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Session beers: Low alcohol, full flavor, and perfect for all-day sipping

Everything you've ever wanted to know about session beers

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beer
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The average alcohol content for a beer ranges between 4%-6% ABV. But if you’re an IPA drinker, you’ve tried your fair share of 7-10% ABV imperial IPAs. The same goes for barrel-aged stout fans who spend their winters imbibing beers well over 12% ABV. But for all of these over-the-top alcohol-content beers, there are countless session beers.

In my opinion, when it comes to summer drinking, there’s nothing better than a well-made session beer. Crafted to be enjoyed in a “session” with more than one beer in one sitting, the session beer is known for its low alcohol content. But there’s so much more to this beer subset than simply less alcohol. Keep scrolling as we take a deep dive into this refreshing, thirst-quenching beer style.

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What is a session beer?

Beer close-up
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At its simplest terms, a session beer is a beer that was crafted to be imbibed over a longer period, thanks to a lower alcohol content than many other beers on the market. This enables drinkers to sit around with friends and family and leisurely drink beer together without getting overly buzzed, like you would with a higher ABV beer. While there are different styles of session beers, most are known for their refreshing, easy-drinking, balanced flavor profile. This makes for a perfect summer beer.

What is the alcohol content in session beers?

A glass of beer on a beach
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We’ve established that session beers are low in alcohol. But just how low are they? They aren’t non-alcoholic beers. Those are generally around .05% ABV.

No, there’s still a nice kick of alcohol in session beers. The cut-off is 5% ABV. So, if your favorite session beer is 4% ABV, this means you’d have to drink two or more to equal the alcohol content in a double IPA.

What does “session” mean?

Two glasses of beer
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Originating in English pubs, the term is fairly self-explanatory. It was created to represent the period in which drinkers can imbibe multiple beers in one sitting. It was created to reference drinkers who would spend an afternoon in a pub drinking beer. Hopefully, with less fear of being intoxicated than if they were drinking higher ABV beer.

What do they taste like?

Pint of beer
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Much of the appeal of session beers (besides their lower alcohol content) is the balanced flavor profile. Regardless of the beer style, session beers are crafted to be enjoyed in batches. They’re designed to be refreshing, flavorful, and have a balanced mix of malt sweetness, yeast, as well as piney, floral hops.

What types of beers are session beers?

Beer
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One of the best things about session beers is their versatility. While refreshing, thirst-quenching, low in alcohol, and perfectly balanced (when made right), there’s no one session beer style. They can be IPAs, pale ales, lagers, pilsners, sour beers, and even wheat beers.

The best session beers

Founders All Day IPA
Founders

Lucky for you, there are countless well-made, refreshing session beers on the market. Some of the best include:

Next time you visit your local beer store or supermarket, take a walk around the beer cooler. You’ll be surprised at the number of session beers available.

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
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