New Series: All-Day Beer

I’m a big fan of session beers.  Anything I can drink 5 or 6 of and not feel completely awful the next morning.  And not worry that I’ll end up with a Shrek-like waistline.

Session type beers are definitely not a new invention.

- We know people used to drink beer when water wasn’t safe.  But I doubt they were getting sloshed on Imperial Oaked Porter.

- The abbey monks were allowed 5 quarts a day when fasting.  Though it probably wasn’t the 11% Quadrupels we go crazy over.

- Farmhands needing refreshment in the fields gave us Saison and the other farmhouse ales.  But not the 6-9% versions we drink today.

But this year they seem to be experiencing something of a renaissance (at least in the US) after several years of “Brew-it-Bigger!”

So I’ve been kicking around the idea of doing a series of session beers, but in a more interesting way than just brewing normal styles with half the alcohol.  Because that just seems too, easy.

Then I got to talking to one of my co-workers the other day, about beer (not work of course).  He mentioned that his neighbors were also huge beer fans.  Such great fans that when they saw him moving into the neighborhood, they offered him a cold beer.  At 8:30 in the morning.

Turns out they’re actually fans of beer in cans.  But not the good kind of beer in cans.  The kind with “cold-activated mountains”.  Because they need an  “All day beer”.

So I have 2 thoughts on all of this.

1.  Good on these people for starting the day right.

2. If you’re going to drink beer literally all day, why on earth would you drink the same one… all day?

Instead, how about a series of different beers that you could drink throughout the day yet still remain a functioning human being.

Beyond just “pub session” beers, they could be centered around different activities you might do during the day.  Breakfast, something for the office-dweller, lunch and dinner, yard work, some for pub time, a late night snack, and so forth.

They could even become replacements for soda or sports drinks.  Maybe even replacing the odd unhealthy snack.

Having now brewed the first couple of test batches, I can tell you that making a 2-3% ABV beer that actually tastes like anything is a challenge for sure.

If you’re looking to flex your brewing-muscles, I would argue this is more difficult than brewing the high gravity counterparts.

So stay tuned.  I think we’re going to come up with some interesting beers.  The first of which is coming up this Friday and it will help you get the day off to a proper start!

Tagged as: All Day Beer, low gravity, session beer