Episode 10 - Beer styles Bitter and Pale Ale

The Beertalkers

Does bitter still exist? Is it the same thing as pale ale? Has 'ale' has replaced 'bitter' in meaning the beer which isn't lager? These are a few of the questions we try to tackle in a post-Christmas meander which makes up the second Beertalkers beer styles special. We sampled Timothy Taylor's Landlord (4.3%) - once a bitter and now a pale ale; Gadds' No 3 pale ale (5%); Gadds' No.5 Best Bitter (4.4%) and Cheshire Brewhouse Cheshire Gap pale ale (3.7%). Cheshire Gap features East Kent Goldings and Boadeica which are both varieties of British hop. Find out more about Cheshire Brewhouse beers here and about Gadds' beers here. We have A Pint With the legendary Dr Peter Darby of Wye Hops Ltd, part of the British Hop Association. He's great company, loves beer and is a walking hop encyclopedia - what more could one want from a drinking buddy? Sophie referred to both Michael Jackson's Companion to Beer and Martyn Cornell's Amber, Gold and Black.