I manage to travel around South East PA and its neighboring states quite a bit, and I always try to keep my eyes open for interesting beers. Because of this I get to try beers from a fair number of different small breweries, especially one-off batches and specialty beers. One thing I have been encouraged to see over the past year or so is a resurgence in session beers. Session beers as a whole are low alcohol beers, meant to be quaffed in large quantities over the course of an evening spent in a pub with friends; I know a couple of English expatriates who fondly recall drinking half a dozen pints a night on a regular basis, with no ill effects. The most well-known session styles are English Bitters and Milds, both of which have more of a malt focus than most American beers.
However, the basis of the microbrew revolution has, in my opinion, been the concept of “more” in your beer. More alcohol, more bitterness, more taste. While I fully support styles like the Russian Imperial Stout and Double India Pale Ale, I feel that they are a backlash against the tasteless stuff that the mega-breweries push on consumers. The problem with this is that many low alcohol styles have not gained much attention in the US even though many of them are actually very flavorful.
One of these new session beers that I’ve managed to find is the San Diego County Session Ale. This particular beer is a collaboration brew from Stone Brewing Company, Ballast Point Brewing Company and Kelsey McNair. Kelsey is the winner of the competition portion of the 2010 March Madness American Homebrewer Association (AHA) Rally and Homebrew Competition, which he won with his West Coast Bitter. Stone Brewing Company had offered up the brewing and distribution of the wining beer as the prize, and was represented by Mitch Steele on brew day. The third brewer, Colby Chandler of Ballast Point, was chosen by Kelsey because of his prior experience crafting other hoppy session beers in the San Diego area. The beer was brewed on July 14th, 2010 and released on August 23rd, 2010.
The beer poured a clear amber color, but I accidentally let some sediment into the glass, too. About a finger of white head formed but settled out quickly, leaving a little bit of lacing behind. The aroma was citrus with a decidedly grapefruit edge, and some earthy hop notes in the background. The body was moderate with a thin mouthfeel, but with a creamy texture to it that I found to be quite enjoyable; from the feel of it, I think this beer may have been bottled using Nitrogen, or some Beergas mix instead of straight Carbon Dioxide. The taste was quite bitter, but also had a significant sweetness that made it drinkable. Surprisingly, this beer reminded me of a sweeter, less bitter Hop Rod Rye with more of a focus on aroma hopping; overall, it was far a more balanced and pleasant drinking experience.
Unfortunately, this beer will probably be a little past its prime if you still find it on the shelf, as its now over 6 months old. I hope they re-brew it this year as it was quite drinkable; I would love to see something like this on tap in most local bars. If you do see a bottle of this on the shelf, however, it may be worth your time to try as it may age better than I expect.
Price: $3.99
Size: 12 oz
ABV: 4.2%
Appearance: 4 /5
Aroma: 3.5/5
Flavor: 3.5/5
Mouthfeel: 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment