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The Bitter End, Austin, Texas

The Bitter End is attractively decorated with wood panelling. However, it is very dark. Although I was there in the middle of a Texas summer day, anything ten feet away from me seemed to disappear into the gloom. More light in the decor would greatly improve the atmosphere.

The beers at The Bitter End were very good, although high hop flavour seemed to be a hallmark. I first tried the seasonal, a Saison. I liked it, although I am not sufficiently familiar with the style to say how good a repesentative it was. The head brewer said the high hop flavour in that was by accident, the result of hops being in better condition than expected.

Then I went to their bitter. In England, bitter and pale ale are often the same brew. The portion that is conditioned in casks is bitter, what is pasteurised and bottled is pale ale. This is not the usual procedure in America. Their bitter, at about 20 units of bitterness, is not overly bitter, yet the hop taste was very noticeable. Since I like hops, I liked the bitter. It was very tasty, good malt flavour although the hop taste was too high to call it balanced, and easy to drink. However I steered clear of the pale with its nearly 40 units of bitterness.

Instead I went to the amber. This is a modified American version of a Scotch Ale. It was stunning. As suited a Scotch, the hop touch was very light. Instead the overwhelming flavour was of malt. It was delicious. The head brewer said if I had tried that first, before getting so many hops from the other two brews, I would have noticed hints of peat smoked malt. Although nothing like a normal American amber, it was filled with glorious beer taste that made drinking it a delight.

The menu at The Bitter End is not large, but it is eclectic. Whatever your tastes, there is bound to be something on the menu you will like. Dining there frequently might cause the choices to become too familiar, but an occasional meal will provide something to satisfy anyone. I chose what I thought would be an ordinary cheese and tomato pizza. I was very wrong. It exploded with flavour just as much as did the amber ale. The careful balance of herbs made it the most delicious pizza I can remember tasting, without all the extraneous ingredients most firms use to try to make a pizza interesting. But beware. Do NOT eat it before going on a date. Its use of garlic ceases to be secret very quickly!