10 Great Summer Session Beers to Keep in Your Cooler
Perhaps it’s the ample sunlight or the torrid temperatures, but there’s something about summer that makes us want to drink beer. Lots of beer. It’s both a thirst-quencher and an accompaniment to endless good times, from afternoons at the beach to baseball games and backyard BBQs. While we dearly love our crafty double IPAs and imperial stouts, such brawny beers are ill-suited to marathons of imbibing.
The lightly boozy solution once meant flavor-deprived lagers like Coors Light and Miller Lite. But nowadays, brewers are proving that low-alcohol beers need not be low in taste. Welcome to the flavorful world of session beers, so-called because you can enjoy several in a drinking session without, you know, sliding off a barstool.
So what is a session beer? That’s up for debate. As a descriptor, session is a catchall phrase that applies to a far-reaching array of styles, from Founders’ bright, citrusy All Day IPA and Drake's hopped-up Alpha Session IPA to the twangy Bell’s Oarsman and Brasserie Dupont’s farmhouse-style Avril.
In the United States, the Brewers Association guidelines state that session beers should sit between 4 and 5.1 percent alcohol by volume—for example, Budweiser is 5 percent. On the other hand, the Philadelphia-based Session Beer Project advocates that they be “4.5 percent alcohol by volume or less, flavorful enough to be interesting, balanced enough for multiple pints, conducive to conversation, and reasonably priced.”
No matter the number, know this: Like Lay’s potato chips, we bet you can’t drink just one of these sublime session beers. Here are 10 of our favorite to sip all summer long.
StudioSchulz.com1/10Stone Go To IPA
Over nearly two decades, these hop-driven San Diegans have built their brand on strong, hugely fragrant IPAs. For its latest release, Stone has packed a double IPA’s piney and fruity aromatic intensity into a low-alcohol package. If you're sick of bitterness, here’s the good news: It’s kept in check.
Notch Brewing2/10Notch Session Pils
Every one of brewer Chris Lohring’s unfiltered Notch brews slips beneath the 4.5 percent threshold, including the corn-driven Mule lager, fruity Left of the Dial IPA, and our favorite, the brisk, well-bittered pilsner. You’ll want to buy it by the 12-pack.
Evil Twin3/10Evil Twin Bikini Beer
What beer should a brewer drink while working? For Evil Twin mastermind Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, the answer is a citrusy, light-bodied ale that tiptoes in at 2.7 percent ABV.
Vanberg & Dewulf4/10Brasserie Dupont Avril
The Belgian farmhouse brewery’s palate-prickling “bière de table”—a.k.a. “table beer”—couples a funky earthiness with a gentle fruitiness. Better still, the organic Avril weighs in at a dainty 3.5 percent ABV.
Avery Brewing5/10Avery Joe’s Premium American Pilsner
Unlike most mass-produced pilsners, Avery's pale-gold Joe drinks prickly and crisp and, thanks to the German hop Hersbrucker, boasts a zesty, herbaceous nose and loads of lingering bitterness. The 4.7 percent ABV means that you can easily sip a six-pack.
New Belgium6/10New Belgium Snapshot Wheat
The trailblazing Colorado brewery’s recently debuted year-round release is a lightly tart refresher that’s blended with a bit of soured beer, resulting in an appealing acidity that plays nice with the citrusy nose.
Bell's Brewery7/10Bell’s Oarsman
Checking in at just 4 percent ABV and toting a light tartness, the Michigan brewery’s wheat-forward offering is a perfect starter sour beer. It's an ideal palate-cleansing aperitif.
theperfectlyhappyman.com8/10Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Though the long-running Chico, California, brewery is known for its hopped-up pale ales and IPAs, it’s also adept at crisp pilsners like Summerfest. The Czech-inspired brew is floral and snappy, making it ideal for sipping poolside or pairing with sausages snagged off the grill.
Joshua M. Bernstein9/10Carton Boat Beer
With gobs of grapefruit aroma, an engaging bitterness, and a how-low-can-they-go? ABV—just 4.2 percent—the New Jersey beer maker's flagship kölsch is great at both first and last call. Snag it by the 16-ounce can.
Firestone Walker10/10Firestone Walker Easy Jack
Just released this spring, the venerable California outfit’s entry into the session-beer category utilizes newfangled German hops such as Mandarina Bavaria and honeydew-like Hull Melon. It drinks rather dry and tropical, with a pleasurable citrus hit.
