Greene King

Why it matters

A study in scale: its beers reach more British pubs than almost any other cask brand, which makes them many drinkers’ reference for what bitter tastes like.

Details

Reference beers

• Abbot Ale5% ABV

  A full, fruity strong bitter with unusually wide British distribution, and for many drinkers the default "premium bitter".

• Greene King IPA3.6% ABV

  A Suffolk session bitter sold as an IPA, and the clearest example of how loosely that name has been used in Britain.

BeerHQ carries only the products that anchor something. This is not the brewery’s full range.

Styles it is associated with

• Best bitter — A step up from ordinary bitter in strength and depth, with more malt body while staying firmly sessionable.
• Strong bitter — The strongest of the bitters, with pronounced malt richness, firm bitterness and noticeable fruit from warm fermentation.
• Old ale — A matured English strong ale with dried fruit, treacle and often a trace of oxidative or wild character from age.

Traditions

• British cask ale — Beer that completes its fermentation in the container it is served from and is dispensed without added gas, at cellar rather than fridge temperature.