Apint of cask ale is the defining British pub beer experience, and has been for hundreds of years. What's changed, though, is the kinds of ales Brits have drunk. Travel back to the early 1800s and most beer was quite strong (6% or so), dark and matured for months or years in huge wooden vats, where it developed an aged, vinous character. Tastes began to change towards fresher, unaged, ighter beers, which were described as ‘mild’ or ‘bitter’ in comparison, and it's from there that the names of two of Britain's most popular beer types emerged.
Bitter became the defining British ale style by the 1970s, though it's a broad category, including pale ales, amber ales and bitters (some are known as ‘best’ or ‘best bitter’, signifying a more premium…
