Session beers : brewing for flavor and balance

273 Pages·2017·7.352 MB·English

by  Talley, Jennifer

S E S S I O N
brewing for flavor and balance
B E E R S
by Jennifer Talley
foreword by John Mallett
PRAISE FOR
“A veteran of low-ABV ‘session’ brewing, Jen Talley brings an enormous
amount of practical and technical information to this subject. It's obvious her
time at Squatters Pub Brewery in Utah fostered respect for the art and soul of
brewing beers under 4.0% ABV. As someone who has been at this business
of brewing for over 20 years, I can honestly say this book provided some
keen insights into the thought processes and execution behind these fickle
beer styles. I for one cannot wait to share this information with my brewers.”
—TOMME ARTHUR, Co-Founder and Brewmaster, Lost Abbey and Port Brewing Co.
“I was so thrilled to hear Jen Talley was writing this book. Jen always
struck me as someone who could create anything despite whatever barriers
were in her way. Way back in the early days of craft brewing, instead of see-
ing brewing in a low-alcohol state as a constraint, Jen found creativity and
flavor. This book contains an immense breadth of knowledge, history, and
brewing recipes. It is clear from this lovingly crafted book that every brewer
should embrace the art of brewing session beers, if not for the challenge, then
for the reward of being able to drink more than one and still enjoy oneself.
Thanks Jen—I will have another!”
—MARY PELLETTIERI, Co-Founder and President, La Pavia Beverages, Inc.
and author of Quality Management: Essential Planning For Breweries
“After growing ever bolder with high-alcohol beers in the US, session beers
have brought back beers for us to drink and enjoy. Session Beers looks back to
those authentic and exciting lower-alcohol beers that were there before the
term ‘session beer’ existed.”
—PETER BOUCKAERT, Founder and Brewmaster, Purpose Brewing and Cellars,
and co-author of Wood and Beer: A Brewer’s Guide

By Jennifer Talley
Brewers PublicationsTM
A Division of the Brewers Association
PO Box 1679, Boulder, Colorado 80306-1679
BrewersAssociation.org
BrewersPublications.com
© Copyright 2017 by Brewers Association
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without
written permission of the publisher. Neither the authors, editors, nor the publisher
assume any responsibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.
Proudly printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN-13: 978-1-938469-41-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Talley, Jennifer, 1969- author.
Title: Session beers : brewing for flavor and balance / by Jennifer Talley.
Description: Boulder, Colorado : Brewers Publications, a Division of the
Brewers Association, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017021710 | ISBN 9781938469411 (pbk.)
Subjects: LCSH: Flavored alcoholic beverages--United States. | Beer--History.
| Brewing--History.
Classification: LCC TP577 .T35 2018 | DDC 663/.42--dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2017021710
Publisher: Kristi Switzer
Technical Editor: Dan Burick
Copyediting: Iain Cox
Indexing: Doug Easton
Production and Design Management: Stephanie Johnson Martin and Jason Smith
Cover Design: Kerry Fannon
Production and Interior Design: Justin Petersen
Interior Images: Jennifer Talley unless otherwise noted
Cover Photo: Aaron Colussi
For my mother, Jane Talley, theatre director and teacher; and my father, Rick
Talley, sportswriter, broadcaster, and author. They taught me that the most
important lesson in life is to believe in myself and to never stop dreaming.

Table of Contents
Foreword .................................................................................................................xiii
Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................xix
Introduction................................................................................................................1
About This Book ........................................................................................................3
SECTION I WHAT IS A SESSION BEER? ............................................................7
Chapter 1 – A Short History of Session Beers ........................................................11
The Original Session Beers of the British Isles ..................................................................13
Ales of England .................................................................................................13
My Goodness, My Guinness ..................................................................................16
Ales of Ireland ...................................................................................................17
Ales of Scotland .................................................................................................19
A Little Country Called Belgium ....................................................................................20
What’s in a Name? .............................................................................................21
Per Diem ........................................................................................................22
Saison, a Beer for All Seasons ...............................................................................25
White Beers of Belgium ......................................................................................26
The Session Beers of Germany and Central Europe ...........................................................28
Where Is My Berliner Weisse?...............................................................................28
Wheat Beers of Bavaria ......................................................................................29
The Birth of Lager Beer .......................................................................................32
Ales of Germany ...............................................................................................35
New World, New Beer ...............................................................................................38
Chapter 2 – Brewing Session Beer: Nothing to Hide Behind...............................43
Yin and Yang: Balance Is Key ......................................................................................45
From Grain to Glass ..................................................................................................45
Grain Selection .................................................................................................46
Milling ...........................................................................................................48
Water Preparation ....................................................................................................48
Mashing ................................................................................................................50
Boiling and Hop Bitterness .........................................................................................53
Yeast and Fermentation .............................................................................................55
Maturation .............................................................................................................57
Clarification and Stability ...........................................................................................58
Balance and Specialty Ingredients ...............................................................................60
Sensory Evaluation ...................................................................................................61
Safety and Sanitation ................................................................................................63
Safety First ......................................................................................................63
Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness (No Rest for the Weary) ..............................................64
The Intangibles .......................................................................................................67
Chapter 3 – Modern Interpretations .......................................................................71
Modern American Lager .............................................................................................71
High-Gravity Brewing ................................................................................................72
Adolphus Busch ......................................................................................................73
The Quality of Adjuncts ..............................................................................................74
Oldest Brewery in America .........................................................................................77
The Impact of the Brewers Association ..........................................................................79
Birth of the Craft Session Category ...............................................................................80
Session-Style Pale Ales and IPAs .................................................................................82
Development of Quality Hop Character ..........................................................................87
Other Session Offerings ..............................................................................................91
Gose Rising .....................................................................................................93
Cream Ales......................................................................................................95
What Once Was Old Is Now New Again ..........................................................................96
Chapter 4 – Drinking Session Beers ......................................................................99
Defining Drinkability ................................................................................................100
A Session Society ....................................................................................................101
Creating a Culture of Responsible Drinking ....................................................................106
Food with Drinking Sessions ......................................................................................108
Session Beers for Every Season ...................................................................................111
Education Is Key ......................................................................................................111
Chapter 5 – The Cost of Doing Business ..............................................................115
Fiscal and Community Responsibility ...........................................................................116
Cost of Ingredients ..................................................................................................116
Calculation Explanations ...........................................................................................118
Pricing Explanations ................................................................................................120
Brewpub Numbers ...................................................................................................121
Microbrewery Numbers ............................................................................................122
Brewhouse Efficiency and Small-Scale Systems ........................................................123
Final Financial Contemplations ...................................................................................124
Section II Session Beer Recipes ..................................................................127
Recipe Specifications and Assumptions ........................................................................127
The Recipes....................................................................................................127
Specifications and Units .....................................................................................128
Hops and Bitterness Units ..................................................................................128
Yeast ............................................................................................................129
Brewing Notes ................................................................................................129
Chapter 6 – North American Session Beer Recipes ............................................131
Sun King Brewing Company ......................................................................................132
Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale (Commercial) .............................................................133
Sun King Sunlight Cream Ale (Five-Gallon Batch) ......................................................134
Auburn Alehouse ....................................................................................................135
Auburn Alehouse Gold Country Pilsner (Commercial) ..................................................136
Auburn Alehouse Gold Country Pilsner (Five-Gallon Batch) ...........................................137
New Glarus Brewing Company ...................................................................................138
New Glarus Totally Naked Lager (Commercial) .........................................................139
New Glarus Totally Naked Lager (Five-Gallon Batch) ..................................................140
Russian River Brewing Company ................................................................................141
Russian River Aud Blonde (Commercial) .................................................................143
Russian River Aud Blonde (Five-Gallon Batch) ..........................................................144
Firestone Walker Brewing Company ............................................................................144
Firestone Walker Extra Pale Ale (Commercial) ..........................................................146
Firestone Walker Extra Pale Ale (Five-Gallon Batch)....................................................147
Firestone Walker Easy Jack IPA (Commercial) ...........................................................149
Firestone Walker Easy Jack IPA (Five-Gallon Batch) ....................................................150
Stone Brewing Company ..........................................................................................152
Stone Go To IPA (Commercial) .............................................................................153
Stone Go To IPA (Five-Gallon Batch) ......................................................................154
Stone Levitation Ale (Commercial) ........................................................................156
Stone Levitation Ale (Five-Gallon Batch)..................................................................157