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BRIEF HISTORY ''Pale ale'' was a term used for beers made from Malt dried with Coke . Coke had been first used for roasting malt in 1642, but it wasn't until around 1703 that the term ''pale ale'' was first used. By 1784 adverts were appearing in the ''Calcutta Gazette'' for "light and excellent" pale ale. By 1830 onward the expressions ''bitter'' and ''pale ale'' were synonymous. Breweries would tend to designate beers as ''pale ale'', though customers would commonly refer to the same beers as ''bitter''. It is thought that customers used the term ''bitter'' to differentiate these pale ales from other less noticeably hopped beers such as '' Porter '' and '' Mild ''. By the mid to late 20th century, while brewers were still labeling bottled beers as pale ale, they had begun identifying cask beers as ''bitter''. While the two terms are still used interchangeably in the UK, the preference is for the term ''bitter'' to be used for both bottled and cask beer, and use of the term ''pale ale'' has declined. STYLE Bitter belongs in the ''pale ale'' style grouping, though bitter does have a greater variety of strength, flavour and appearance than mainstream pale ale. A bitter can be very dark and roasty, approaching a '' Stout '', or be very golden and delicate like a ''golden summer ale''. It can also go under 3% abv as with ''Boys Bitter'' and as high as 7% with some ''premium'' or ''strong'' bitters. During the early to mid 20th century there were some regional preferences noted which may still be detected in the beers of some of the more Established Breweries . In Cornwall, Wales, North England and Scotland the preference was for sweeter, less hopped beer. In other areas, particularly Southeast England, the preference was for hoppy beers. SUB-TYPES OF BITTER British brewers have several loose names for variations in beer strength, such as ''IPA'', ''best bitter'', ''special bitter'', ''extra special bitter'', and ''premium bitter''. There is no agreed and defined difference between an ''ordinary'' and a ''best bitter'' other than one particular brewery's ''best bitter'' will usually be stronger than its ''ordinary''. And two groups of drinkers may mark differently the point at which a ''best bitter'' becomes a ''premium bitter''. Hop levels will vary within each sub group, though there is a tendency for the hops in the ''session bitter'' group to be more noticeable. Drinkers tend to loosely group the beers into: Session or ordinary bitter Strength up to 4% abv. Often a delicately flavoured beer. Best or regular bitter Strength between 4.1% and 4.7% abv. This is the most common strength of bitter in Britain. Premium or strong bitter Strength of 4.8% abv and over. Also known as ''extra special bitter'', or ''ESB''. BITTER OUTSIDE BRITAIN The term ''bitter'' by itself is little used in the United States . The term ''pale ale'' or ''ESB'' is more commonly used. Where ''bitter'' is used it indicates a pale ale of low abv brewed using as many British ingredients as possible. In Australia , ''bitter'' is used for several popular Australian lagers such as '' Victoria Bitter ''. REFERENCES |
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