Where can I buy bitter? Having English friends coming to visit me

[Seedersandleechers]

and they said they drink bitter. It's their first time in the US. Google is not very helpful. Is there an American version of bitter that I can ask for, or will plain ale be close enough. I've never been a beer drinker.

Thanks in advance.

[alphafemale]

1. Dark Beer? That can be pretty bitter.

Just wait 'til they ask for "Spotted Dick" for breakfast.

[Seedersandleechers]

9. No, they do not like Guinness and

I think that's really dark.

[T_i_B]

22. Different beer style

Guinness is a Stout, which is a different style of beer to bitter.

Other types of dark beer are Mild, Porter and Old Ale.

I had a Vanilla Stout on Sunday (Thornbridge McConnell's) which was blooming brilliant! And my all time favourite beer is Hop Back Entire Stout.

[azmouse]

2. This might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_(beer)

:)

[Seedersandleechers]

5. Thank you. Don't know why I didn't see that

[A HERETIC I AM]

3. If you're thinking of the cocktail additive...

you can buy Angostura bitters at any liquor store.

If you need a bitter ale, you'll likely have to go to a beer/liquor/wine store that has a large selection of imports

Here's a page that lists English Bitter ales and beers;

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/98

[Seedersandleechers]

4. Thank you, that was helpful

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. Sure. You might also want to ask them if they like a "shandy"

Many Brits drink a "Lemon Shandy" which is (depending on individual preference) either lemonade or something like Sprite or 7UP mixed 50/50 with a glass of beer.

Edited because Sprint isn't a soda!

[Seedersandleechers]

8. Is all that refrigerated?

[A HERETIC I AM]

12. Chilled, so about 55 to 60 degrees or so. n/t

[T_i_B]

20. Bitter drinkers will not appreciate being offered shandy

Trust me on this. We bitter drinkers prefer our beer without anything else like lemonade in it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

26. Fair enough.

Speaking purely as an outsider, I was unaware that bitter drinkers would not appreciate a Yank offering something other than their preferred beverage.

[T_i_B]

27. 3 things

Ale drinkers generally don't like their beer "messed about with" too much by adding stuff like lemonade.

Also, lager generally is more suited to shandy then bitter.

Also, shandy is still seen by many people as being "a bit girly" or something you only drink when you are the driver for the night.

[Seedersandleechers]

7. When I locate this bitter

do I put it in the fridge, or leave it out. I know they don't put beer glasses in the freezer like I see some people do.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. The idea that the English drink "warm" beer is a myth.

It should be served cool, between 55 and 65 degrees - basically "cellar" temp.

http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/53.html

My experiences in various Pubs when I visited England in the 1990's was if you ordered a Beer, you got something that was at cellar temp. If you ordered a "lager", you got something that was chilled, but not nearly as cold as you would get at an American bar.

Put the warm cans or bottles in the fridge for about 20 minutes. That should do it just fine.

[Captain Hilts]

23. That's right. Anything other than 'ice cold' is considered 'warm' here. nt

[jberryhill]

10. Just as an aside...

When I travel abroad, I generally try to avoid things that I would normally eat or drink at home, in favor of those things that make a foreign trip "foreign".

You might consider waiting until they arrive, and taking them out to choose whatever they might fancy wherever you buy beer.

[whistler162]

13. Okay someone has to say it.....

Try Gop.com they have plenty of bitter available.

[MajorChode]

14. You should be able to find Sam Adams Pale Ale locally

It won't be quite the same, but it is brewed in the English style and it will be close enough that they should find it quite palatable. You can actually find English bitters from importers in the US at some specialty beer retailers, but part of the adventure of visiting another country is to sample the differences in cuisine.

[HipChick]

15. Are you near a Grocery store that carries International beers?...or find an Irish pub..

I'd let an englishman pick out his own beer..

[Zavulon]

16. While you're looking, get Saranac.

They have six-packs called "trail mix," which are different types. When my Brit friends come over to see me, they prefer to try the American beers which they can't find in England. It was a pleasant surprise to them that not everything we drink is Bud or Miller, and they always say "We have bitter at home, let us try some of your better microbrews."

You might not need bitter after all if this works. If it doesn't, there has to be a store near you that sells Boddington unless you live in a town of 500 in Utah.

[pscot]

17. Red Hook ESB

should work or any good IPA (India Pale Ale).

[petronius]

18. Just don't buy them any beer - they'll be plenty bitter...

[bif]

19. Foster's Special Bitter

It comes in the big green can. I think they recently renamed it Amber Ale or something. It's about as close to bitter as you can get. It's brewed in Texas I believe. .

[T_i_B]

21. My personal advice...

would be to just get them the best American craft beers that you can. If they are real ale drinkers then that's very likely to interest them. There are a few real ale pubs round where I live that stock Sierra Nevada beers for instance.

Avoid stuff like canned Tetley's and Stones if you can.

I'm a real ale man myself, I tend to like proper malty best bitters such as cask Tetley's but real ale does not travel at all well. Hence I would suggest beer from a good American micro brewery.

[Rambis]

24. Micro way to go

Ask a stout drinker in your area who has the best mirco brewed stout. I am generalizing here but....
If they can make a good stout which is not easy to do they can generally make a good IPA with character not just a savage attack on the taste buds.
Good luck!

[T_i_B]

25. IPA is reasonably close to bitter

IPA may well a good option here.

[MilesColtrane]

28. Foster's Bitter is fairly widely available.

I like it.

But, I don't know if an Englishman would be keen on drinking Australian ale.

[MilesColtrane]

29. Of course there is always bleedin' Watneys Red Barrel if you can find it.

[abbeyco]

30. See if they mean Bitter Lemon

I've had it in a number of Brit drinks and it seems to be a common mixer; however, it's hell to find in the states and is incredibly expensive! There's 1 liquor store in the metro Denver area that sells it and it's about $8 for a six-pack of the cute little bottles.

Just ask them to clarify for you - or you'll end up with Bitters, Bitter Beer and might not be able to find Bitter Lemon. Best of luck!