Alternative to bitter.

[Sozzled Sab]

Hi everyone and happy new year.
I have always brewed and drunk bitter however after reading about all the different beers from all over the world brewed by members I feel its time to broaden my horizons. Can anyone recommend a style I could try which may suit my tastes, ideally a kit before I commit to to an ag brew.
Look forward to your suggestions.

 

[dmtaylor]

Try altbier and marzen. These are German styles that are similarly malty and bitter but with a different character. Or try an American amber ale which will often but not always use more characterful hops.

 

[Dads_Ale]

I would take a trip down your local pub/supermarket/beer shop and buy a few pints/cans/bottles of different styles. There are loads to choose from nowadays and you should find some you like without having 40 pints of one you don't like.
You can then buy a suitable kit or AG recipe.

 

[Clint]

What he said.

 

[MrRook]

Do you use the same bitter recipe each time you brew?
By using a different hop or yeast or grainbill you can get a wide variety of tastes without brewing different styles.

 

[Sozzled Sab]

Do you use the same bitter recipe each time you brew?
By using a different hop or yeast or grainbill you can get a wide variety of tastes without brewing different styles.

Not the same recipe, I must have worked my way through the GW book bitters. I have never tried making up my own recipe though. Also I commit the cardinal sin of not making notes so that's another new years resolution.

 

[MickDundee]

You could try a steam beer (California Common) or American Amber if you like a bitter. Similar malt bill but the hops and yeast differ.

 

[MrRook]

Not the same recipe, I must have worked my way through the GW book bitters. I have never tried making up my own recipe though.

What I'm talking about is really easy. Take a GW recipe with goldings hops and replace them with something different. There are a lot of hops available that are different and would change the resulting beer. The last bitter I brewed I used mittlefruh hops and it came out good.

 

[Arcs]

What he said.

Buy some sprouts and ferment those, Clint probably can tell us how the recipe went

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Hi everyone and happy new year.
I have always brewed and drunk bitter however after reading about all the different beers from all over the world brewed by members I feel its time to broaden my horizons. Can anyone recommend a style I could try which may suit my tastes, ideally a kit before I commit to to an ag brew.
Look forward to your suggestions.

You might also want to have a read through of the BJCP style guide (although a new version is imminent) and the EBCU equivalent.

 

[jof]

I'm with those who say take your current ag bitter and just make small changes.
They mentioned hops already, but you could try adding a little chocolate malt to make it darker like a porter.
Or replace some of the malt with wheat malt & try that.

To be honest, I have gone 'artisan' in the last year, no longer using a recipe, but making changes each brew to see how it goes. OK no major changes, but enough that each batch is different and I'm liking the variety. As my confidence increases, I'll have a better idea what works & doesn't.

 

[moto748]

Another factor to maybe consider is the set-up you have, and its suitability to different beer styles. Which might, or might not, limit your options. For example, some styles, including most lagers, require to be brewed at a low temperature, and hence really require a 'brew-fridge'. If you have one, no problem, if you don't (as I don't), it might be best to neglect these styles. But I agree with the comments about making some small variations to your existing recipes. And keep a record! Better still, a spreadsheet! Or, as many here do, of course, you could use commercial software.

Are you in the UK? Stouts are the obvious choice, I think, as they work well at normal temperatures (I brew mostly, but not exclusively, bitters and stouts). dmtaylor's suggestions sound good, but I doubt you'll find kits for them, they would require an all-grain brew. And I'll say this: I believe it's a lot easier to brew a really good stout than it is to brew a really good bitter! But in terms of working well with pretty basic equipment, I'd say that bitters and stouts are straightforward, and also the hoppy US IPAs, in my limited experience, are easy to make (you just have to spend a little more on hops!). But I only do all-grain BIAB, and know nothing about kits.

 

[clib]

Have a look at the Mangrove Jack kits, they cover a good range of styles and they are very good quality.

https://mangrovejacks.com/collections/craft-series-brewery-pouch
Porter, stout, brown ale, American pale. It's hard to recommend without knowing your tastes. Brown ale wouldn't be too far from bitter, but definitely different. American pale is like bitter but very different hops. I'm sure you've come across American hops.

Good idea to try some bottles from the shop before you commit to 5 gallons of something you've never tried.

 

[Sozzled Sab]

Thanks for all the suggestions they were very helpful. I now plan to get a stout on the go ASAP to see me through the rest of the winter. I then plan to brew an American ale of some sort for summer as well as trying to tweek one of my favourite ale recipes. Also going shopping tomorrow so I will see if the supermarket has anything interesting.
As for the sprouts, already got half a panfull fermenting in my compost bin!

 

[Sozzled Sab]

Another factor to maybe consider is the set-up you have, and its suitability to different beer styles. Which might, or might not, limit your options. For example, some styles, including most lagers, require to be brewed at a low temperature, and hence really require a 'brew-fridge'. If you have one, no problem, if you don't (as I don't), it might be best to neglect these styles. But I agree with the comments about making some small variations to your existing recipes. And keep a record! Better still, a spreadsheet! Or, as many here do, of course, you could use commercial software.

Are you in the UK? Stouts are the obvious choice, I think, as they work well at normal temperatures (I brew mostly, but not exclusively, bitters and stouts). dmtaylor's suggestions sound good, but I doubt you'll find kits for them, they would require an all-grain brew. And I'll say this: I believe it's a lot easier to brew a really good stout than it is to brew a really good bitter! But in terms of working well with pretty basic equipment, I'd say that bitters and stouts are straightforward, and also the hoppy US IPAs, in my limited experience, are easy to make (you just have to spend a little more on hops!). But I only do all-grain BIAB, and know nothing about kits.

Thanks for the suggestion of stout. I am currently drinking an Oatmeal stout and loving every pint. Now need to decide which stout next.
Next thread will probably be alternative to stout!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Hi everyone and happy new year.
I have always brewed and drunk bitter however after reading about all the different beers from all over the world brewed by members I feel its time to broaden my horizons. Can anyone recommend a style I could try which may suit my tastes, ideally a kit before I commit to to an ag brew.
Look forward to your suggestions.

Only just seen this thread, there is no alternative to bitter they’re are just other beers to try. For me bitter is the best beer in the world but I have 17 different beers on tap and only 3 are bitter. I love mostly all styles but bitter is number one.