28-05-2025
Bitter is back in vogue – just don't call it that...
Wye Valley Brewery in Herefordshire has taken bitter off the menu – renaming its 3.4 per cent malty ale 'Pyoneer' in celebration of its 40th anniversary (combining 'pioneer' and Canon Pyon, the village where the business began). The brewery claims that the term 'bitter' has a bad reputation and its customers prefer 'amber ale' – Pyoneer's new style description.
The award-winning brewery is not alone. Some of the biggest names in bitter shied away from the term years ago. Fuller's London Pride was restyled as an amber ale in 2021. Timothy Taylor's Best Bitter was rechristened Boltmaker after the landlord of the Boltmaker Arms in Keighley won a naming competition in 2012. In fact, most of the best-selling bitters in the country no longer have the dreaded b-word on their labels.
Beer style categories are in a constant state of flux and change. There are no formal rules governing how ale is described. Flipping back through historic advertisements, we see that 'amber ale' and 'bitter' have been used interchangeably to promote these beers since they first rose to prominence in the mid-19th century.
But while the bigger players eschew the word, many independent craft brewers have been embracing it. Some of the most exciting names in the industry, the likes of Northern Monk and Deya, are proudly crafting this most traditional of styles. And they aren't afraid to write 'bitter' on the can, either.
Whatever you call it, bitter has been a mainstay of the British pub for nearly 200 years. The style arose from the celebrated pale ales of Burton upon Trent. Hops add bitterness, so the fresh, well-hopped pale ales were colloquially referred to as bitter, while the older, more mellow beers were mild.
By the 20th century, bitter and mild were ubiquitous, as Keith Bott of Stoke's Titanic Brewery recalls: 'When we took over the brewery in 1988, consumers genuinely weren't used to having a choice. You used to go into the pub and you could have mild or bitter. And if you didn't like those two you could mix them,' in which case you'd order a pint of 'mixed'.
Nowadays, bitters are characterised by their deft balance. A light, malty sweetness counterpoints hoppy bitterness and the yeast can contribute an additional fruity note. They are immensely drinkable beers, belying the complexity involved in brewing them well. The one thing they are not is the most bitter beer on the market. An intensely hopped West Coast IPA could contain easily two or three times the bitterness units of a standard bitter.
Over time, different types of bitter have evolved, distinguished by their strength. Regular or ordinary bitters tend to be under 4.2 per cent abv. Anything higher is known as a best bitter with correspondingly bolder flavours. More intense still is the extra special bitter (ESB) which tends to be over 5.5 per cent abv. Their heavier bitterness is counteracted by malty, fruity and spicy tones that can be reminiscent of Christmas cake.
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However it is labelled, it's clear that the bitter style of beer is thriving. Here are some of our favourites.
Moor Beer Co Bitter
