I woke up this morning feeling like i had been shot in the head. I didn’t really drink that many beers. The issue here was that I was drinking a bunch of yummy, but fairly high alc craft beers. Any suggestions on a good session beer recipe because I’m in desparate need of a session beer.
I love hoppy IPAs, so I make a session beer which has lots of finishing hops to mimic an IPA. I shoot for an SG of 1.045, use 50% munich malt in the grist, and ferment with American Ale yeast so the malt and hops come through. Love it so much it is my house beer.
What style you looking for.
Caribou Slobber extract (and presumably AG, too) can be an awesome session beer if you like well balanced brown ales. I used the recommended dry yeast (Danstar Windsor) and fermented a little warm (~70*), ending up with ~3.9% ABV, with ~60% attenuation. I’ve read a few additional accounts of people using dry yeast and ending up in that neighborhood, whereas others using the recommended Wyeast liquid yeast ended up around 4.8%.
And, I feel ya on the strong beers. I rarely drink beers above 6% because I have a hard time setting a sustainable pace. 5% - 5.5% is perfect.
Braufessor, I’m game for most styles, with the exception of Belgium style beers. I just can’t get used to that taste. Lately I have been on a pretty good IPA kick, but i drink a lot of porters and stouts as well. I was considering a pale ale, but a good brown ale wouldn’t be a problem either.
You could always go with an old fashioned English bitter (seems like that’s where the term ‘session beer’ comes from), then darken and/or hop up as you see fit.
Look for the “Nearly Nirvana” recipe on the interweb or the SNPA clone on this site - both make something really close to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Bud light? Lol
I just brewed this pale ale, its phenomenol. I found the recipe while searching around for recipes believe it or not! It’s the equivalent of Denny’s BVIP or Wry Smile, but on Homebrewtalk.com. Ok, it’s not really the equivalent, but similar in the sense that the thread goes on and on and on…people rave about it, so I tried it, and it’s all that. And its session, just like you are looking for.
Cascade Orange/Coriander Pale Ale
This recipe is from Mat Kurth and was first shared on homebrewtalk.com. Mat Kurth added a tropical twist to Ed Wort’s Haus Pale Ale by adding orange zest late in the boil and aggressively dry hopping the beer to add a great hop nose.
All Grain Recipe
Beer Style: American Pale Ale with light Orange and Coriander notes
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.013
Bitterness: 34 IBU
Boiling Time: 60 minutes
Color: 6L
Alcohol: 5.27% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Ingredients
9 lbs. Maris Otter Malt
1 lbs. Vienna Malt
1 lbs. Crystal Malt 10°L
1 oz. Cascade (5.5%) - added first wort, boiled 60 min
1 oz. Cascade (5.5%) - boiled 10 min
1 oz. Cascade (5.5%) - boiled 5 min
1 oz. Cascade (5.5%) - boiled 1 min
2 oz. Cascade (5.5%) - added as a dry hop addition
2 oz. Orange zest - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
1 oz Coriander crushed - added during boil, boiled 10 min
Whirlfloc - added during boil, boiled 15 min
Fermentis Safale (S-04) Yeast
“The Innkeeper”
2+ Innkeeper is one of my permanent taps or similarly styled British session is great. Or as mentioned low ABV APA with huge amounts of dry hopping never hurts.
I always keep an APA on tap.
one of the latest issues of BYO had an article on quick turnaround beers (Like 6-10 days), you just need to have kegging capabilities.
Another vote for common or best bitter.
I know what you mean about needing a session beer, on a weeknight they are a must. Nice to drink a few pints and not feel shot down the next morning.
Every recipe on my site could be considered a session beer. 4.5% to about 5.5%. I like to drink steadily and enjoy the beer without getting to the point of being overserved or feeling like you feel (shot in the head). Many of those recipes are lagers but there’s a good selection there. Link below, go to RECIPES. Cheers.
Kolsh
+3 for Innkeeper. On tap as my new session brew. Moderate ABV and IBU so its win-win for everyone. Bonus: 4weeks from grain to glass.
:cheers:
Can’t go wrong with a dry irish stout. OG in the low 1.040s and tasty.
I am not a big fan of belgians either. I love good IPA’s, but, not so much as a “session beer.” I have a batch of the InnKeeper that is 5-6 weeks old right now - to be honest - not sure what to think of it just yet. It kind of reminds me of a pale ale, a belgian and a wheat beer all mixed together. Maybe it will come around, but I think it might just be a style that I am totally in love with.
I really like brown ales, alts, scottish ales for session beers - I have a brown ale that I brewed a while back that I just love. Had 2 22oz. last night as a matter of fact. It is super smooth, rich flavor - but not heavy or too roasty. I could easily sit and drink one after another without getting tired of it. It might be a touch high in gravity for a “session” beer, but could be modified down a bit. I will post recipe when I am home tonight.
For me - a good session beer should be flavorful, smooth but not really “extreme” in any way - not too hoppy, no “spices” or other additives, not fruity, obviously not too much alcohol. For me - that usually comes from browns, ambers, alts, scottish, etc. A lot is personal preference in this regard.
+4 Innkeeper
Drew a pint after 19 days in primary. ~4.5ABV
:cheers:
