E-Malt.com News article: USA, OR: Session IPAs – a bridge into a new market

After years of battling middle-of-the-road light lager, craft beer is drifting toward the center one Session IPA at a time, MarketWatch reported on March 27.

There’s a lot at stake, as the top four beers in the U.S. are light lagers. Bud Light is No. 1, with 38 million barrels and 18% of the U.S. beer market, Coors Light is second (18.2 million, 8.6%), Budweiser third (16 million, 7.6%) and fourth is Miller Lite (13.7 million, 6.5%). But those barrels of beer are falling as the post-recession beer market shrinks.

In contrast, craft beer grew 18% by volume in 2014, taking an 11% share of the U.S. beer market. So how did craft brewers manage that? A big part of the answer is bitter, hoppy India Pale Ale. The style accounts for 21% of all craft beer sales by volume. Sales soared 47% last year. To some drinkers, though, beer with alcohol by volume (ABV) as high as 7.5% is too strong. Bud Light registers only 4.2%.

So Session IPA provides a bridge. The beer is a low-alcohol pale ale, ranging between 3% and 5%, that’s heavily dry hopped for aroma, flavor and muted bitterness.

Session IPAs were initially seasonal offerings such as All Day IPA from Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Mich., which was introduced in summer 2012 and succumbed to a hop shortage. Today, five of the Brewers Association’s top 10 craft brewers — Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams Rebel Rider, 4.5% ABV), New Belgium (Slow Ride, 4.5%), Lagunitas (DayTime, 4.65%), Duvel Mortgaat (Boulevard Pop-Up, 4.3%) and Stone (Go To IPA, 4.5%) — produce year-round session IPA. Even Goose Island, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, produces its 5% ABV Endless IPA for the summer months.

No, Session IPA isn’t pushing boundaries or blowing minds. But if you’re able to expand drinkers’ palates by giving them a can of floral, flavourful beer that won’t scrape their tongue with bitterness or get them buzzed after two servings, what’s wrong with giving drinkers what they want?


01 April, 2015