light-bodied beer feel thin and watery. All-grain brewers can mash high, 154-160°F (68°- 71°C), to emphasize long-chain unfermentable sugars that will lend body.
- Hops: Beer style dictates the size of bittering charge you can get away with. A lower original gravity means you need fewer hops to create balance. But late kettle and dry hops offer opportunities to introduce hop flavor and aroma without extra alcohol.
- Yeast: Depending upon the beer style, a moderate to low-attenuating yeast strain can contribute body that adds to the perception of fullness (high attenuation strains may ferment relatively thin beers). And expressive yeasts like saison and Trappist cultures can produce unique flavors that malt and hops can’t.
- Carbonation: Don’t forget carbonation! There’s a reason Europeans prefer sparkling water. Carbonation adds an interesting textural dimension to beer, and generous effervescence can complement low alcohol. Have you ever enjoyed a flat Hefeweizen? Yeah, I thought not.
I’m personally thrilled to see such an overwhelming interest in low-alcohol beer with real flavor. The growth of nouveau styles like Session IPA and the resurrection of older styles like English mild indicate that others are thrilled as well. So brew a session beer as part of your annual spring cleaning ritual. Better yet, brew three or four. It’ll be just the thing to get you through the summer.