Category Archives: Bitter

Brewdog – 5AM Red Ale

Alcohol Free, Barley Wine, Bitter, Brewdog, Red Ale, Scotland, UK, , , , ,

Brewdog – 5AM Red Ale 5.0% Bitter Sweet Chaos

Brewdog – 5AM Red Ale

This is a chestnut coloured ale with a rich malty and fruity lychee aroma. It has a barley wine taste and an amber coloured head. It is bitter with sweet marmalade notes and a malty follow-on.

This ale is brewed with 5 different malts and 5 hop varieties.

Brewdog Brewery

Cheddar Ales – Gorge Best Bitter

Bitter, Cheddar Ales, Somerset, UK, , , ,

Cheddar Ales – Gorge Best Bitter 4.0%

Cheddar Ales - Gorge Best Bitter
Cheddar Ales – Gorge Best Bitter

This is the Best Bitter ale from Cheddar Ales brewed in Cheddar, Somerset. It is an Amber coloured ale with a malty aroma. The ale has a hop bitter taste with strong grapefruit notes.  Challenger bittering hops, related to Northdown and Northern Brewer, add the citrus grapefruit taste. Compare to their ever popular Potholer Bitter.

Cheddar Ales

Tintagel Brewery – Cornwall’s Pride

Bitter, Cornwall, My 5* Rating, Tintagel Brewery, UK, , , ,

Tintagel Brewery – Cornwall’s Pride 4.0%

Tintagel Brewery - Cornwall's Pride
Tintagel Brewery – Cornwall’s Pride
This is a chestnut coloured ale, with a malt aroma. The taste is sweet with good malty notes.
An excellent ale and session beer, with a lighter bitter finish.
A really good English ale. 5*
Tintagel Brewery is a microbrewery in north Cornwall, near the town of Tintagel and its famous Tintagel Castle, allegedly the castle of King Arthur!
The beers from this brewery needless to say have Arthurian names!

Otter Brewery – Cupids Otter

Autumn Ale, Bitter, Devon, Otter Brewery, UK, , , ,

Otter Brewery – Cupids Otter 5.0%

Otter Brewery - Cupids Otter
Otter Brewery – Cupids Otter

This is a chestnut red coloured ale with good malt aromas. It has a rich toasted malt taste with toffee sweetness notes and a following hop bitter finish.

Otter Brewery is based near Honiton in the Blackdown Hills in east Devon. Named after the local river bank mammals in the area!

Coach House Brewing – Three Kings

Bitter, Cheshire, Christmas Ale, Coach House Brewery, Real Ale, UK, Winter Ale, , , , ,

Coach House Brewing – Three Kings Christmas Ale 5.2%

 

Coach House Brewing - Three Kings
Coach House Brewing – Three Kings

This is a golden ale with malty aromas. The taste has malt and sweet orange notes, and a following hop bitterness. A rather light coloured ale for a typical Christmas beer but had orange warmth. Overall it tastes like a darker ale.

This brewery is based in Warrington, Cheshire.

 

Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

Acorn Brewery, Bitter, My 5* Rating, Real Ale, UK, Yorkshire, , , ,

Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

Acorn Brewery - Barnsley Bitter
Acorn Brewery – Barnsley Bitter

This is a darker chestnut coloured ale, which comes with rich malty and toffee aromas. The taste is a good full bodied malty ale and is an excellent English bitter. My 5* rating. Surprisingly this ale is 3.8%, as I would have expected it to be around 4.5 or so.

Barnsley Bitter was traditionally locally brewed, and in the past was brewed by Courage, now long defunct. It is good to find such a good version of this traditional northern bitter ale, brewed in Barnsley, which was fortunately on tap at my local micro pub – Just Ales in Wells. Do look out for this ale.

Acorn Brewery, Barnsley, Yorkshire

James Street- Big Red

Bitter, Craft Beer, James Street Brewery, Real Ale, Somerset, UK, , , , ,

James Street- Big Red 4.5%

James Street Brewery - Big Red
James Street Brewery – Big Red

This is a dark chestnut ale, with a good malt aroma. The taste is malty with a bitter follow on. I would place this ale between a Bitter and an IPA in taste, well hopped with a dry bitter finish.

This ale is produced by the James Street Brewery, headed up by brewster Anna, based in The Brew House, James Street in Bath. Giving not only the environment of an old style pub, with barrel tables, in which to try the beer offerings and food but you can see the brewery inside, behind a glass wall.  Well worth a visit… or two!

Cotleigh Brewery – Long Eared Owl

Bitter, Cotleigh Brewery, Craft Beer, Real Ale, Somerset, UK, , , , ,

Cotleigh Brewery – Long Eared Owl 4.9%

Cotleigh Brewery - Long Eared Owl
Cotleigh Brewery – Long Eared Owl

This is a chestnut coloured ale, with a good malt and hop aroma balance. It has a rich hop and malt taste of a good English bitter.

This is another of Somerset’s Cotleigh Brewery bird themed ales, which if you are looking for a traditional bitter ale with good malt and hop balance this is a good choice.