Expert: Keith Patton - 9/29/2008

Question
Please list top five beers that have the least bitter taste

Answer
Joseph:

Maybe this will help you more.

Hop bittering is to balance the sweetness of the beer.
Hop bitterness inversely proportional to the beer's temperature. Meaning the lower the temperature of the beer (the colder) the more bitter the beer tastes.  

So if you drink a beer that was designed and brewed to be drunk at 40-50 degrees F and it is actually served at budweiser temperature of 33 degrees it will taste far more bitter than it is supposed to.  Most European beers are not made to be drunk ice cold, but rather more like in the high 40's or 50 degree range.

I noticed recently that they are changing to accomodate the american market.  A bottle of Guiness I recently had DID say "Serve Ice Cold".
This tells me they have purposefully changed the recipe so that it will taste nearly the same ice cold as say a draft Guiness does at a higher temperature.

American brewers taut ice cold beer because it saves them money.  Hops are expensive so the colder you have people drink it, the less hops you have to use.  Plus it numbs your tongue and palate and you miss all the delightful flavors in an ale or hoppy beer.

If you don't like hops, try any of the many wheat beers or wit beers.
They taste more fruity and winey.  Also belgian ales have very little hops, more alcohol and are correspondlying a bit pricier.

Keith