Keeping things in the British Isles, another refreshing style is English Bitter. In many London pubs, they serve pints of full flavoured bitter as low as 3% abv, certainly meant for consuming over long sessions. And no, you don’t drink bitter at room temp as the myth implies; you want it lightly chilled like any good ale, about 8-10C. It is unfortunate that the word “bitter” is not typically associated with something that tastes good, but I can assure you that a great pint of bitter is indeed tasty and refreshing. If you still aren’t convinced, some of the lightest bitters are referred to as “summer ales,” very fitting indeed.
despite the light body. It is a most pleasing ale, yet basic enough to not get in the way of summer’s recreation and socializing activities. It was recently available at a birthday party I attended, and it was very popular indeed.
I have recently rediscovered an old standby at the SLGA that could be considered an English summer ale; Boddingtons Pub Ale. Like Guinness, it comes in a can, is 4.2%, and has a bit of nitrogen to give it a creamy texture
If you haven’t cottoned onto the theme, I will spell it out again. Bitter is refreshing! 28