I recently read the book "Session Beers: Brewing for Flavor and Balance, Jennifer Talley".
My expectations were higher than what was read. Chapter 2 was the meat of the books title.
However, overall it was still good to have my views/beliefs reinforced.
For some time now I only brew session beers. Recipes in the back of this book reinforce
what I had learned the long/hard way. Start with 8.5 pounds total grain for a 5 gallon batch, most consisting
of base malt. Recipes in the book have commercial scaled recipes, and also scales them down to 5 gallons.
Most of the scaled down recipes hover around 8-8.5 pounds total grain. I would start with 8.5 pounds
total grain for 5 gallons and adjust from there.
I brew 4.25-4.5 gallon batches and only use 8 pounds. Over time I had used 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9
,and used my taste preference and buzz factor after a few beers to determine where I wanted the ABV to be.
Long story short, use 8.5 pounds total grain for 5 gallons, and use your preferred ABV and taste
to guide you from there. Brewing session beers is certainly challenging for flavor and balance, as
the ABV & grain amounts change, so does the flavor profile. Currently Yuengling-Light is a good
commercial example of a low ABV beer, 3.8%.