Plain Ol' Drinking Question re: Bitters
 

I'm overwhelmed when I go into a pub in England. I really want to try the local stuff but I don't get what bitters are. I tried ordering it and they asked so many questions about the kind and ale I wanted with it, I just didn't know. Do the bitters have alcohol? Is it half and half w/a ale? Help or I'll be forced back to wine. Thank you.

Ann - I can appreciate it is quite daunting going into a pub and being faced with the array of drinks - as an analogy it's a bit like being in a Starbucks and asking for a coffee!<BR><BR>The problem is that there are different chains of pubs, all with their own brands. Bitter is what we call "beer" here in the UK, it can come in a variety of flavours and even colours although the standard variety is deep brown in colour and with a slightly nutty taste. Popular brands are Tetley Bitter and Courage Directors which are not too harsh on the palate for those unfamiliar with the different types of bitter. All are alcoholic but often not heavily so.<BR><BR>If you are concerned about the alcohol levels a way around it is to ask for a "bitter shandy" half bitter and half non-alcoholic lemonade.<BR><BR>Hope this helps<BR>Andrew

Thanks Andrew very much!

Ann,<BR>As Andrew pointed out, bitter is simply a British style of draught beer (or ale to be more precise). In a good pub, there will be a number of bitters on draught. The alcoholic content is generally lower than lager beer. The alcoholic content is given on the name plate at each hand pump, eg. ABV 3.8% means 3.8% alcohol by volume. For starters, if you can read the name plates, pick one with a low ABV or simply ask the bar man for a half pint of the one with the lowest ABV. If its London you are in, London Pride (ABV 4.1%) and Young’s Bitter (ABV 3.7%) are two popular locally brewed bitters.

Just to confuse things even more, Bitter is a purely ENGLISH definition of beer! In Scotland, a rough equivalent is "heavy" or 80/- (80 shilling), with variations at 70/- and sometimes even 60/- or 90/-. The term comes from the duty that used to be payable on a cask of beer.<BR><BR>Roughly the same in strength as an English bitter, they tend to be sweeter in taste (so "bitter" really isn't an appropriate designation.) This is because historically they were seen as a chaser to a whisky and the sweeter taste supposedly compliments whisky better. Good examples IMHO are Belhaven and Caledonian, although when I go home to Scotland I tend to head straight for a pint of McEwan's 80/- as it's what I drank as a student (ah, the old days!)

I suppose it was my mention of British that caused Keith’s antennae to twitch and to correct me. He’s right, of course, bitter is an English style of beer. After a while these labels don’t much matter; the best beer I have tasted in the whole world is Orkney Dark Island, and it remains the best whether or not it is technically a bitter or whether it’s a British or Scottish beer.<BR><BR>Another thought for Ann. If you are in London, take one of the London Walks evening pub tours. The walk leader will advise you on the beers available in each pub you stop at, make recommendations, answer questions on ordering, etc.

The website for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is a gateway to many interesting beery things, including an interesting national pub guide focusing on pub interiors. National obsession? Yes. http://www.camra.co.uk

Also, if you ordered "bitters" this is likely to have confused the bartender no end! <BR><BR>"Bitter" is as all the posters above have said, the English word for beer. <BR><BR>"Bitters", in contrast, would probably have been understood as Angostura bitters - the pink bit of pink gin - I wonder if that is what led to all the questions about what you wanted with it (it is only served by the drop, and added to gin, or gin and tonic). Isn't the English language wonderful! By the way, pink gin is a great drink - the bitters are aromatic, rather than bitter.

I believed I ordered a bitter but I was under the (wrong) assumption that it was "part" of a drink. Then the questions began and I froze and ordered a Guiness (when all else fails, there is always Guiness). But now I am well educated, thanks everyone, I'm going to go have a drink now!

Having read this thread after various on fish and chips and cream teas, I thought you might like to know that tonic and bitters (Angostura bitters) - i.e., a pink gin without the gin - is a good way to settle the stomach if you're feeling mildy queasy or over-full. Of course, it might just be the bubbles....

I just realised why this post has been bugging me for the last few days. You don't put tonic in pink gin. Just Angostura bitters.

Oh. Do the Angosturan police come round and break your door down? ;-)

Oops, my mistake. Well, at least you know I'm not in the Royal Navy, nor raddled with 'mother's ruin'.

What ya don't learn on this site!!! Judy

Whenever I've made a pink gin, it's always been like this - put the pinkness in first, add the gin (as much as you can take) then top up with tonic. Nobody's complained so far - but then I've never tasted it because I don't like gin.

But you're a well-known pussy cat, Keith. Ask the experts (and for the avoidance of doubt I have iain and Matthew in mind)<BR><BR>

I, like Keith, have always put tonic in pink gin, but as we know, they're tougher up north, aren't they sheila?

I suppose my excuse is that I've never drunk it - and that also explains why there's never enough pinkness around BIFF!<BR><BR>(Sheila - I don't think anyone else is going to understand this!)

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