Session Imperial?

[Joewalla88]

I've been thinking of something and not sure of it's possible. I've been brewing for a long time now, but I think it's time to start keeping things more on the session side. I'm 40+ now and don't think having big beers on tap are that great for me. I want to make a session IPA with the big flavor of an Imperial IPA. I have some recipe ideas, but before I waste my time, do you think it's really possible to do? I think I'd call it the Imposter, or Oxymoron or something.

 

[Alan Reginato]

Short answer, no. It will taste different.

But you can brew something you might like.

Look for low ABV strategies. Mash higher, use adjuncts, cut base malt (and keep the others ingredients from the original recipe).
Don't need to be extremely low ABV, you can stay in 4 or 5%, but the ideas works.

I prefer to use belgian yeasts, like saison, to give a flavour boost to my beer. It's seems to be counterintuitive, but compared to neutral yeasts (I usually do splited batches) with higher FG, it has a fuller mouthfeel.
Dark beers have a better outcome, it's just matter of cut base malts. And don't be afraid of a belgian stout, the flavour layers are beautiful.

I'm in the same page, cutting ABV. I even got as low as 2%, but it's hard to balance flavours and bittering calculations just don't work at that level.

 

[Shenanigans]

I brewed a session NEIPA based on a 2.8% abv beer I had a few years ago in Ireland.
Called Whiplash Northern Lights. It didn't drink like an imperial but I couldn't belive it was under 3%.

https://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=606043
The basic recipe is given in the beer description.
The secret is to mash high and use a low attenuating yeast.
With a huge whirlpool and dry hop.
I mashed at about 71 oC / 160 F for 60 mins.
My efficiency ended up better than expected, probably due to a smaller than usual grain bill; so I got a few more points and ended up with a 3.3% beer.

 

[AlexKay]

I've been messing with cold mashing, with some success.

And/also try more intense base malts (English pale, Munich) in smaller quantities. And then mash quite hot (160+ F). You can get quite a bit of malt flavor into a low-ABV beer.

At the end of the day, though, ethanol has a taste, and it also affects the perception of other tastes. A 3% beer just can't taste exactly like a 8% beer. It can be pretty good, though.

 

[Joewalla88]

I brewed a session NEIPA based on a 2.8% abv beer I had a few years ago in Ireland.
Called Whiplash Northern Lights. It didn't drink like an imperial but I couldn't belive it was under 3%.

https://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=606043
The basic recipe is given in the beer description.
The secret is to mash high and use a low attenuating yeast.
With a huge whirlpool and dry hop.
I mashed at about 71 oC / 160 F for 60 mins.
My efficiency ended up better than expected, probably due to a smaller than usual grain bill; so I got a few more points and ended up with a 3.3% beer.


View attachment 832765

Thank

I've been messing with cold mashing, with some success.

And/also try more intense base malts (English pale, Munich) in smaller quantities. And then mash quite hot (160+ F). You can get quite a bit of malt flavor into a low-ABV beer.

At the end of the day, though, ethanol has a taste, and it also affects the perception of other tastes. A 3% beer just can't taste exactly like a 8% beer. It can be pretty good, though.

This is kinda what I was thinking too woth the maltiness. And I'm not necessarily thinking 3% or anything. I was mostly just thinking <5%, which might make it easier to get close, but I do think you're right about the ethanol flavor.

If all else fails, I'll just make an Imperial IPA, and use a smaller glass.

 

[Shenanigans]

Thank

This is kinda what I was thinking too woth the maltiness. And I'm not necessarily thinking 3% or anything. I was mostly just thinking <5%, which might make it easier to get close, but I do think you're right about the ethanol flavor.

If all else fails, I'll just make an Imperial IPA, and use a smaller glass.

Or just take some of those Acetaminophen & Caffeine tablets you can get over the counter in the US.
Best things I've ever taken for a hangover.

​

 

[Joewalla88]

Or just take some of those Acetaminophen & Caffeine tablets you can get over the counter in the US.
Best things I've ever taken for a hangover.

​

That's good stuff.

 

[kevin58]

Find a lower ABV beer you like and make that for your everyday drinker. Then for you imperial fix make small batches of that. Don't try to shoe-horn one into the other.