The guys at beeradvocate.com say some beers make a good session beer. Is that just beer geek talk for a lot of drinking?
To all you real beer connoisseurs/geeks, when you drink a lot of beer at one time, do you sample like 10 different beers or stick to one particular type? Our taste buds are supposed to be tired after only a few beers, do you all agree?
I never stick to one particular type, but then again I don't drink 10 beers in a session. Not only would that cost a fortune when paying around $5.00 a bottle but I don't think I would enjoy the last 5.
Now, a session BEER is just one that is lower in alcohol and easily quaffable. One you don't have to pay too much attention to, but still tasty. Still, drinking 10 would be a heck of a lot. Of course sometimes on trips to Denver I find myself drinking 7 or 8 beers but that is spread out over just as many hours (and sometimes just as many brewpubs / breweries).
_Randal
No, not really. The idea of a session beer is that you can spend an evening out and not have to worry about getting pissed even if you drink a few beers. So, that means that a good session beer is going to be lower in alcohol while still being very tasty and enjoyable.
Not many American brewers brew good session beers. The Brits are quite good at it, however.
It all depends on where I'm drinking, why I'm drinking and whether I'm in a mood to stick with a favorite or to try out as much as I can. Some of my most enjoyable pub visits have been to places that serve literally one beer, and some of my favorite visits have consisted of drinking a different beer each round.
Not necessarily. It all depends on what you're subjecting your taste buds to. Some beers are going to kill your palate pretty damn quickly. Some are subtle enough that they're about as palate-damaging as water.
-Steve
Not at all.
I *think* the phrase MAY have originated not from the beer-geekery lexicon, but rather from Irish and Scottish pubs where music "seisuns" (that's the Gaelic, which may have come from the Latin "sessio" or "sedere", to sit) carried on the music traditions. I believe the English-language "sessions" predated the use for "jam sessions" that jazz musicians developed.
A musician who drinks mild beer can play competently all night. A musician who drinks harder stuff starts playing incompetently. Simple as that. (Spoken by a participant in many a Guinness-fueled session in a Baltimore Irish pub.......)
I feel I can do pretty good samplings of 10+ beers if I'm drinking smallish samples and not getting really drunk. But in terms of your first question: Given the choice is choosing one really good "session beer" for a long session vs. drinking many different beers throughout the night, 95% of the time I'd choose different beers.
DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.