Beer Style 101: Classic English Bitter

English Bitters are gold to copper coloured with a medium body and medium hop bitterness. I has a slight residual malt sweetness and a earthy hop character. Usually made with English hops like Kent Golding but more and more other hop variates are being used in Bitters.

English Bitters have low carbon levels and is traditionally served from wood casks as “Real Ale”. But bottled and tap versions are more common in South Africa.

This beer has a low but clear fruity ester taste from the top fermenting ale yeast and a slight haze in most cases.

ABV: Bitters come in three varieties,

Ordinary bitter: under 3% alc.

Best or Special Bitter: 3 – 4 % alc

and Extra Special: 5 – 6 % alc

Food Pairing: Most meat dishes but best with curries.

Try: Goblins Bitter from Draymans, Pretoria or

Birkenhead Pride Form Birkenhead, Standord

Beer of the Week

 Mitchell's 90 Shillings Ale

Mitchell's is fast becoming one of the largest craft breweries in South Africa.
They now have breweries in Knysna, Cape Town and Johannesburg and are in the process of expanding to other areas of the country.

This beer, The Ninety Shillings Ale, is a traditional Scottish ale.It pours a dark amber with a slight head and a faint aroma of sweet malts.

The Ninety Shillings has a medium body with a taste of caramel. A spicy hop bitterness is by far the most prominent aspect of the beer.

This is a great beer with a lot of flavour. Best served on tap.

Style: Scottish Ale
ABV: Medium 5 %
Availability: Across South Africa in good bottle stores and bars

Beer of the Week

Cockpit Brewhouse - Mustang American Pale Ale

The Cockpit Brewhouse in Cullinan Gauteng has six beers on tap and the Mustang Pale Ale is their most popular.

It is a California style ale that pours dark amber with a creamy head. A sweet tropical fruit aroma reminiscent of mango and litchis hangs above the beer due to the abundance of American hops.

The Mustang hits hard with an extreme hop bitterness that lingers. This is complemented by a medium sweet body with a faint caramel taste. The sweetness of the malt does not compete with the hop bitterness though

This is a great beer if you like American hops and loads of flavour.

Style: Californian Pale Ale

ABV: Medium

Availability: Only at the Brew-house in Cullinan, Gauteng South Africa. On Tap and in bottles.