% abv of a session beer.

[PD]

I know its highly individual and personal, and depends on each persons " drinking capacity " if I can call it that. But what % abv would tou consider to be a nice easy drinking session type beer, a pale ale or bitter type. And whats the " normal " % abv for a specialist type beer where one or two are drunk at a time.
The reason I ask is that I have never been a beer guzzler and even on a night out prefer to have a steady 3 or 4 pints and remain compes mentes and able to walk home and hold a good conversation with the wife without raising suspicions....
I've made some Coopers IPA with the intention of being these type of " session " beers and wanted myself and friends to be able to have an evenings good drinking without getting smashed out of our tiny minds.... ( oh so tiny )
However without any alteration to the kits they have all come out at 5.3 - 5.8 % abv by my rough and ready calculations and they seem to be a little strong. Our noses are usually numb by the end of the night and not one of us could recite " the pheasant pluckers " ode in front of a vicar.
We want alcohol of course and would like to be able to know at the end of the night that we have been drinking beer.
So what would you say is the best abv to aim for, and reversely what abv is best to aim for for those " special " beers, that your friends remember ( probably vaguely ) without going over the top and silly.

 

[RobWalker]

I'd go for about 4%. Any less and you'll be pissing like a racehorse. Any more and you'll be unconcious :

 

[PD]

thanks so my first IPA brew that turned out at 5.8 is a bit high for a session beer ? thank goodness I was getting worried I couldn't hold me beer any more....

 

[RobWalker]

That's definitely not a session beer! Session beers were popularized because pubs used to only be open for 4 hours. Because of that people wanted to make full use of opening hours, but not end up being a dribbling wreck at the end - so lower ABV beers were the bevvy of choice.

you're really looking 4% and under for a session beer, probably closer to 3.5%. I would like to see how long your session lasts at 5.8% :p

 

[PD]

Oh it lasted an evening...... but we were all one of those " dribbling wrecks " at the end. I must admit to stopping commercialised beer drinking as I was always feeling very bad the next day or two. Fortunately with my home brew as yet I've had not bad feelings the next day.... or was it the day after... :wha:
But yes the beer was too strong for an evenings entertainment.


and yes I remember the dreaded call at 10.30pm..... Time gentlemen PLEASE.

 

[Vossy1]

As you say, personal choice. I find that 3.5 - 4.5% (session beers IMO) beers make me put on weight because I drink more of them. My body and taste buds seem to know that 5% minimum, 7.5% max is about 4 pints, I prefer strong ales, though I don't like to get 'drunk' even at home. When I started home brewing all my ales were around 4.2 - 4.5% and it was all too easy to drink 4-6 pints a night :shock: and not notice it...apart from on the waist line :drink:

 

[lovelldr]

like vossy, I'd say anything between 4-5% is a good session beer. I'd usually try to go for around 4.5% as a usual session, but up to 5%. But I do like my belgian beers of 7-8% or higher. But only seems to happen every now and again as I haven't gotten round to brewing any yet, so just relying on stocks I bought when I went France last :p

 

[critch]

sales wise at my micro the "sweet spot" for sales of session ales is 3.6-4.2% with owt around 3.8-4.2 being the quickest sellers

 

[puravida]

I think if you go much below 3.5% you start to lose mouth feel and it stops feeling lik eyou are drinking beer.
I brewed a very hoppy pale ale at 4% as a session beer and a version of the same beer at 6.8% as a 'special' recently.

 

[Hawks]

I tend to look for 4 - 4.5%

 

[graysalchemy]

I'm not a session beer drinker I prefer to have 2 bottles of 7.5% slowly supped than necking 4-5 pints of of 3-4% carp which makes me p*ss like a shire horse on a cold day. I find stronger ales have a better mouth feel and more complex flavours. :grin:

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I tend to look for 4 - 4.5%

Same here... :thumb:

 

[zgoda]

I prefer long sessions in summer and shorter when it's cold. That means session strength is ~4% in summer and ~6% in winter.

 

[fbsf]

For a session beer, 3.5-4%. Something like Butcombe Bitter is a favourite at 4%.

However, I rarely go on a "session" as I'm completely out of practise (used to have a job which involved a lot of driving, so stopped drinking at all weekdays/Sundays and haven't really got back "into it"). 3 pint bottles of the above and I'm quite well gone!

I tend to drink maybe only a couple of halves two or three times a week, so I tend to brew mine at around 4.5-5.5%

 

[PD]

thanks everyone. Perhaps " session drinking " was an error. I wasn't referring to being able to " sup all night, and get it down your neck " but for those occasions with friends sitting around chatting and drinking the evening away without ending up falling over the door mat. The specialist type of beer I'm referring is to those beers that need respect and homage paid to them as you and a friend savour a glass. Its easy enough to alter the %abv high or low but I am wanting to match the standard variety of ales bitters pale stouts etc, with the appropriate amounts of alcohol. I don't want for instance to offer a nice light pale to someone and knock them straight out off their feet.

 

[ScottM]

4-5% for me. I'm a lager drinker though. Any less than 4% I would see as a waste of time as I could swim in it and not get drunk. In saying that a "session" for me is generally 15-20 pints

The only time I struggle to last the distance is when I drink the likes of stella. Strangely I'm fine with Kronenbourg which is a similar strength. I'll generally drink Tennents when in the local, which is typically 4.2%. I'll drink all night and have a nice dunt by the end of the night, certainly not staggering or anything like that.