Beer – Getting the lowdown

Who’s up for a session then? A what? Well, you know, an afternoon where all we do is sit around eat food and drink beer. It is, of course, a very Kiwi thing to do … isn’t it?

The problem now with all these new beers floating about is this: What do I drink when I want to have more than a couple and not make an idiot of myself and end up like a Teletubby speaking fluent drunkenese? There are some big beers out there with abv (alcohol by volume) levels approaching double figures, which is alright if you are planning to only have one or you have a bender planned, as opposed to enjoying a few quiets over a longer period of time.

So what is a session beer? We had a brief chat with our local brewers to see if there was any light we could shed on the topic. For me, as a publican and with my experience running pubs in England, I always felt that any beer under 4% abv was of the sessionable variety, bearing in mind that moderation is the key here. But, it appears we all have a different way to define the term.

First, I asked McLeod’s award-winning brewer, Jason Bathgate, who hails originally from the United States. “Well, back home in Vermont, a session beer would be between 6 and 6.5% abv.” Wow, maybe everything is bigger in the States! Now herein lies the problem, how is a session defined? In the States, it is sharing a couple of beers regardless of strength. In NZ, it has long been code for a ‘binge’ drinking session. As 8 Wired owner and head brewer, Soren Eriksen, says, “I guess it’s what you are setting out to achieve, but there are judging guidelines for session beers”.

I like to think that beer lower than 4.5% abv is a session beer. And as Sawmill Brewery’s Sam Williamson explained, “It’s incredibly hard to get those flavours from a big beer to convert to a lower alcohol beer. It’s super difficult to make a robust and full session version of an existing beer.”

In fact, just as fat or oil is the flavour conductor in fried foods, alcohol is the flavour conductor in beer. Often those wonderful flavours we love in our good beers are coupled with a higher alcohol content. We checked out some of the local “session beers” and here is what is on offer around the region:

• 8 Wired Brewing Semi Conductor Session IPA, 4.4%. Nice citrus finish and balanced bitterness. Higher abv but snuck in under the 4.5% threshold. A smaller version of the much-coveted Super Conductor.
• McLeod’s Heathen Ordinary Bitter, 3.8%. Nothing ordinary about this, super malt and balanced hop finish.
• Sawmill Brewing Session Pale Ale, 3.7%. Exhibits malt sweetness and hints of pineapple and mango on the palate.
• Sawmill Brewing alcoholic ginger beer, 2%. Great alternative if you don’t want that “beer taste” but a little alcohol kick. Exceptionally thirst quenching.
• Forbidden Cider Waggle Dance, 3.2%. Honey-infused cider, wonderfully full flavoured with a subtle light honey finish.