Newbies – 5 Session IPAs You Need To Check Out

American Craft Beer|July 6th, 2015|

So many Session IPA’s – So little time. Summer is here – and so are the beers of summer. And the Session IPA is a growing segment among them. Session IPAs are hop-forward and brewed to be lower in alcohol (typically in that 4%-5% range) and they’re ideal at this time of year.

So here are 5 Session IPA’s that you might want to chase down…

All Day IPA / Founders Brewing (Grand Rapids, MI) – Coming from a brewery known for their enormous Kentucky Bourbon creations, Founders All Day IPA is their 4.7% flagship year-round that became an immediate hit when it first debuted and paved the way for many a brewer to get in the “session” game. One of the oldest session IPAs out there -and still one of the best.

Hopvale Organic Ale – Summit Brewing/ (St Paul. MN) – Introduced just this year, Summit Hopvale Organic Ale is the only USDA Certified Organic Session Ale that we know of. With organic barley is sourced from Montana and Wyoming and the organic hops from family farms in Washington and Idaho, this 4.7% year-round delivers sustainability and serious hop punch at the same time.

DayTime IPA / Lagunitas Brewing, (Petaluma, CA) – It’s no surprise that Lagunitas is making one of the best Session IPAs around which they amusingly call a Fractional IPA. Lagunitas DayTime IPA is a 4.6% crisp and fruity pleaser that’s tethered to an unobtrusive malt base.

Introvert Session IPA / Left Hand Brewing (Longmont, CO) – Left Hand recently crafted up a new Session IPA and it’s one of our favorites. Left Hand Introvert Session IPA is a 4.8% hop-forward India Pale Ale. It’s a bright refresher brewed using CTZ. Centennial, Cascade, Chinook, Sterling and Comet hops and a worthy addition to this growing category.

Down To Earth / 21^st Amendment (San Francisco, CA) – HAM is the space chip who was first featured on cans of 21st Amendment’s first foray into the Session IPA world, Bitter American and now his presence graces the cans of their newest. 21^st Amendment Down to Earth is a 4.4% blast of Mosaic, Cascade and Warrior hops and it’s a beer brewed for hammering down more than just one.