Discussion
I like my real ales... always have.
Currently having my daily "after work" pint. The pub I'm in has a good selection of ales and, being a free house, they change regularly.
In front of me is a pump with Purity, session IPA, it's 4.5% abv!
For a session ale?
Session ales should be 3.3-3.8%!
What is the fashion with such strong beers now? I'd have thought that they could produce something drinkable between 2.5 & 3.5% in an age where we are supposed to be drinking less alcohol but, instead, they are increasing the alcohol level or producing 0 to 0.5% beers which taste nothing like an ale!
And don't get me started on all of the extra pale,citrussy IPAs that are all the rage!
Currently having my daily "after work" pint. The pub I'm in has a good selection of ales and, being a free house, they change regularly.
In front of me is a pump with Purity, session IPA, it's 4.5% abv!
For a session ale?
Session ales should be 3.3-3.8%!
What is the fashion with such strong beers now? I'd have thought that they could produce something drinkable between 2.5 & 3.5% in an age where we are supposed to be drinking less alcohol but, instead, they are increasing the alcohol level or producing 0 to 0.5% beers which taste nothing like an ale!
And don't get me started on all of the extra pale,citrussy IPAs that are all the rage!
I am very annoyed at the loss of the traditional mild beer. From being Britain's most popular drink to nearly extinct. A shame as I assume that's what the typical after work pint would have been!
I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I love old fashioned ales. But what I really love are Belgians. Tripels are my favourite but a nice dubbel or quad tickles my pickle too. Mind you, I also love “modern” IPA, DIPA, NEIPA and hazy stuff. And stout. Imperial or otherwise. Not so keen on lager unless it’s German and it’s a hot day.
I like most beer, regardless of strength. Actually I couldn’t care less about the 0-0.5% stuff. I’d rather just drink juice or tonic water.
I like most beer, regardless of strength. Actually I couldn’t care less about the 0-0.5% stuff. I’d rather just drink juice or tonic water.
cml24 said:
I am very annoyed at the loss of the traditional mild beer. From being Britain's most popular drink to nearly extinct. A shame as I assume that's what the typical after work pint would have been!
I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I can’t remember the last time I saw mild in a pub!I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
Ultra Sound Guy said:
cml24 said:
I am very annoyed at the loss of the traditional mild beer. From being Britain's most popular drink to nearly extinct. A shame as I assume that's what the typical after work pint would have been!
I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I can t remember the last time I saw mild in a pub!I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I like a pint of mild.
Oh dear lord, please preserve me from ever having to drink "Mild".
Once you drop under about 3.4% beer ceases to be beer IMO. Equally well, I don't need the 6% and up stuff. 3.4% to 5.5% covers the ground nicely - lower end for session beers.
Once you drop under about 3.4% beer ceases to be beer IMO. Equally well, I don't need the 6% and up stuff. 3.4% to 5.5% covers the ground nicely - lower end for session beers.
Edited by Panamax on Wednesday 18th June 21:16
I m quite partial to a nice Gulden Draak at 10.5%. Or their dark Imperial Stout, same %. Not exactly a session ale, and doesn’t improve your driving …
Growing up, my local brewery Thwaites did three lovely milds in their tied houses, the best being the Preston Dark Mild, which was a bit stronger. It was definitely an old boys drink though, sad that it s faded away, I imagine it s tied in with the death of the local pub as a social centre. Near me now, Harvey s produce a drinkable dark mild, but it s not what I remember from my youth
Growing up, my local brewery Thwaites did three lovely milds in their tied houses, the best being the Preston Dark Mild, which was a bit stronger. It was definitely an old boys drink though, sad that it s faded away, I imagine it s tied in with the death of the local pub as a social centre. Near me now, Harvey s produce a drinkable dark mild, but it s not what I remember from my youth
MC Bodge said:
Ultra Sound Guy said:
cml24 said:
I am very annoyed at the loss of the traditional mild beer. From being Britain's most popular drink to nearly extinct. A shame as I assume that's what the typical after work pint would have been!
I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I can t remember the last time I saw mild in a pub!I guess session and ipa should, in theory, not go together as ipa is meant yo be stronger than normal. I regularly see 'best bitter' weaker than so called session beers that doesn't make sense!
