Hops are the undisputed king of craft beer. India pale ale (IPA) has been the most popular style in the nation for at least a decade. Beer lovers can't get enough of those brash and bitter brews. This popularity has led brewers to boost the hops in every conceivable style of beer and stamp it with the IPA label. Today you can find white IPA, black IPA, red IPA, Belgian IPA and any number of other IPA iterations.
But another burgeoning beer trend is having its own impact on IPA — the trend toward "session" beer. A session beer is one intended for copious consumption. They are low-alcohol, light-bodied and flavorful without being taxing to your palate. The concept of session beer originates in the pub culture of England, where multiple pints with your mates is the norm. They allow you to have a few and still get safely home at the end of the night.
In recent years, session beers have caught on with American brewers. They are gradually moving away from boozy hop bombs in favor of these more quaffable beers. The move has spawned a style aimed at satisfying hopheads with something lighter and more refreshing — the session IPA.
The idea of session IPA is a bit of an oxymoron. The defining characteristics of India pale ale are super-hoppy and high in alcohol. Indeed, the style's mythical origin story is all about brewers upping the hop and alcohol content on beer shipped to India so that it wouldn't spoil en route. IPA was never intended to be sessionable.
There is already a style category for sessionable, hoppy pale ale. It's called "pale ale." It's fair to ask what makes a session IPA different. In most cases I think the answer is not much. A quick survey of a few of them shows alcohol content and bitterness squarely in the range of American pale ale. I would argue that many beers carrying that label are simply pale ales with a heavier dose of hops for aroma and flavor. They are an example of brewers piggybacking on the popularity of IPA in order to sell more beer.
But a small number of them do seem to offer something different. They combine the drinkability of a pale ale with IPA-level bitterness. So perhaps the definition of session IPA should be a lower-alcohol, highly hopped pale ale with the bitterness of an IPA.
Semantics aside, these are great beers to get the hop lover in you through the sultry dog days of a Minnesota August. They are light, bright and refreshing, loaded with the juicy fruits and zippy spice of every beer fan's favorite flower. There are plenty of great examples available right now in area stores.
Start local with Summit's newest year-round brew, Hopvale Organic Ale. This 100 percent organic beer brings a full blast of hops with low, supporting sweetness and toasty malt flavor. Melon, tropical fruit, grapefruit and pine swirl throughout, along with a lemony high note from lemon peel added during brewing. Bitterness is assertive, but smooth. It won't overwhelm your palate.
Michigan's Founders Brewing Co. scores a summery hit with All Day IPA. Hops are again the star, but this one has a fuller malt presence than most session IPAs, giving it a pleasantly balanced profile. A burst of fruity hops in the aroma carries through beautifully into the flavor, bringing with it the taste of tropical fruit, tangerines and peaches, along with low, peppery and floral notes. It goes out refreshingly dry with lingering bitterness and fruit.
Get Together from Northgate Brewing Co. offers a different take on the style. The Minneapolis brewery specializes in English-style ales. While they call this an "American session IPA," it has a decidedly English bent. A strong backbone of toast and toffee from English crystal malt makes the relatively high bitterness seem restrained. Fermentation with an English yeast strain gives the beer a background of butterscotch and orange marmalade. The hops, though, are All-American. They come crashing in with fruity flavors of orange pith and pineapple.
Great Lakes' Sharpshooter offers a wheaty twist on the style. Session IPAs can often seem thin, but the high-protein content of wheat malt gives this one a fuller body than most. The star of the show is a new American hop variety called Jarrylo. The flavor is bright and zesty with lemongrass, lemon peel and peppery spice. Faint hints of banana and orange are there, as well. It all sits on a doughy bed of bready wheat.
Michael Agnew is a certified cicerone (beer-world version of sommelier) and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts private and corporate beer tasting events in the Twin Cities, and can be reached at michael@aperfectpint.net.
