Guide to European Beer

Be wary of what beers are actually called.Despite what the the style guidelines might tell you , words like "Best" , "Extra" and "Special" are just names given by the breweries. Quite commonly "Best Bitter" is in fact the weakest beer in the brewery range.And IPA has for a century or so simply been another name for bitter so don't be shocked when your glass of IPA is a modestly hopped sub 4% beer!
Ghostly , I have happy memories of the Black Bull in Coniston.This was in 1998 and I was so impressed by the Bluebird Bitter that when I got back home I persuaded the landlord of my local pub to order some in.Unfortunately just then it was voted Champion Beer of Britain and became harder to get than gold dust.The stuff you buy elsewhere is contracted out.