I had a nice session IPA (~4.5-5%) and was thought I tasted quite a bit of brett. Is this common for session IPAs? Aside from IPA’s, how do folks generally make lower ABV homebrews?
Brett should not be present simply because it is a lower alcohol beer. I commonly make beers on the order of 4.5 to 5% ABV and have never noticed a Brett character from the lower alcohol. I don’t think I’ve ever done an IPA that low, but I see no reason why one would develop a Brett flavor. This is most likely a result of an infection.
Maybe it was a sorachi ace hop taste. Very dry.
What kind of Brett character were you picking up? Was if barnyard/leather/funk, or was it cherry pie/pineapple? I could see how some of the newer hop varieties might hint at some of the fruitier Brett aromas, especially when coupled with a dry finish. But if you’re picking up sweaty saddle blanket, then it’s likely an infection.
Of course, you could brew a 100% Brett Session IPA, but that’s another story.
These were my thoughts as well.
But, a 100% Brett beer is surprisingly clean compared to a secondary Brett fermentation.
Send me a sample and I will let you know if it’s Brett vs. funky hops. ;D
i don’t know about brett but i liked session ipas when they were called pale ales.
+1, bwahaha! Very true!
Then you’re going to love my new session barleywine.
I used to brew a session helles bock then I realized it was a helles. 
YES! “Session IPA” should be banned as a phrase.
Ok, heard back from the brewery and this is what they use…
“Sure, as far as the hops we use CTZ and Citra all very late in the boil to achieve high levels of flavor with relatively low bitterness the yeast is California Ale Strain. Thanks for trying it!”
Is this a typical low ABV IPA recipe?
all late hops is a great way to get a ton of hop flavor in a small beer without overwhelming it with bitterness. so yeah, in that sense it’s not an unusual hops bill for a Session IPA (I LIKE that name Denny, It’s hoppier than an APA, that’s the difference)
I would rather call it a hoppy APA than a session IPA, but that’s splitting hairs.
‘Splitting Hairs’ would be a good name for a Session IPA/Hoppy APA.
to make it more obscure you could put a picture of a rabbit running away on the label and call it ‘Splitting Hares’
FWIW I have never found a … ahem … “session IPA” that was as sessionable as a good IPA…
I really enjoy Lagunitas Daytime which they refer to as a “fractional IPA” @ 4.65% ABV and 54 IBUs. I think it tastes a lot like their normal IPA.
That was an awesome beer!
Yep yep! Love it.