“I could session on that.”

“That’s a sessionable drop.”

“I could sit on these for a whole session."

Session beers have been around for much longer than the term ‘session beer’. Whether you’re familiar with the term, or you’ve seen it around but have no idea what it means, no doubt you’ve had your fair share of them.

They’re the beers you drink when you want to have a few in a row without feeling disastrous after-effects. Maybe you’re hitting the pub with co-workers on Friday arvo, but want to keep your wits so you don’t say something that’ll come back to bite you on Monday. Maybe you’re pacing yourself while watching the cricket. Maybe you’re knocking back beers in the sun with friends, and you want that to last for as long as possible.

It’s easy to understand why session beers exist. But what are they, exactly?

What makes it a session beer?

First things first: the phrase ‘session beer’ is used to describe certain beers, but it isn’t a beer style. It’s not defined by the ingredients, colours, or flavours of a beer. It’s simply a term that means you could drink several of these beers in a single drinking session and remain in a reasonable state.

As you can understand, this makes it a subjective definition, and people disagree all the time on what constitutes a session beer. But there are generally two requirements:

Session beers are lower in alcohol. How low, you ask? Opinions differ. Some people insist that a beer must be below 4.5% ABV to be considered a session beer, while others would stretch the upper limit to 6%. Personally, I’d say if it’s below 5% you could count it as a session beer without a problem. Once it’s getting above that, you may find that your fourth or fifth beer lowers your inhibitions further than you’d like.

But most would agree there’s a second requirement, too…

Session beers have a gentle flavour profile. When you’re looking to have a session on a certain beer, you’re not after palate-wrecking bitterness or teeth-scraping sourness. You want a beer where you can drink three and still think, “I could go another one of those.” 

Session beers are often described as ‘drinkable’ - another completely non-specific term that gets thrown around. They’re more approachable and less challenging. This isn’t to say a beer should be flavourless to be a session beer - a hoppy XPA or chocolatey dark ale can be tasty but gentle.

This brings back the subjective aspect of whether something is a session beer - one person might happily drink four fruited sours in a row, while another person’s tastebuds need a break after their second beer.

What should I expect?

If you see the word ‘session’ attached to a beer, you’re most likely looking at a pale ale or lager that’s 5% ABV or under.

If it’s a pale ale, you’ll probably get some soft fruity hop character and not much bitterness - enough for a flavoursome experience, but not so much that it knocks you around. If it’s a lager, each sip will be a hit of crisp refreshment that whisks off your tongue when it’s gone. 

But again, session beers are more than just beers with the word ‘session’ on the can. If there’s an easy-drinking 4.5% beer that makes you think, “I could drink a bunch of these,” then that beer belongs firmly in your own personal session beer category. Whether you’re looking forward to a long stay at the bar, a long lunch with the extended family, or a long day on the boat, you’ve found your new best friend.

What are some session beers I could try?

If you’re ready for a sesh, some breweries make it easy for you by straight up slapping the word ‘session’ on the label. Hoogley Session Ale from Catchment Brewing and Aussie Session Ale from Wild Life both give a little bit of fruity flavour with a lot of refreshment. Of course, you can also look further than the S-word and crack a Prickly Moses Summer Ale or a 3/4 IPA from Sample. 

Being the Sunshine State, Queensland knows a thing or two about session beers, so check out Gold Coast Bitter by Lost Palms, Land & Sea's Japanese Rice Lager, or Larry Pale Ale from Your Mates - they’re all made made for long days on the long Queensland coast.

After more flavour? Devil’s Hollow Black Horn Dark Ale or Frexi’s Refreshing Porter can bring a dark edge to your session, while the tart citrus from Social Bandit’s Pinch Me Sour will keep you sharp.

And technically we could fit non-alcoholic beers in here too, like Parc Pils by Monceau and the beers from the Sobah range. You could do a long session on these beauties!