Loving session beers

[stevedasleeve]

Geting old maybe but I really like the relatively recent American session beers that are popping up these days. I'm now brewing fantastic season beers inspired by brews like American bitter.

Right now I've an American ordinary bitter, 3.8% hoppy pale ale, a 4.5% hoppy red ale, a 4% hoppy brown, and am about to do a hopped up 3.5% dry stout. Now 4 beers won't kick me under the table.

Cheers!
Steve da sleeve

 

[brewbama]

This time of year I tend to brew stronger beers (for me 5 - 6%) but come late Jan - Feb I'll start brewing more session beers for Spring Summer and Fall.


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[Calder]

I've been doing the same; keeping the hopping schedule of an IPA, but dialing back the gravity to end up around 4.5%.

Problem ..... As the Holiday season started, I found myself brewing a few of the higher alcohol brews (Imperial Stout and Robust Porter). I do have a session IPA that I will be dry hoping in a couple of days, ready for Christmas.

 

[KOamps]

I love sessions too especially when the IBUs are lower, but still nice and hoppy, I have a low tolerance for bitter.


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[sputnam]

i just tapped my first. Was intended to be about 3.4% but ended up around 4. Was delicious. Now I can have a pint or two on brewday. I love drinking on brewday but most of my beers are around 7%. I think it would be awesome to make a tasty beverage with about 3% but I need to figure out how to get the hops right with that low gravity. I've been trying to dial in what I like with the BU:GU scale. So far 1.5 is just a bit low.


As I understand it, the IBU's "strength" varies with abv% but the BU:GU remains constant. Is this correct?

 

[dkevinb]

I'm with you. Almost everything I brew is in the 3.5-4.5% range. I appreciate stronger beers from time to time, but I don't drink them very often.

 

[dkevinb]

i just tapped my first. Was intended to be about 3.4% but ended up around 4. Was delicious. Now I can have a pint or two on brewday. I love drinking on brewday but most of my beers are around 7%. I think it would be awesome to make a tasty beverage with about 3% but I need to figure out how to get the hops right with that low gravity. I've been trying to dial in what I like with the BU:GU scale. So far 1.5 is just a bit low.


As I understand it, the IBU's "strength" varies with abv% but the BU:GU remains constant. Is this correct?

It's the other way around. IBU's just depend on the amount of hops, their AA%, wort volume and how long they're boiled. How you perceive the bitterness depends a lot on the ratio of the bittering units to the gravity, basically the hops/malt balance.

 

[stevedasleeve]

A couple of tips : increase the body and you can add more hops, and late additions a la hop bursting works extremely well for low gravity beers. My last one the hop additions didn't boil for more than 15 mins, I had 5 oz total in that one.

 

[Twinkeelfool]

I pretty much have either strong bottled beers, or mid strength beers for the kegs generally. I really enjoy milds and lagers around 3.5%. I prefer milds through a beer engine though so now keep my kegs basically for session/easy drinking beers.

Earlier this year I brewed a mid strength lager, pitched heaps of yeast cold, then injured my knee. It stayed in the ferm fridge at 8c for about 7 weeks. Super smooth and crisp lager, and I struggled to stop at one glass haha. Next batch is cubed and waiting.