OK, dear reader, you’re not happy. You’ve been browsing through the different styles of beer here on bruguru.com, and darned if you can’t find the page for “session IPA” reviews. Well, you won’t find it sad to say, and that’s because, well, it doesn’t exist. Just like the style, it’s not real. Of course, I have reviewed beers that think they are session IPAs, but are really American Pale Ales. Go to that page and you’ll see them listed.

I was thinking about this actually while sipping on a frothy mug of a new beer from New Belgium, Slow Ride Session IPA. I’ve long argued that these beers are not true session beers, nor are they IPAs. Recently, someone in that hallowed collective of beer aficionados, Honest Craft Beer Reviews, mentioned that the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has stated that the IPA in IPA substyles (like session IPA) doesn’t mean India Pale Ale. If true, to quote my old friend Oliver Hardy, that’s the silliest thing I’ve ever hoid.

Be that as it may, I say that beers called session IPAs by brewers are really American Pale Ales because, well, APA was all the rage in the 90s, and I drank quite a few of them then. And they were, in fact, a lot like today’s session IPA, to the point in some cases of being identical. Now, I’m not a big adherent of BJCP, and generally look askance on them. Who are they to say who can and can’t judge beer? Piffle, I say. But for those of you that think highly of them, here are some things they say about American Pale Ale as a style:

Aroma: Usually moderate to strong hop aroma from dry hopping or late kettle additions of American hop varieties. A citrusy hop character is very common, but not required. Low to moderate maltiness supports the hop presentation, and may optionally show small amounts of specialty malt character

IBUs: 30 – 45

ABV: 4.5 – 6.2%

Hmmm. Sounds like a lot of session IPAs I’ve tasted, although some of them fall under the 4.5% ABV starting point, they would still be much closer to an APA than an American IPA, which start off at an ABV about where APA leaves off, or even an English IPA, which generally starts around 5%.

So, BJCP, how nice to see you agree with me.

OK, now that we’ve got all of the semantics out of the way, just because I don’t agree with the name doesn’t mean that I dislike the beer. Far from it. I do think these beers are thin on the malt side, but they are hoppy and refreshing and I find them very tasty. New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA is for me one of the better ones, mostly because it has a bit more body than some.

Here’s what New Belgium says about the beer on their website:

Kicking back and relaxing with a session beer requires little more than a couch, some free time, and a few pals. Slow Ride Session IPA is up for this easy-going challenge, starting with a pour of sheened gold and plenty of fluffy, white foam. A blend of seven hop varieties, led by exotic Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin, twist together brilliant tropical scents of melon, peach, lime and grapefruit for a vividly fruity aroma. The flavor mirrors the aroma, while balancing a malty-sweet yet clean start and hoppy bitterness in the back. Light bodied and extra quaffable, Slow Ride Session IPA brings the finish line to you.

New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA has an alcohol content of 4.5% by volume and 40 IBUs. I paid $5.75 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac, and enjoyed it with a plate of their very hottest wings. It was pint glass night, too, so I got a free New Belgium logo pint glass.

That mug of New Belgium Slow Ride Session IPA arrived a pale golden color with a moderate loosely packed head formation and notes of soft passion fruit, mango and resin in the nose. Taking a sip, I get some medium malt up front consistent with a pale ale. Then it's hops from there, fruity with more of the passion fruit from the nose, resiny, citrusy grapefruit and a pleasantly bitter finish.

Would I buy it again? Sure I would, especially when the weather warms, when I think it would be most apropos. Now if they’d just rename it a session APA, I’d be really happy……

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

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