Session beer, what the heck is that? - Three Philosophers Belgian Blend

As part of my writing, and in order to provide a more informed opinion on the beers I am discussing, I have done a fair amount of research. Before you ask, "research" is more than just drinking the beers I am discussing. I have looked at various beer related sites as well as the particular brewery webpages. The best source of information I have found is a site called Beer Advocate. This site contains thousands of reviews of thousands of beers. They also have good info about beer styles and just general tips to be more educated about beer and to help enjoy it more. I have even started adding my reviews to their database.

One of the words that kept popping up while I was reading the reviews on the site was the term "session." Most of the time it would appear in a review with something like, "this beer would make a great session beer," or "this one would not make a good session beer." The frequency of coming across this term made me very curious as to what it meant. As usual, beer advocate had a plain english answer to my question.

Here is how they define it:

Session beer

Any beer that contains no higher than 5 percent ABV (Alcohol by Volume), featuring a balance between malt and hop characters (ingredients) and, typically, a clean finish - a combination of which creates a beer with high drinkability. The purpose of a session beer is to allow a beer drinker to have multiple beers, within a reasonable time period or session, without overwhelming the senses or reaching inappropriate levels of intoxication. (Yes, you can drink and enjoy beer without getting drunk.) For the entire article, please see http://beeradvocate.com/articles/653.

So now that I have defined what a session beer is, you probably think I am going to review one, right? Well not so fast my friend (in my best Lee Corso voice). The beer I am going to review would fall into the not a session beer category. The beer in question is the Three Philosophers Belgian Blend. Due to its high alcohol content, 9.8%ABV, this one was part of a one beer night. Many thanks to my home brewer friend who gave me this one to try. See this post for another beer that he gave me recently. http://thebishopscollar.blogspot.com/2012/08/never-look-gift-beer-in-mouth.html

Appearance: Since this one is a Belgian beer, I decided I should use some different glassware, specifically my Chimay chalice. Beer poured an orangish brown color with a very fizzy khaki head. The color was that of a late afternoon sunset when held up to light. The head was like a cola and disappeared very quickly. As expected with these kinds of Belgian beers, sediment was noted as well. The beer left no lacing, but perhaps the most interesting part of this beer was the bubbly cloud left on the surface of the beer.

It was so noteworthy that I thought it deserved a picture.

Smell: I picked up the aroma of dark fruit and the high alcohol content.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Initial flavor is of dark fruit and some bitterness and a warming affect on the finish, which I attribute to the high alcohol content. As the beer warmed up, I finally got the sweetness from the cherries that are part of the blend. Beer had a full mouthfeel and the carbonation was noticeable.

Overall: This beer is no joke. It really hits with the alcohol content and is much more of a sipping beer. Taking it slow did allow me to pick up the sweet cherry flavor and helped it mellow out a little. Overall, this one is just not my cup of tea.

I guess I am more of a session beer guy after all. Now that I know what that means.

Cheers!