Up there with sour beers and hazy-style IPAs, the session IPA is probably the biggest sea change in craft beer styles over the past three years. They’re a perfect prescription for when the weather gets really and truly hot (as it has now) and it’s pretty easy to find one you’ll like from an Ontario brewery.
Beau’s has released Good Time as a session version of their Full Time IPA. But before we get into the details of this beer, let’s spend a minute on the style.
I think that it’s important to have a common definition when we talk about categories—such as beer styles. And I recognize that purists are technically correct to suggest that “session IPA” is just marketing speak for “American-style pale ale”. But, times change, and I think we’re at the point now where more people know what you mean when you say the former.
Which is all to say that Good Time is exactly what it aims for. It’s lightly tropical with a hint of pineapple that is back up by woodsy pine. That hops character comes at just 25 IBU and not much perceptible bitterness. Oats and wheat in the mash bill round out the mouthfeel so that it doesn’t taste too thin with just 4% ABV.
In their web copy about the beer, Beau’s co-founder Steve Beauchesne said, “It sounds odd, but really what we were saying was if it tastes like canned hop water, that’s not going to fly. We took a long time bringing this beer to market because we wanted to get that part just right, and we’re really proud of it.”
If that was the goal, I’d say well done, Team Beaus. Good Time is a beer worthy of regular rotation duty on the dock and after softball games this summer.