Catskills Wedding Beer: Best Man's Bitter Brew

As previously mentioned, I attended a Catskills wedding last weekend for two really great friends, Rachel and Darren. It was one of the most uniquely beautiful weddings I've been to. The couple (and maid of honor) put together such a detailed event, it was hard to keep track of everything! But one of the standout details was the custom made beer made by the best man, Bill.

Here is a very thorough background on the birth of this beer, courtesy of the best best man.


Best Man's Bitter Brew

I wanted to make something for the wedding that would be relatively light and drinkable, what beer drinkers would call a "session beer," with just enough bitterness and hop flavor and aroma to keep it interesting. I decided to do a type of English pale ale called a "special or (alternately) best bitter." The style I chose also made naming the beer fairly easy: Best Man's Bitter Brew. English pale ales (bitters, special/best bitters, and extra special bitters) tend to be a bit less hoppy/more balanced than American pale ales. They also tend to be slightly darker in color than their American counterparts. This beer was a little nontraditional, though, in that I used hops from New Zealand that added a little more citrus aroma instead of East Kent Goldings hops.


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