Category Archives: Session Ale

Midway ISA – Goose Island Beer Company

by Mike

From Goose Island Beer Company out of Chicago Illinois comes their “Midway India Session Ale”.  The beer pours an orange colour with a white head.  The aroma consists of mild tropical fruit, melon and some sweetness.  The flavour is of mild tropical fruits, melon, herbal and low bitterness.  The alcohol content comes in at 4.6% with an IBU of 30.  Much like many ISA’s I wish this beer had some malt presence but it was pretty tasty.

Commercial Description:  Paying tribute to the city we call home, Midway IPA is sessionable and refreshing, or as we like to refer to it – easy drinking. With a lower ABV, balanced IBU’s, and a tropical fruit aroma, make Midway your new go-to, have more than one, easy drinking IPA.

Grapefruit Radler – Schöfferhofer

by Mike

From Binding-Brauerei in Germany comes their “Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Raddler”.  The radler pours an orange colour with a white fluffy head.  The aroma is wholly of grapefruit juice.  The flavour is of grapefruit juice, sweetness with only a hint of grain and wheat from the 50% Hefeweizen.  The alcohol content comes in at 2.5% the standard for the style.  You are not going to go wrong with a good radler in the summer and the summer is on the way!

Commercial Description: As you might’ve guessed we’re from Germany, but what might surprise you is that we’re the world’s first Hefeweizen (wheat beer) grapefruit beer. Best served cold, it’s the perfect casual brew to cool you off during the summer, but it can be enjoyed all year round any time of the day. It’s a true 50/50 blend of total refreshment made from 50% Schofferhofer Hefeweizen blended with 50% carbonated juice of 100% natural ingredients.

Mixed Forecast mix pack – Moody Ales (West Coast Canning)

by Mike

From Moody Ales in Port Moody in collaboration with West Coast Canning a mobile canning operation locally comes their “Mixed Forecast mix pack” containing the Shorts Weather ISA and the Still Raining Dark Lager.  This pack is just like the weather in Metro Vancouver in the spring, dark and stormy or almost summer like sometimes in the same day.

Still Raining Dark Lager

Still Raining Dark Lager pours a black colour with a brown head.  The aroma consists of mild roasted malts, caramel malts some coffee and a sweet note.  The flavour is of roasted malts, burnt coffee, mild caramel, earth and some bitterness in the finish.  The alcohol content comes in at 5.5% with an IBU of 24.  Can’t beat a good dark lager on a cold day and I would say this is a good one to enjoy on those days.

Shorts Weather ISA

Shorts Weather India Session Ale pours a copper colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of fruity and floral hops with maybe a hint of malt.  The flavour is of resin, mild bitterness, citrus, melon with the slightest hint of malts.  The alcohol content comes in at 4.8% with an IBU of 47.  If you are looking for an IPA to session all day then you would do well to drink this one for sure.  Low alcohol and full flavour will make for a good session.

Tangerine Dream Session Ale – 4 Mile Brewing Co

by Mike

From 4 Mile Brewing Co in Victoria comes their “Tangerine Dream Session Ale”.  The beer pours a copper colour with an off white head.  The aroma consists of tangerine, candy fruit, sweetness and floral hops.  The flavour is of tangerine, orange, candy fruit, sweetness, bready malts and some low bitterness.  the alcohol content comes in at 4.25% with an IBU of 20.  This is a pretty tasty session ale and would be really tasty in the summer.

Brrr! Winter Radler – Strathcona Beer Company

by Mike

From Strathcona Beer Company in Vancouver comes their “Brrr! Winter Radler”.  The beer pours a red colour with a white head that has a red tinge.  The aroma is more of less one of cranberry cocktail.  The flavour is of cranberries with a hint of mandarin orange, mild tartness and a hint of biscuit malts.  The alcohol content comes in at 4%.  I am a fan of a good raddler and I like when other flavours are used to mix with beer than just grapefruit.  This is really enjoyable and a great one to sip on this winter.