Bitter (beer)
Bitter is a British style of pale ale that varies in colour from gold to dark amber, and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.[1]
Style
Bitter belongs to the pale ale style and can have a great variety of strength, flavour and appearance from dark amber to a golden summer ale. It can go under 3% abv — known as Boys Bitter[citation needed] — and as high as 7% with premium or strong bitters. The colour may be controlled by the addition of caramel colouring.[2]
Sub-types of bitter
British brewers have several loose names for variations in beer strength, such as ordinary, best, special, extra special, and premium. The difference between an ordinary and a best bitter is that one particular brewery's best bitter will usually be stronger than its ordinary, and premium bitter stronger again. Hop levels will vary within each sub group, though there is a tendency for the hops in the session bitter group to be more noticeable.
Drinkers group the beers into:
Light ale
Light ale is a low alcohol bitter, often bottled.[3]
Session or ordinary bitter
Strength up to 4.1% abv. The majority of British beers with the name India Pale Ale will be found in this group,[citation needed] such as Greene King IPA, Deuchars IPA, Flowers IPA, Wadworth Henrys Original IPA, etc. IPAs with gravities below 1040º have been brewed in Britain since at least the 1920s.[4] This is the most common strength of bitter sold in British pubs. It accounted for 16.9% of pub sales in 2003.[5]
Best or special bitter
Strength between 4.2% and 4.7% abv. In the United Kingdom bitter above 4.2% abv accounted for just 2.9% of pub sales in 2003.[5] The disappearance of weaker bitters from some brewers' rosters means "best" bitter is actually the weakest in the range.
Premium or strong bitter
Strength of 4.8% abv and over. Also known as Extra Special Bitter, or in Canada and the USA, ESB. (ESB is a brand name owned by Fuller's Brewery in the UK)
Golden ale
Golden or summer ale has an appearance and profile similar to that of a pale lager. Hop Back Brewery brewed one of the first, called Summer Lightning, in 1989.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Pattinson, Ron (2004). "Beer, ale and malt liquor: old British beer terminology". Xs4all.nl.
- ^ "Caramel color: the science and art" (PDF). DDW Global. 2001. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ "Michael Jackson's Beer Hunter - Beer Styles: Light Ale". Beerhunter.com. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
- ^ "Brewing records". London Metropolitan Archives: Whitbread and Barclay Perkins.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b "Statistical Handbook". British Beer and Pub Association. 2003: 21. ISSN 1475-3545.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Hop Back Summer Lightning " Beer Culture with Des de Moor". desdemoor.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
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