" I go on to lager if it's going to be a heavy session."

???...you mean the point is to be able to drink steadily for hours, no matter the flavor?

To each his own, I suppose, but I will choose my brews for their taste, even if it means no more than 2-3 in an evening. I grew up in an area (middle US) where beer in a pub/bar was 3.2%, and I thought for years that I didn't really like beer...then I found real beer/ale....German, Belgian, English...etc, and was in heaven...and now I can get very good beer in the US. Sadly, very few lagers are among them...(exception noted above)