-
Stop lurking! Log in to search, post in our forums, review beers, see fewer ads, and more. — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate
Best Bitter
Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company
- From:
- Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company
- Maine, United States
- Style:
- English Bitter
Ranked #88 - ABV:
- 5%
- Score:
- 82
Ranked #25,121 - Avg:
- 3.6 | pDev: 12.5%
- Reviews:
- 116
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Oct 26, 2022
- Added:
- Apr 26, 1999
- Wants:
- 6
- Gots:
- 10
Best Bitter was the first beer we ever brewed, way back in 1988 at our Portland Brew Pub. This true English classic has been the anchor of our draft selection ever since.
Best Bitter is a copper-hued and well-balanced ale with real old world integrity. We use fine Yakima Golding hop flowers in the brewing of this beer for a fine dry finish that compliments the malty palate. The taste captures the freshness of a hand-drawn ale that goes right from the conditioning tank to your glass!
25 IBU
Best Bitter is a copper-hued and well-balanced ale with real old world integrity. We use fine Yakima Golding hop flowers in the brewing of this beer for a fine dry finish that compliments the malty palate. The taste captures the freshness of a hand-drawn ale that goes right from the conditioning tank to your glass!
25 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by KarlosT:
Reviewed by KarlosT from Massachusetts
2.75/5 rDev -23.6%
2.75/5 rDev -23.6%
Wow. Can't believe the high scores.
Got a flight at the Gritty McDuff's in Portland ME:
Halloween Ale
Cask Best Bitter
Maine's Best IPA
Pub Style
All were exactly the same amber color, with the same head. The aroma was exactly the same, except for the Pub Style. I also had a pint of their Black Fly Stout, which fortunately did have a different color.
I iterated between their Halloween Ale, their IPA, and their Cask Bitter. All were exactly the same, except that the Cask Bitter was slightly warmer.
When I suggested to the waitress that the beers might have been mis-poured, she said that they were correct, that she was also a bartender, and that she could tell from the color of the pours.
Assuming what I drank was correct ...
I found the beer was watery, and it was as though they used poor quality water. All their beers had an off after-taste ... as though their was a Gritty McDuffs flavor they added to all their beers (including their stout)
Mouth feel was watery. And a little evervescent ... a slight bite from the c02. Interesting, even the cask best bitter had a slight CO2 bite to it.
Very sorry I went to this pub. Food was ok. But the beers were mediocre to poor.
Oct 18, 2014Got a flight at the Gritty McDuff's in Portland ME:
Halloween Ale
Cask Best Bitter
Maine's Best IPA
Pub Style
All were exactly the same amber color, with the same head. The aroma was exactly the same, except for the Pub Style. I also had a pint of their Black Fly Stout, which fortunately did have a different color.
I iterated between their Halloween Ale, their IPA, and their Cask Bitter. All were exactly the same, except that the Cask Bitter was slightly warmer.
When I suggested to the waitress that the beers might have been mis-poured, she said that they were correct, that she was also a bartender, and that she could tell from the color of the pours.
Assuming what I drank was correct ...
I found the beer was watery, and it was as though they used poor quality water. All their beers had an off after-taste ... as though their was a Gritty McDuffs flavor they added to all their beers (including their stout)
Mouth feel was watery. And a little evervescent ... a slight bite from the c02. Interesting, even the cask best bitter had a slight CO2 bite to it.
Very sorry I went to this pub. Food was ok. But the beers were mediocre to poor.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
3.85/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.85/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Cask at the Great British Beer Festival 2008. Deep golden to amber colour. Nice fruity hops in the aroma. Decent hops in the flavour too, notes of blackcurrant leaves.
Oct 26, 2022Rated by TheBigBeerGuy19 from Canada (ON)
2.4/5 rDev -33.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
2.4/5 rDev -33.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Not a fan of this beer. Was hoping for more after hearing good things from a few friends. Taste is inconsistent from beer to beer.
Jun 23, 2017Rated by Sludgeman from District of Columbia
3.48/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
3.48/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Had this beer on cask. Definitely made for a better tasting beer, but this beer no where near the top of my list.
May 13, 2015
Best Bitter from Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company
Beer rating:
82 out of
100 with
197 ratings
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! Check out: How to Review a Beer. You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!