There is a discussion that has been going on for some time on various beer blogs and in forums like ratebeer about extreme beers vs session beers. Some beer writers and enthusiasts are tired of the imperial stouts and super hoppy IPAs and want to promote the more modest, traditional styles.
I have, especially when reporting from my travels, covered many styles, from the most modest lager to high strength porters. There is room for them all, but I have, obviously some preferences. Let me elaborate a little.
In countries like Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic, you have traditional high quality lagers and strong traditions of sticking to your local brew. These beers are usually more tasty than the global brands, and if you are lucky you will find an unfiltered version or a bock in addition to the standard Pils or Helles.
This is fine if you are passing through a town or village or just stay for the weekend. You may very well find a lovely pilsener with a crisp hoppy aroma to chase your troubles away. On the other hand, you might find yourself with a limited choice of two zwickls, low in hops and with an unspectacular flavour, leaving you searching desperately for something more exiting.
Cross the English channel, and you find a similar situation. Lots of medium strength session ales, most of them run of the mill, some of them packed with flavour. And they have their zwickls, too – a classic mild is a beer I am unable to rave about. It is too … mild.
For everyday use, I would like regular access to high quality session beers. A hoppy German pilsener, a weiss or wit, a British cask bitter. These are fine to drink with food. They are just the thing for a balmy summer evening. And one pint too many does not leave you legless.
It is important to have quality in this segment instead of leaving it to the Danish/Dutch/US big guys with their featureless bland macros they try to pass off as premium. These quality brews can be local or imported, preferably a choice of both. A good example is Sweden, where the range of imports has exploded – but at the same time there are micros brewing amazing session beers – Jämtland and Nils Oscar are two breweries worth mentioning.
(to be continued)
Knut Albert's beer blog 
Great photo of that pub. What time of day was that?
Two in the afternoon on a December day in 2004. The archive is getting decent.
Given time, I would do a round of pubs in the daytime for photos and another in the evening for beer!
I like smaller glasses of beer – I like it very cold. I want to go pubbing now.
Uh, your words in my ears!
Top blog-picture: 7 Stern Bräu in the 7. district of Vienna, Austria.
The pub is just two streets away from my work-place …mhm, I’m almost able to smell it right now.
Regards.
It’s a small world, Ray. From your blog, it looks like your are stationed in Stonehenge!
I studied some time in the UK, this impression is just one from there I like to remember. Together with brown ale ..hmm. I thought it goes well with my title ..anyway, cheers for stopping by.
In Japan we have a habit of using very small glasses and large bottles. It allows us to share an experience with a friend. The custom is to fill your partner’s glass and they fill yours. The smaller glasses increase the amount of refilling (i.e., serving your friend). This also makes it hard to count how many beers you’ve had…
If you want to keep your beer cold during the summer months, it is a good idea to drink from small glasses.
And if you want to sample a number ogf beers, it is better to do it the Japanese way – share some bottles with your friends.
Thanks for the feedback to all of you!