Spring Spirits and Beer

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Our quarterly query of the spirits world to find out what seasonal concoctions will be making the scene brings us to Spring, and since we didn’t want to exclude beer lovers from our cocktail conversations, we’ll look at some seasonal session beers as well as mixed drinks that have a little spring in their step.

By Adam Levy, Contributing Editor, Beer, Wine and Spirits

 

In recent years, the craft beer industry has been booming, and with that comes very flavorful, but very high alcohol by volume (ABV) brews. While most beers range in ABV from 5-7%, there are a number that reach into the teens. This does not bode well for the average bar owner as these beers may taste great, but your customer has one at lunch or at dinner and their beer purchases end there. .

Those in our industry know history of the rise of craft beer, which was launched with the big hoppy IPA or strong lager and stout. But there’s a trend happening within the industry that aims to change that—session beers.

A session is an English term indicating an event that occurs over a long length of time. The term “session beer” came about as a category for a beer you’d want to sip over a session without getting hammered or too full— i.e., a long business lunch, a sporting event, etc. According to Lew Bryson, noted beer writer and founder of The Session Beer Project, session beers are:

* 4.5% ABV or less

* flavorful enough to be interesting

* balanced enough for multiple pints

* conducive to conversation

* reasonably priced

Other beer-focused cultures for many generations have produced their own versions of session beer that were created for the working man, which might be consumed with a meal or over long periods of time with friends, family, and at sporting events. Our own beer culture had many eras of low-alcohol beer levels, going back to the post-Prohibition period when beer was a major part of everyday consumption. There was no stigma associated with lower level alcohol beers.

However, flavor and balance remain as important as the alcohol content. The brewers and the consumer believe there must be a balanced flavor of both hops and malt. It’s this balanced profile that makes the beer drinkable or “session-able” over an extended period of time. This may seem like a hard feat—making beer both flavorful and low ABV—but in fact, many breweries have been producing some great beers in this category.

Click here to read the full article about Spring cocktails and session beers
in the April 2013 Digital issue of Bar Business Magazine