Bitto Honey
Prism Brewing Company

- From:
- Prism Brewing Company
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Style:
- American Amber / Red Ale
- ABV:
- 6.5%
- Score:
- 80
- Avg:
- 3.52 | pDev: 12.5%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 35
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Nov 18, 2016
- Added:
- Jan 11, 2010
- Wants:
- 2
- Gots:
- 25
Bitto Honey is our flagship Honey Amber ale. The beer was named after a friend of the brewer, Don Bitto, who had recently finished med school and was moving to Denver to start his career and the long road to paying off student loans. His brother Tim had a party and invited Prism’s founder and asked him to brew some beer when he was still a home brewer. The beer was such a hit at this party, we decided to start Prism Brewing Company.
Brewed with a special blend of honey from a Chester county apiary, this well balanced ale has a great malt/honey backbone to blend with the citrus hops. Coming in at 67 IBU’s, we balance the use of hops across the spectrum of bittering, flavoring, and aroma profiles. This provides you with the bitterness without killing your tongue and allows you to experience the true beauty of hops, their flavor and aroma; just with honey drizzled over them!
Brewed with a special blend of honey from a Chester county apiary, this well balanced ale has a great malt/honey backbone to blend with the citrus hops. Coming in at 67 IBU’s, we balance the use of hops across the spectrum of bittering, flavoring, and aroma profiles. This provides you with the bitterness without killing your tongue and allows you to experience the true beauty of hops, their flavor and aroma; just with honey drizzled over them!
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BeerForMuscle:
Rated by BeerForMuscle from New Jersey
3.45/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Feb 18, 2015
3.45/5 rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Feb 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by ordybill from Georgia
3.53/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is brownish with a golden hue with a large white head (the beer is 5 months past its "best by" date). The flavor is pleasant Some sweet honey in the back with some tart hops up front.
Nov 18, 2015Reviewed by Stinkypuss from Pennsylvania
3.58/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Pours a dark copper color with a white fizzy head. Retention is decent, and the beer appears to be hoppy as the lace clings to the glass. The aroma has a lot of herbal hop elements and there is a slight honey sweetness initially. As the beer warms the honey overtakes the hops somewhat.
When first served, the hops stick out alot with a nice resinous character and strong bitterness. The honey is light and in the background, along with a toffee like, malty aftertaste. As the beer warms, much like the nose, honey sweetness and flavor is less masked and it changes the profile dramatically. Other tasters agree that as the beer warms, what seems like not so much honey, turns into a bitto honey candy with yeast, malt and hops added.
Overall, this was a pretty nice little beer. Good work from Prism Brewing Company. PA is starting to overwhelm other nearby states with the amount of quality local options.
Nov 12, 2014When first served, the hops stick out alot with a nice resinous character and strong bitterness. The honey is light and in the background, along with a toffee like, malty aftertaste. As the beer warms, much like the nose, honey sweetness and flavor is less masked and it changes the profile dramatically. Other tasters agree that as the beer warms, what seems like not so much honey, turns into a bitto honey candy with yeast, malt and hops added.
Overall, this was a pretty nice little beer. Good work from Prism Brewing Company. PA is starting to overwhelm other nearby states with the amount of quality local options.
Rated by ShaneHarris from Pennsylvania
4/5 rDev +13.6%
4/5 rDev +13.6%
Great IPA, bitter but it's one of those IPAs where the hops have a strong flavor and you can get some hints of all the other ingredients.
Nov 07, 2014Reviewed by Bouleboubier from New Jersey
3.25/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
(best by of 12/20/14 - poured into a balloon)
L: dark amber in color... pours clear until the last 1/2 oz or so - pasty sediment sneaks out (no indication on label of bottle-conditioning... the head had a messy look, mid-sized bubbles, as if it is young and dank with lees... the liquid ends up really cloudy, practically opaque
S: bold, rich, dark honey aroma, with a bit of an herbal edge... some fruity hops (or simply esters) adding delicate highlights... smells more like a braggot than a common ale... hint of tincture-like booze during the final sips
T: bitto nasty, yeasty bite right away - could be unfiltered-out hop matter as well... the inviting honey aromas do not carry over into the taste as much as one would expect - a somewhat black tea like flavor dominates, supported by a thinned-out, honey-smattered, non-distinct malt foundation... leafy, herbal-bitter notes take hold in the aftertaste - like eating a handful of grass... some honey peeks in here and there, but the bitter elements run the show
F: medium-fullish, a little sticky, a little gummy... not much fizz at all, which likely lends to its mellow, but mostly flat and stiff/dull flow... subtle, fine graininess across the tongue
O: I suppose this is a somewhat unique brew in these parts... I could see it satiating thirst for beer on the trail with a handful of toasty granola... worth a try, but not sure I'd crave it... perhaps it's something that could grow on ya
Sep 20, 2014L: dark amber in color... pours clear until the last 1/2 oz or so - pasty sediment sneaks out (no indication on label of bottle-conditioning... the head had a messy look, mid-sized bubbles, as if it is young and dank with lees... the liquid ends up really cloudy, practically opaque
S: bold, rich, dark honey aroma, with a bit of an herbal edge... some fruity hops (or simply esters) adding delicate highlights... smells more like a braggot than a common ale... hint of tincture-like booze during the final sips
T: bitto nasty, yeasty bite right away - could be unfiltered-out hop matter as well... the inviting honey aromas do not carry over into the taste as much as one would expect - a somewhat black tea like flavor dominates, supported by a thinned-out, honey-smattered, non-distinct malt foundation... leafy, herbal-bitter notes take hold in the aftertaste - like eating a handful of grass... some honey peeks in here and there, but the bitter elements run the show
F: medium-fullish, a little sticky, a little gummy... not much fizz at all, which likely lends to its mellow, but mostly flat and stiff/dull flow... subtle, fine graininess across the tongue
O: I suppose this is a somewhat unique brew in these parts... I could see it satiating thirst for beer on the trail with a handful of toasty granola... worth a try, but not sure I'd crave it... perhaps it's something that could grow on ya
Reviewed by microbrewlover from Pennsylvania
2.5/5 rDev -29%
2.5/5 rDev -29%
This brew pours a brown color with an off white two finger head which lasts, it took me two pours to get all of the beer into the glass, and good lacing.
The smell is floral and some citrus hops, there is melon, lemon, orange and pine. Everything just runs together, it is difficult to pick out the individual flavors.
The taste begins with a malty backbone then moves to the hops; this is where we have a problem. All of the hops run together like a bitter palette shedding mess. There is no subtlety. There is a bitter, not a good king of bitter, aftertaste that lingers in the mouth after swallowing. In spite of the name I cannot taste any honey.
Overall, if you like a bitter ale with a strong malt backbone then this is for you. Otherwise, there are better representations of this style out there and don't expect to taste any honey.
Sep 11, 2014The smell is floral and some citrus hops, there is melon, lemon, orange and pine. Everything just runs together, it is difficult to pick out the individual flavors.
The taste begins with a malty backbone then moves to the hops; this is where we have a problem. All of the hops run together like a bitter palette shedding mess. There is no subtlety. There is a bitter, not a good king of bitter, aftertaste that lingers in the mouth after swallowing. In spite of the name I cannot taste any honey.
Overall, if you like a bitter ale with a strong malt backbone then this is for you. Otherwise, there are better representations of this style out there and don't expect to taste any honey.
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