Session ales – defined quite neatly by beer writer Andy Crouch in his book Great American Craft Beer as: “[a] beer with a relatively low alcohol-level, usually 3 to 4 percent alcohol by volume, that allows the drinker to enjoy several pints in one sitting without becoming intoxicated” – is one of the great strengths of the UK & Irish brewing scene (Andy Crouch again: “Many English-style ales set the standard for such beers” and I’m not going to argue.)

I’ve said it before a few times, and I’ll say it again: over the past couple of years I’ve come to the definite conclusion that the very best way to enjoy a session on the session ales is in a pub, with a few good friends and plenty of good conversation (pork scratchings optional). Of course not all session ales are created equal and a lot of them seem to be just… average – which I realise probably has more to do with the keeping, conditioning and serving of the beer than the actual brewing – so if like me you enjoy sampling a few different brews over the course of an evening, it can be a bit of a lottery.

Then again, if you’re really lucky, you might discover a truly amazing session ale; one that manages to pull off the trick of marrying sublime flavours with a not-so-punishing ABV. The sort of beer you can happily roll around your palate all night long, as opposed to the thin, flat, slightly sour stuff that can put you right off – something Impy Malting has talked about recently as well. I can remember a few magical times when I’ve stumbled onto an amazingly good draught session ale: Wye Valley Butty Bach is the one that springs most readily to mind. Ahhhh, I love a good pub session, me.

Having said that, I also love a good bottled beer – supped at home in front of the telly with a bowl of salt & pepper cashews to-hand – almost as much (and I’ve talked about a fair few of those). It’s much, much trickier to find a truly excellent session beer in a bottle though. There’s generally a marked difference between draught and bottled versions of the same ale, with the draught version usually winning hands-down. But occasionally, if you’re lucky, you’ll hit on a bottled session beer that really does taste very good indeed; holding its own against its draught counterpart, or just in its own right.

So, in honour of those rare auld times, here are five of my favourite bottled session beers, plus a few honourable mentions. I’ve stretched the definition slightly to “beers that I’d be happy to drink a few of in a session” which means the upper-limit strength-wise is around about 4.5% ABV or so. And it is an entirely subjective selection, obviously… please feel free to suggest your own amendments or additions via the comments.

Hook Norton – Hooky Gold

I’ve been drinking quite a bit of this one recently; it was in a couple of rounds of Sainsbury’s rolling 2-for-£3 price-promo. A very fresh, zesty, hoppy golden ale with a very pleasant, balancing malt base.

Tasting Notes: Hook Norton Hooky Gold

Purity – Pure Ubu Amber Ale

As the name suggests, this one is a slightly darker ale with a ruddy hue and a maltier flavour-profile. An easy-drinking, palate-warming ale that seems to be generally available in Sainsbury’s.

Tasting Notes: Purity Pure Ubu Amber Ale

Black Sheep – Black Sheep Ale

One of those seemingly-ubiquitous beers that’s easy to overlook, but actually a very tasty drop indeed. A robust, chestnut-brown, malt-rich ale that can even be chilled down to go rather well with a curry.

Tasting Notes: Black Sheep Ale

Bath Ales – Barnstormer

Barnstormer is dark, malty, nutty and sweet (but not overly-sweet) ale that goes great with hearty winter food. It won the Sainsbury’s real ale competition back in 2008 and it’s still stocked by them on a regular basis.

Tasting Notes: Bath Ales Barnstormer (notes by Tim Lebbon)

Williams Bros – Fraoch Heather Ale

I love a drop of Fraoch – when I can get my hands on a bottle without Jo drinking it – and once again, this is a case of the bottled version being almost as good as the draught. Light and malty with a very mellow bitterness from the heather.

Tasting Notes: Williams Bros Fraoch Heather Ale (notes by Joe Gordon)

A few Honourable Mentions

I would happily drink a drop or two of the following on a regular basis, if only I could get hold of them:

• Hopdaemon Skrimshander – only available by mail order, never seen it for sale this far north :(
• Meantime London Pale Ale – used to be all over the place but Sainsbury’s seem to have stopped stocking it recently…
• Fyne Ales Avalanche – Incredibly refreshing and packed full of citrus hop flavours; really almost as good as its draught cousin. Just can’t seem to find the stuff in the supermarkets.

So, there you go. What are your bottled session ale recommendations?

I’ve just got back from the weekly shop at our local Sainsbury’s and since I was last there, they’ve introduced special offers on a whole selection of Meantime Brewery beers, namely:

• Meantime India Pale Ale (750ml) [Meantime London Porter (750ml) [Meantime London Stout (500ml) [Meantime Pilsner – (375ml) reduced to £1
• Meantime Wheat – (375ml) reduced to £1

Time to stock up on those 750ml bottles of London Porter and India Pale Ale, folks. They haven’t been on special offer since this time last year (believe me, I’ve been checking every week) so you might not see them reduced again until this time next year. I’ve somehow managed to squeeze one of each into the already packed-to-capacity beer cupboard and I’ll be looking forward to renewing my acquaintance with both of them before too long.

Brewery: Meantime Brewing Company
Location: Greenwich, London
ABV: 4.3%
Version: 500ml bottle
Source: Sainsbury’s

I’ve had the great pleasure of sampling no fewer than seven six beers from the Meantime Brewing Company in Greenwich over the past two or three months (plus an extra one back in January) and I’m hoping to post Tasting Notes for most of them over the course of this week.

Just for the sake of introducing some sort of order into the process, I’m going to be posting in ascending abv order. So that means that I’m starting with Meantime’s London Pale Ale at 4.3%, which, the label proudly boasts, made it into the International Beer Challenge 2007′s selection of the World’s Best 50 Beers.

Popping the cap on the bottle releases an apple-fresh, hoppy aroma and the beers pours a rather attractive dark golden colour, with a big, frothy head. The flavour is smooth and slightly sweet – hints of honey and biscuit – but with a sharp, bitter bite that cuts through quite nicely. The flavour and the bitterness both intensify as the drink goes on, resulting in a very satisfying beer indeed. Quite delicious and very drinkable, it’s one that I’d imagine would make for a great session beer if you could find it on draft.