SESSION BREWS

BEHIND THE BREW

(India there’s and The local continues Pale a palpable craft Ale) industry to and be, rise innovation, powered has in popularity traditionally, by but IPA of ‘session’ beer styles. What exactly are session beer styles? While there is no formal definition of a session beer, the word typically refers to the drinkability of a beer. Session beers are typically low in alcohol, usually less than 5 per cent alcohol by volume (ABV), and veer to a balance of malt and hop character.

Company beer Andy Dartmouth’s styles. Armstrong has According Spindrift led “we the here way Brewing to co-owner in at session Spindrift lighter-style are seeing a craft definite beers, shift lagers to in particular … people are seeking out easier-drinking, lighter-tasting, more ‘sessionable’ lagers and ales. When we look at the entire beer market here in Nova Scotia, only six per cent of consumers drink full-flavoured craft brews. That means lighter styles of beer are consumed by 94 per cent of the beer-consuming population. As we see a general movement to buying local and buying craft, products such as our Spindrift Killick Session Lager and Toller Quality

Crafted Lager are experiencing the benefits of this shift. A shift we see only gaining in popularity.”

Even Brewing producing stalwart Co., lighter are ale seeing specialists, styles, the particularly upside Propeller of for seasonal enjoyment. The company known for its classic pale ales has recently entered the flavoured beer category with their Lime Lite which, according to the brewery, is made with lots of real lime and lemons in the brewing process.

“Lime Lite is the beer we want to drink all summer. When we were working on test batches and dealing with it over the winter, we enjoyed imagining sitting outside in the sun and sipping on a crisp lager packed with citrus. It is a slice of summer. It has that just-added-lime-wedge taste, but no wedge needed” says Marketing Manager, Evelyn Hornbeck.

While crisp broader acknowledgement lagers craft beer lagers and consumer, pilsners of are the an amongst success other craft of the brewers are seeking to popularize less well-known styles. Case in point is Wolfville’s Church Brewing Co. and their recently released Sanctuary Enkel. According to brewmaster, Andrew Bartle, “being a brewery in a church by natural Belgian to and pull style being inspiration ales, heavily it from was influenced only the beer styles of the Trappist breweries of Belgium. ‘Enkel’ simply means ‘single’ in Dutch, otherwise this beer would be known as ‘Patersbier’ (father’s beer). It is a beer style that would have been brewed by the Trappist monks so they could consume the fruits of their labour without becoming intoxicated, considering that the other styles they would brew for commercial sale, such as dubbels and tripels, range from 6 per cent to 10 per cent ABV and beyond.”

The beer is made from the second runnings of the wort (the fermentable liquid made of malted barley used as the base to make beer) which has a lower natural content and thus less fermentable material to convert to alcohol. Bartle goes on to describe the beer as having “aromas of lemon, dandelion and light honey notes. The flavour is delicate with lemongrass, grainy pilsen malt and a little spice. This beer has a light acidity and a bright effervescence that finishes very dry.”

One thing all three breweries agree on is lighter session style beers don’t have to be flavourless. With the rise of craft lagers and an appreciation of other session style brews such British Milds, Enkel, Gose, Berliner Weisse and others, including India Session Ales, lighter craft beer styles are here to stay.