I have been on a kick with bitter beer from England recently. In the last week or two, I tried a Fuller’s special bitter ale (outstanding) and today I am drinking something called Daleside “Old Leg Over”. It says on the label that it is “a right grand Yorkshire beer” (not quite as bitter as the Fuller’s, but still bitter and damn tasty).
I’d be interested what the hop-heads on this board like in the way of bitter beer, so please chime in.
Bitters really isn’t as bitter as some other styles. There are really three catagories of bitters
Bitters - Like Fuller’s Chiswick Bitters or Young’s Bitters
Special or Best Bitters - Like Fuller’s London Pride or Young’s Special
Extra Special Bitters - Fuller’s ESB, Young’s Ram Rod, Samual Smith Old Brewery Pale Ale - (Try Old Speckled Hen if you can find it)
The three catagories are a progression from lower to higher bitterness (and alcohol and flavor). So if you like more hops, look towards ESBs.
None of these can hold a candle to IPA’s when it comes to hops. The English IPAs (like Fuller’s and Samual Smith’s) step it up a bit but the real hop heads go for the US IPAs like Stone’s, DogFish Head 60 Minute IPA or Victory Hop Devil. The US ones tend to use different types of hops that can definitely be more pronounced in the nose and taste but you may not like the profile of a particular beer so you really have to taste yourself.
Then if you really want to step it up more, there are things like Dogfish Head 90 (or 120) minute IPA, Russian River Pliney the Elder, Stone Ruination or Victory Hop Wallop. These are really Imperial IPAs and are usually very bitter and strong (alcohol).
Me, I prefer the English Best Bitters and/or ESBs as I think they have better balance, but YMMV. I really like the Samuel Smith line, but they bottle in clear glass and sometimes they’re skunked so I tend to go with Fuller’s and Young’s more often.
Andy
Thanks for this info. I find I am less excited these days by the super-hopped U.S. IPA style (though I will throw down a Dogfish Head 90 almost anytime). You nailed the reason that I have been enjoying some of these English bitters – balance. Plus, usually a few ticks less alcohol, so you can try more of them in a single session.
I still enjoy an American IPA once in a while, but that’s just it, I enjoy one. After that the bitterness and the overwhelming hops just get to me.
I think English bitters tend to have more interesting malt profiles and the hops are earthier - less citrus-y - so they don’t stand out as much. There are some US brewers that make decent beers in this style (Shipyard Old Thumper or Copperstown Old Slugger), but for some reason I always fall back to things like Fuller’s ESB as my standard.
Glad to hear that others have had similar experiences. I never realized that IPAs were higher on the hoppy scale than bitters. I enjoy my IPAs at the lower end of the hops spectrum, so I’ll have to try the ESBs for comparison.
Good comment on the perils of a clear bottle. I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed a skunky beer from a brown glass bottle, but it’s not at all uncommon with clear and green bottles - which has always made me wonder why companies choose them.
The story goes - IPAs are hoppier because they were brewed for shipment to India (the I in IPA) and the higher hops acts as a preservative for the trip. When US micro-brews started brewing them, of course they had to take it to the next level and also started substituting US hops like Cascade that have a much different flavor profile than English hops.
Stepping down a notch in hops are the Milds and Brown Ales. Many are hard to find in the US (although you can usually find Newcastle or Samuel Smith Nut Brown) but I personnally think bitters have a better balance. Sometimes the browns can come off a bit sweet.
I hate white and green glass, but somehow some brewers feel it signifies quality in the US market (Heineken) so they keep using it. Brown glass blocks the light that skunks the hops.
Old Speckled Hen is one of my faves. They have a bottle conditioned one as well that is very nice indeed.
I agree 100% regarding the balance points some have made regarding this style vs IPAs. One thing to consider for the highly-hopped IPA is to lay them down in a cellar for 6, 12, or more months. I’ve done that a few times and they seem to be a bit more palatable that way, and simulates the “travel” that probably smoothed them out in the past as well.