No, you’re not reading a typo (see the post below).  We do indeed have two reasons to celebrate beer on April 7.  Along with National Beer Day, celebrating the repeal of prohibition in American, comes Session Beer Day.  That it also falls on April 7 is no coincidence.  As intensely happy as we are to celebrate the repeal of prohibition, the Cullen-Harrison Act only allowed American to buy beer containing up to 4% abv.  Thus, April 7 serves as an equally good day to celebrate beer on the lower end of the alcohol scale.

The Session Beer Project is a non-profit, unorganized and unofficial effort to popularize session beers.  The Project defines a session beer as a beer that is: 

• 4.5% alcohol by volume or less
• flavorful enough to be interesting
• balanced enough for multiple pints
• conducive to conversation; and 
• reasonably priced

Frankly, in today’s arms race to see who can brew the beer with the most alcohol, the Project is a welcome reminder that great tasting beer does not need to set you back on your keister. Finding a 4.5% abv beer doesn’t mean you’re stuck with a taste-robbed American macro adjunct lager, either.  Stone Brewing Co.’s Levitation Ale is one relatively available sub-4.5% brew with plenty of hop flavor that comes to mind. 

For Untappd fans, you’ll have an opportunity to earn a new badge for Session Beer Day by checking in one beer than is under 4.5% abv.