I have a friend who likes beers that are bitter but not hoppy What beers can you think of that fit this profile? Aside from doing the right thing with your malts, what are other bittering agents that are popularly used, aside from hops? Coffee is an obvious one. Other herbs and spices? Does anyone use bitter melon? There are some google returns for bitter melon beer, but nothing available that I know of.
Hm, I think you're friend likes "bittering hops", just not "aromatic hops". Hops vary wildly, and depending when you add them to the kettle/beer you dramatically different effects. Add some varities early to the boil and you'll get bitter, but not little hop aroma. That's my guess. Edit: Oh, give me a minute to think of some examples.
There are many such beers available here.Holt's of Manchester brews beers renowned for stripping the enamel from your teeth with their bitterness.Believe it or not, Boddington's was similar, now it's cloyingly sweet and a profound disappointment.
I had brewed a beer late last year where I used both hops and sweet gale (myrica gale), one of the more popular gruit additions. It definitely adds a different, somewhat astringent bitterness. I have had good feedback about that particular brew.
Foothills made a Papa Jade a year or so ago, stunningly bitter and nothing but bitter, I don't like sweet IPA's but this bad boy needed some malt to make it drinkable. I met my match with this one bitter wise.
Juniper: Very bitter and not a hop strain. Hops that are extremely bitter - CTZ -Columbus, Zeus and Tomahawk. They contain High Alpha Acids and low to no Beta Acids.
Many stouts get plenty of bitterness from dark grains like roasted barley and/or black patent malt. Guinness is an example.
Big stouts that use a lot of black malt can have a good bit of bitterness, and the style typically does not have much in the way of recognizable hop aromas like in an IPA. Additionally, beers in this style often have notes of coffee or baker's chocolate for additional bitter contributions. Of course these things are also often balanced out by various sweet notes. Some are pretty unapologetic in that department, though, such as Expedition Stout.
Oddly enough, the right beer could just be the perfect German Pils. Plenty of malt for sure, but when good and fresh those noble hops impart a crisp bitterness. A more northern German pils might well hit the mark. I'm a Bavarian advocate, so perhaps others might chime in with a dry pils that they love.
Lambics can be very bitter and sour. Saisons can have a very bitter/funky yeast taste. Smoked Beers can have a very bitter/strong burnt wood taste. They smoke the malts to give it such a strong taste.
