[Closed] Go on - what's the best tasting bitter one can buy?!

Harveys of Lewes Best Bitter.

The Marble Brewery 'Pint'

Bottled or draught?

Not a big fan of bitter. Always had an aversion to brown beer. Pale/blonde ale, stouts or porters for me.

Woodfords Wherry

Admans Ghost Ship

Hopback Summer Lightning

Exmoor Gold

Bottled or draught?

Draught of course, I don't think there is a best, but there are lots of very good ones, one of the joys of travelling in this country is reacquainting yourself with them.

You say draught but have you tried Bengali Tiger? It comes in a can and it's bloody lovely!

Hooky for a session beer, Brewery is worth a visit too.

I'm a big fan of most Moorhouse's and Black Edge brews...

If Timothy Taylor Landlord was readily available down this way, it would be my choice. As it ain't, I'm going to say Armada by Harvey's of Lewes.

It's easier to say which beers I dont like.

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Marstons Pedigree
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Everything else is ace.

Long Man Brewery is worth a mention

Saltaire Gold

Twickenham Grandstand or Bathams Best

West Berkshire Brewery Good Old Boy. It's won an award and everything - Best Bottled Bitter at the Great British Food Awards 2014.

No accounting for taste! Personal recommendations - bear in mind I don't favour bottled ale but on draught I like Midland's style bitters and pale golden/biscuity intensely hoppy ales with citrus twang.

(Outside of green hop ale festivals with one-offs and names I forget), the regular culprits:

1st place: A tie. Can't choose between Salopian 'Oracle' or Enville Ale. Both are spectacular all summer long.
2nd: Bathams Bitter. An old favourite and always as good as ever in any weather. When well-kept it has a caramel undertow. Delicious.
3rd: (Again Salopian) 'Hoptwister'.

Wildcard: Enville Ginger Tom

Twickenham Grandstand

I had a couple of Twickenham beers last night and they were awful, could have been badly kept, where do you get them?

I've drunk it both in Isleworth and central London.
Actually I quite like Plain Ales Arty Farty as well...

Loweswater gold.

I live very near to the Bathams brewery and close to Envilles. Dislike both.

Something from the Three Tuns or Wye Valley breweries would do me

magic rock curious
magic rock ringmaster
ilkley mary jane
saltaire blonde
kelham island easy rider
Bob's white lion
hawkshead iti
hawkshead lakeland gold
loweswater gold
rooster yankee

i could go on for a while.

Everards Tiger does it for me, as does Old Hooky, Pedigree and Felinfoel Double Dragon.

Everards Tiger does it for me, as does Old Hooky, Pedigree and Felinfoel Double Dragon.

really enjoying Digfield Fools Nook at the moment discounted all day sunday, slips down so so easily.

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Boddies!!! I'll trek y'll on yer bastids!! 'hic'' I luv yooooo.....

So

Much

Beer

So

Little

Time

😉

Mmm
Doom Bar
Exmoor Gold
Otter Ale
Proper Job
Beer Goggles (Blindman Brewery)
Bass (from out the back served by Keith)
🙂

I agree with most of Ton's list but must add Thornbridge Jaipur

You'll struggle to go wrong with any of the Badger beers, but Fursty Ferret at the end of a long day is delicious!

We have a fairly limited choice at our local shops, but others I'd choose are;

Black Sheep Ale
Hobgoblin
Golden Glory
Landlord
Doombar
Old Peculiar
XXXB

When it comes to bottled beer then Proper job is definitely one of my favourites. Really cant get on with Doom Bar though.

Invasion IPA if you've got money burning holes in your pockets.

Old Dairy Gold Top is very drinkable

Okells, no other bitter I've tried has come close.

Swift One......Bowman Ales

Purity Ubu is my all time favorite.

I like Timothy Taylor Landlord and Doom bar, I'm from Hook Norton and their beers are very nice too.

I no longer drink however I clearly remember John Smiths Cask bitter (hand pulled) from the Junction at Marsh in Huddersfield being the best last one I had.

When John Willie Lees`s was on form it was like nectar, last but not least Oldham Breweries best bitter, when it was an independent brewery it was the finest bitter known to mankind..........fact.

The 2nd best thing other than supping bitter is talking about it 😀

Draught it would be Fullers London Pride or ESB.

Bottled Adnams Broadside or Hobgoblin.

Pretty much any beer from Oakham Brewery.

I'm north west based and there's some cracking ales up here

Hawkshead - Windermere Pale, Iti or Jester
Moorhouses - Blonde Witch
Cumbrian Legendary Ales - Loweswater Gold
Lytham Lowther
Lancaster Blonde
Cross Bay - Zenith, Sunset
Coniston - Bluebird

The list goes on and on.....

Ludlow gold

Bathams bitter

Holdens golden glow

Houns - Member
Something from the Three Tuns or [b]Wye Valley[/b] breweries would do me

Enjoying a Butty Bach as I type (bottled, as sadly isn't widely available draught round here). Properly lovely.

Personally I like a Betty Stoggs more than Doom Bar or Proper Job, if you're after a Cornish ale. And further afield I'm partial to a drop of Tanglefoot (Badgers) - again, draught please.

Deception

Currently on draft at the bowling club at Rivi if you ride that way

Had some Hobgoblin Gold when down in the smoke last week, would go back for more given the chance

There are so many fantastic ales available that it's difficult to pick a favourite. I do have a particular soft spot for Ringwood 49er though.

also i would like to add, any of the Bridestones ales. moreso when served in the New Delight at jack bridge.

Current fave among the Wednesday nighters.........

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Bathams XXX winter brew.

Another vote for canned Bengali Tiger - hoping to try the draft (sic) version in the summer during our USA road trip 😛 Lagunitas IPA is lovely too (dontcha just love 'spoons).

