What does Session IPA mean?
It’s the style of the year, the flavour of the week, the soup du jour. Session IPA is the little version of the biggest thing in craft beer, jumping from non-existent to ever-present in the time span of a couple of hop harvests.
What is a session IPA?
It fills in the middle of a hoppy Venn diagram of IPA, Pale Ale and Session Ale. It is made by reducing the strength of an IPA so that it has both less alcohol and hoppy bitterness, then adding more malty notes. Tada, you have a session IPA!
Why does Session IPA mean?
The name itself references the ‘session’, which often refers to the typical pub drinking 'session' that includes sipping many lower-alcohol beers over an extended period of time.
Where does Session IPA come from?
It's generally agreed that the Americans were the first to give this style of brew a trendy new name. Although, it was arguably British breweries that combined elements of classic English ales with lots of citrusy American hops to maximise their aroma, making 4% ABV beers with those typically coastal hop notes.
Brixton Low Voltage Session IPA
One of the most popular session IPAs in the UK is Brixton Low Voltage Session IPA. If you're looking to explore some Session IPAs then this has got to be on the list! Loved for its lively tropical flavours, soft bitterness and hoppy finish. This clean, crisp IPA is as delicious as it is drinkable - exactly how a session IPA should be.
Lagunitas - the West Coast IPA
One of our favourite IPA brewers is Lagunitas Brewery Company, based in California, USA. Known for using clever imagery and strong flavours, their beers are on both our beer taps. One of their IPAs in particular - Daytime IPA - is a perfect Session IPA for hot weather with just enough haziness to bring the sunshine out!
Try Lagunitas IPA at Beerwulf now!