Session Beer Day is Sunday!

A quote from @Fuggled on Twitter

If I am drinking a delicious beer and I think it's balanced with drinkability, complexity, and subtlety and then I read that the beer is 9% I get a bit nervous. We talk about that beer as having a deceptive quality, "it will sneak up on you." I'm impressed by beers like that, but I also am less likely to order another because I'll be done drinking all-too-quickly, I'll get tired, I'll need to go home soon. However, let's say that instead of finding out the beer is 9% I find out that the beer is 4%, I'm going to be even more impressed and I'm going to drink at least another pint, perhaps a couple more.

Sunday is Session Beer Day and we encourage you all to go out to the pub, or pick up a six pack with some friends and have a few beers and some meaningful conversation. Notch Brewing, a session brewery in MA, released a manifesto for Session Beer Day stating "Speak of politics, religion, sport, art, love & friendship. Don't bore comrades [with] beer talk!" The point being a session beer inspires friendly conversation by loosening barriers, but the beer should not overpower the conversation and conviviality. The beers were not meant for sipping but for quaffing, and so your familiarity with the beer allows you to move past the beer itself.

A Session Beer as defined by the Brewer's Association in the United States is a beer that is 5.1% or less. Many beer geeks aren't sure how that number was picked, as historically a Session Beer is 4% or less. The creator of The Session Beer Project, and the person who started Session Beer Day advocates for a nice middle point at 4.5% or less.

Here's a list of a couple good tasting session beers you'll find in Colorado Springs:

Bristol Brewing
Bristol is throwing their annual Prohibition Party speakeasy the day before (on Sat.) where guests will get their first sips of the 2013 Yellow Kite Pilsner, which weighs in at 4.1%. I'm not sure whether or not this beer will be available in the taproom or at liquor stores the very next day, but keep an eye for it.

Phantom Canyon
The Hefeweizen and Queen's Blonde Ale both come in at 4.5% and are easy drinkers.

Trinity Brewing
Sunna Wit, and Saison Man are on draft and under 4.5% and you'll find bottles of Red Swingline, TPS Report in the brewpub and at local liquor stores. I believe some of these beers were over the 4.5% limit previously but perhaps the recipe has changed, as brewer Jason Yester provided me the list.

Deschutes Brewing
I'd also like to point out Deschutes Brewing's River Ale. This beer will be available in your local liquor shops. The beer is only 4% ABV and is packed with flavor while remaining very refreshing. This is going to be a go-to for me all summer, I can tell. So, if you're not going to a brewery or brewpub, I'd pick this up.


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