Slowly working my way through my local brewery's selection - [url] http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/ [/url] Fubar and Full Nelson favourites so far.

Whilst we're on Adnams....

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Where to start... Although strictly none of these are "bitter"...

Thornbridge Jaipur
moorhouses blond witch
Saltaire triple chocoholic (ok, it's a stout, not a bitter)
Oakham inferno
Oakham citra

I like me hops

Tiny Rebel are all of the aces, Mama! They're a cracking bunch, making some superb beers.

And here's the thing.....

Isn't it wonderful that we have so many great breweries in the UK producing so much brilliant beer?

I live very near to the Bathams brewery and close to Enville

Oddly I too have lived by the Delph and down the lane from Enville. As a kid used to play in the derelict barn that barn Enville Brewery.

Dislike both.

As I said - no accounting for taste... 😉

Personally I like a Betty Stoggs more than Doom Bar or Proper Job

Same here. Skinners make a fine ale. St Piran's and Ginger Tosser (fnar) also both checked out highly with my tastebuds.

Going back to Wye Valley - HPA (Hereford Pale Ale) is a reliable, worthy pale ale around these parts. Always a good backup when nothing else good on.

Midlanders might also look out for Green Pear (Malvern Hills Brewery) - a really nice green hop seasonal ale. I was fortunate to have helped brew this a few years back and the smell of all those fresh hops drying in the sun is impressive, sublime even. Which reminds me, MHB Black Pear when it is good is a stonking traditional bitter.

Ludlow gold

Bathams bitter

Holdens golden glow

^^ fantastic. My dad grew up on 'Holden's Golden' - he still proclaims its greatness, and he likes a lot of bitters including Bathams.

Don't make me choose!

Just noticed that the "Our beers" photo on http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/ is my old local! Was a great tap takeover, with some brilliant stuff!
Cwtch is a joy. Hadouken was rather good, too.

I've had loads of new bottled/canned beers over the last 36 weeks, thanks to [url= https://beerbods.co.uk/archive/ ]Beerbods[/url], and it's hard to pick out a favourite. I like the most recent, because it's brewed just over the Moray Firth from where we go on holiday.

I had a pint of Landlord bought for me in the Blue Bell in York, by one of the brewers. That was pretty special too.

As is Old Raby, in No22 in Darlington.

I'll go for 2 of my local beers

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Love the description of Ball Park Pale Ale as "recreational".

Landlord. No contest.

Also, for some the guys above "not lager" does not mean that it's bitter!

Otley 01.

Ps this thread is rubbish without more pump clips/labels.

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Not many of those are a proper bitter, nice as they are.

Also, for some the guys above "not lager" does not mean that it's bitter!

+1, this thread should celebrate the greatness of the Great British pint as pulled in the Great British pub, not this craft nonsense.

Coniston Bluebird.

Thread Closed.

the thing with bitter nowadays, is that it dont offer much when sat amongst the hoppy fruity delights of pales and blondes.

landlord can compete, as can reverend james.

Landlord
Black Sheep
Cairngorm Trade Winds or Gold
Brains SA
London Pride

reverend james.

Ah yes! The Reverend.

I remember one hazy morning in Afan, climbing up the start of the old Penhydd. I was green with hangover, fumes wafting from every pore as an old local rode past me (I was REALLY suffering!) and he said, "Alright, butt?"

I replied that I was suffering, a few too many pints of Reverend James the night before.

"Ah!", he replied, barely breaking a sweat as I rolled along, "That Reverend, eh? What a [expletive deleted]!"

😀

the thing with bitter nowadays, is that it dont offer much when sat amongst the hoppy fruity delights of pales and blondes

They do for me because I am a session drinker, the odd one of these others is alright, but doesn't work for proper night at the pub.

Thread Closed

Dow be saft, yow cor close thread until yow've ackchuly bin ter the 'Bull and Bladder' up Brierley Bonk, on a lunchtime, an' ad sum a'thet Bathams Best Bitter fram the pump, and then another wi' scratchins, pork pie or a spot o'lunch fram the buffay room. Av a thaird and then a think.

Come back then an say yer piece, ayit.

They do for me because I am a session drinker, the odd one of these others is alright, but doesn't work for proper night at the pub.

mefty, you need to come on one of my trips. i will show you how i manage....... 😆

Woodfords Wherry

Admans Ghost Ship

Hopback Summer Lightning

Exmoor Gold

It's all a matter if taste isn't it? But no matter where I've been drinking I'm always pleased to get back to the Vale in Bollington for a pint of Bollington Brewery's Dinner Ale. Nice depth of flavour without anything silly going on in there.

They also have Three Peaks on at the moment which has incredible flavour for something which is a mere 3.1%

Mm Butty Bach...

Mmmmmmm HPA

Ok if we're mentioning our favourite beers

*goes off to get pump clip pictures*

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Bloomin thirsty now!

This link very well explains both Bathams Best Bitter and the Bull and Bladder (if not the legendary lunch pies and other homemade fodder). I do concur. And some. You just have to go and try it. It's also right by the canal (albeit up at least nine locks), so theoretically accessible by bike from everywhere in the West Midlands, or Wales, or....

[url] http://petebrown.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/in-search-of-black-country-legend.html [/url]

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Also a big fan of West berks ales (can't beat a pint of old Tyler in the beer garden up at the bell at Aldworth)

Amazing time to be a beer drinker.

Local, Bristol, area has over twenty breweries. Honestly, most of the stuff that they produce is damn good. And that's just locally. ...

Nominating a few favourites
Kelham Island pale rider
Orkney island stout
Barbus Barbus
Adnams Clump Sagin

Rolls off gibbering...

Another favorite

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Harvey's best
Timothy Taylor's Landlord

6X - ]an old classic
Longman Best