Hope wrote:No difference between pale ale and bitter! Oh my stars!

That's as bad as saying there is no difference between chocolate and vanilla ice cream

Although they do share a lot of the same ingredients I think Mr. Mosher could benefit from 6-9mth touring the UK and sampling both Pale ale and bitter. It would not be a good thing to say in a pub that there was no difference.

There is strong regional difference in the bitter he is right Pale Ale is usually bottled but there is a difference in the taste. Good Bitters tend to have more than one kind of hop although some Pale ales also have more than one kind of hop the bitter have a mellow taste with more body than the pale ale.

I think I will have to make it to get a decent brew at a decent price.

Clearly, you're right, in that there are great regional variations between bitters. And there ARE subtle differences bettween Pale Ales and Bitters - Bitters tend to be between 1.032 - 1.050 OG, versus Pale Ales, which usually vary from 1.043 - 1.065 OG. But there's very little difference in hopping. For both, typically there's a bittering hop (e.g. Brewer's Gold, Northern Brewer) dumped into the wort at the start of the boil, then at the end of the boil an aroma hop is added - usually in British beers it's Fuggles or Kent Golding. It's a different process than German brewers use - they tend to add hops throughout the brewing process - but then they also usually use a decoction mash rather than the British-style infusion mash.

And I know Mr. Mosher, and suffice it to say that he has spent a lot more than 6 -9 months sampling beers overseas (have you read his book?)

But in terms of body, I believe bottled pale ales tend to be more highly carbonated (although not as much as BudMillCoors) than bitters because bitters are typically hand-pumped (locally, Goose Island, and I'm sure many others, have this capacity). But there's not any significant difference in the typical grain bill between bitters and pale ales.

And I apologize in advance - I know this post is way too geeky to be interesting for most of the people on this board.

nr706 wrote:And I apologize in advance - I know this post is way too geeky to be interesting for most of the people on this board.

You may be surprised at how geeky many people on this board are. I like it.

Cheers,

Aaron

Hope wrote:I think I will have to make it to get a decent brew at a decent price.

We have a certain affinity to this place:

Bev Art Brewer And Winemaker Supply
Service Available in Your Area
10033 Southwestern Avenue
Chicago, IL 60643
http://www.bev-art.com/
[email protected]
773-233-7579

Because at the very same location, the wife's business is:

Beverly Pet-Pride Professionl Grooming
10035 South Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60643
773-233-5037

Cathy2 wrote:We have a certain affinity to this place:

Bev Art Brewer And Winemaker Supply

Because at the very same location, the wife's business is:

Beverly Pet-Pride Professionl Grooming

Perfect! Some hair of the dog to go with your beer and wine supplies.

FWIW, I get the supplies for my basement brewery here:

www.leeners.com

I also get supplies for my homemade cheese there.

And, how timely, today at Fox & Obel I noticed for sale Lyle's Black Treacle.

Well done, folks!

Cheers,

Aaron