Another session beer. Pretty soon, everyone is going to have their own. I fully expect Budweiser to release its own as a summer gimmick. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of the session beer. I like the idea of sitting on my back porch, drinking 8, 10, 12 beers and then getting behind the wheel of my car for an evening drive. But while everyone is cranking out these low-tilt brews, few are sticking the landing.

Ideally, a session beer packs a full flavor. One expects that there will be some flavor loss by stunting fermentation and reducing hops and malt, but it should not taste like a diluted version of the high-test offering. What I’m saying is that you should not get Bud Light, a watered-down version of the watered-down Budweiser. You should get a slightly diminished version of the real thing. For instance, Stone’s Go To IPA is a low ABV, low IBU version of its flagship IPA. (Side note: I’m going to put together a ranking of session beers next week sometime.)

Ordinarily, I like Flying Dog beers. They have a kitschy graphic treatment, semi-motivational quotes on the side of each bottle, and a typically high quality brew inside. Flying Dog is consistently good, and I’m not sure that I’ve had a bad beer by this label before opening this bottle of Easy IPA. Advertised as an American session ale, it falls victim to the Bud Light paradox.

At first, I thought that I had an old bottle but the label showed that it had been bottled within the past 90 days. Flying Dog advertises its bitterness at 50 IBU, but rather than pushing a pale ale bitterness, it comes out with all the punch of a weak ale. “Hop-forward” is not the phrase you would use when describing the flavor.

It’s an atypical beer for Flying Dog. It’s an average beer in an otherwise crowded session market with exceptionally-flavored competition. At least the label is cool.

Brewer: Flying Dog Brewery

Beer: Easy IPA

Style: Session IPA

ABV: 4.7% IBU: 50

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Price: $2.79 (purchased as a single) Point of Purchase: Oliver’s Beverage, Albany, N.Y.

To The Eye: One of the most golden beers I’ve ever seen. It had the shade of a polished brass trumpet. Clear as glass but for a nice stream of carbonation.

To The Nose: A very subtle scent of pine.

To The Palate: Highly carbonated. A slight sweetness in the middle that is sandwiched by resin and grapefruit.

Aftertaste: Clean. The flavor carries through and disappears quickly.

Boozy Factor: Session beer.

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as highest: 6