Feb 12, 2023

Best Bitter – An UnBarred Beer Centuries in the Making

Here at UnBarred we’re probably best known for our creativity, for being a brewery that encapsulates everything about Brighton and being adventurous in our approach with no style out of bounds – hence our name! That approach is engrained in our team and, if you come to the brewery and speak to any one of us, you’ll see exactly that in everyone of us. But as well as a collection of non-conformists, creatives, artistic minds and, in some cases, brilliantly bizarre, you’ll also see a group of passionate beer lovers whose roots are entrenched in tradition. We’ve worked in old school boozers, alongside peers that championed tradition and grew up frequenting the pubs who held a torch for and kept these beers alive.

You might remember our launch of Morale IPA in May last year, a recreation of a beer typical of the 1940’s that allowed us to really get back to the heritage of British brewing. We then followed that up with Old Ale, a parti-gyle beer brewed with the second running’s of Stoutzilla, a fascinating project that challenged us technically, the resulting beer being very well received alongside the Titan itself. Best Bitter is a continuation of us looking back at heritage, British brewing and doing our bit to keep these styles and techniques as relevant as the pastry sours and hazy IPA’s that we brew.

For starters, and true to tradition, we’ve not looked too far for our ingredients. Everything was locally sourced, and we worked closely with independent suppliers to get the best quality ingredients possible for the style. Carefully selected British heritage malts from our friends at Crisp Maltings in Norfolk make up the grist, alongside Fuggles and East Kent Goldings hops from our friends at Brookhouse in Herefordshire. Provenance and quality were big considerations when selecting the ingredients for this beer, just as they have been for Master Brewers who’ve been perfecting the style for hundreds of years.

The result is an unmistakably UnBarred pint of tradition. Pouring with a beautiful amber hue, Best is smooth and nutty with hints of gentle caramel, with the hops bringing flashes of floral notes reminiscent of freshly cut grass. Best Bitter is bound together with subtle and pleasing fruity esters from our house yeast.

We’re so excited for you to all give this a try that we’ve been working hard on a special launch plan befitting of such a great beer. Best Bitter will be available in cans for those of you that want a taste of tradition in the comfort of your own home, specially can conditioned for that ultimate experience. For those of you who love a pint of Bitter in an old school boozer then you’ll want to join us at The Anchor Tap or Hole In The Wall on February 15^th.Pints and a Pork Pie befitting of a Kings feast, all in a classic setting surrounded by beer lovers from far and wide. If you can’t get to those great venues, then you’ll be able to get your hands on Best Bitter at our Taproom and a few selected venues in and around Brighton, London, and Reading on the same day and through the weekend, should it last.

You’ll see a list of venues below, and you can keep an eye on our and their socials to see when it gets tapped. So, what are you waiting for, it won’t last long!