I like a pint of mild.
https://spittingfeathers.co.uk/our-beers/
Ultra Sound Guy said:
In front of me is a pump with Purity, session IPA, it's 4.5% abv!
For a session ale?
Session ales should be 3.3-3.8%!
One of my regular pubs has just started selling "Alpacalypse" which is sold as a session IPA, and that's 4.3% which I agree seems a bit high. I won't be finding out what it's like because it's £6 a pint, when my normal Abbot is £4.80 a pint in the same place.For a session ale?
Session ales should be 3.3-3.8%!
On milds, I used to enjoy a half of mild when I first started going to the pub, but it is a long time since I've seen one on regularly. I was surprised to find out that one of my favourite strong beers which is only occasionally on in a local, Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby, is apparently classed as a mild even though it's 6%. Shows that I don't know the difference between mild and bitter, and it's clearly not just the strength.
Hmm, I love my Belgian Trappist quads which are typically 10%+. You can't session that but my go to beer for enjoying when out or at house parties, etc. is Erdinger or other German Weissbiers. Erdinger is 5.3% I believe. Session beers for me are around 5% and the really nice "two or three beers" are over 10%.
I also think some real ale tends to hit harder than a Weissbier. I can drink 3 or 4 pints of Greeneking Abbots at 5% and feel quite tipsy but it takes 6 or 7 stronger beers to feel the same.
Are there any widely available real ales around the 4% mark that are nice to drink? Being near Newcastle means there are plenty of real ale and traditional pubs around that I can try.
I also think some real ale tends to hit harder than a Weissbier. I can drink 3 or 4 pints of Greeneking Abbots at 5% and feel quite tipsy but it takes 6 or 7 stronger beers to feel the same.
Are there any widely available real ales around the 4% mark that are nice to drink? Being near Newcastle means there are plenty of real ale and traditional pubs around that I can try.
Session beers, to me, are usually 4.0 - 4.2, irrespective of what they are. I know this is lagers but Kroenenburg and Stella, used to be strong stuff a 4.7/4.8 but now many seem to be at 5.0 now. Maybe session beer alcohol content is rising too.
I've always wondered why no-one can make a lower alcohol beer (session level) that doesn't just taste like a weak and watery version of the stronger stuff. Right now I am loving Jaipur but at 5.8% I need to limit that to 3-4 pints, but god it's lovely and from the traditional Indian heartland of Derby
I've always wondered why no-one can make a lower alcohol beer (session level) that doesn't just taste like a weak and watery version of the stronger stuff. Right now I am loving Jaipur but at 5.8% I need to limit that to 3-4 pints, but god it's lovely and from the traditional Indian heartland of Derby
Frimley111R said:
Session beers, to me, are usually 4.0 - 4.2, irrespective of what they are. I know this is lagers but Kroenenburg and Stella, used to be strong stuff a 4.7/4.8 but now many seem to be at 5.0 now. Maybe session beer alcohol content is rising too.
I've always wondered why no-one can make a lower alcohol beer (session level) that doesn't just taste like a weak and watery version of the stronger stuff. Right now I am loving Jaipur but at 5.8% I need to limit that to 3-4 pints, but god it's lovely and from the traditional Indian heartland of Derby
...called into Spoons in Hexham on Tuesday lunchtime - Jaipur on at £1.99 a pint I've always wondered why no-one can make a lower alcohol beer (session level) that doesn't just taste like a weak and watery version of the stronger stuff. Right now I am loving Jaipur but at 5.8% I need to limit that to 3-4 pints, but god it's lovely and from the traditional Indian heartland of Derby
Love the stuff but christ it's strong, seems way stronger than the declared ABV suggests
mikef said:
I m quite partial to a nice Gulden Draak at 10.5%.
One of my favorites, and like Toon I'm a fan of tripels and quads, they're great winter warmers but not the sort of thing you want to drink too many of in an evening.I had a 5% pils last night, it was nice but I really need to find more stuff in the 3-4% range for quenching my thirst on a hot summers day. Sadly everything seems to IPAs these days and I'm not a fan.
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