Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) Suffolk County Best Bitter

Tasting Summary

These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.

The Mermaid, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		16 May 2026	1st beer of this visit: Served with good head and lasting lacing on this Suffolk traditional bitter from the Long Melford-based brewery set up in 1986* and following their first ever beer’s same recipe. A very dry bitter first hit derived from its blend of classic English Challenger and Sovereign hops. A biscuity, butterscotch sweetness rising with an earthy, herbal and toasted flavouring. A superbly dry bitterness prevailing. A biscuity maltiness from its Maris Otter barley and roasted malts with a prevailing sweetness lingering with a hint of caramel. Served in very good form. *It was originally set up on Nethergate Street in Clare, Suffolk, then moved across the border to Pentlow, Essex, in 2004/2005 before returning in 2017 to its purpose-built facility at Long Melford in south-west Suffolk, and situated right on the border of Essex along the River Stour.
Hogan Sampling		18 Apr 2026	Head and lacing at the start but not hanging onto it on this chestnut best bitter brewed from 2017 in Long Melford, Suffolk. Originally the brewery was based in Nethergate Street in Clare, Suffolk, and so the brewery was named after the street it was set up in, in 1986. A dry bitter first hit. A fruity bitterness rising with fruity, spicy, and herbal notes and suggestions of prunes testing my taste buds. A biscuity maltiness winning over with hints of caramel, toffee and toasted grain. Slightly minus its hoped-for conditioning. A dry caramelised bitterness ebbing out. Not in the best of condition compared to pretty much all the others sampled in St Albans on this visit.
Magnus Greel	Not Tried	22 Apr 2024

The Black Lion, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire

The Merchants Inn, Rugby, Warwickshire

This Ancient Boro', Tenterden, Kent

The Watch House, Lewisham, Greater London

The Royal Oak, Dorchester, Dorset

Who	Score	When	Notes
Trevor		03 May 2019

The Shakespeare's Head, Holborn, Central London

12 Degrees (a.k.a. RAMS Micropub 12 Degrees), Rochester, Kent

The Compass Alehouse, Gravesend, Kent

The Blue Boar, Billericay, Essex

The Alexandra Arms, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

The Mash Tun, Dover, Kent

The Two Halves, Margate, Kent

Turf Tavern, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Goldengrove, Stratford, Greater London

Montefiore Arms, Ramsgate, Kent

The Compton Arms, Islington, Central London

The Swan, Brome, Suffolk

Who	Score	When	Notes
HSB		10 May 2015	Well kept pint.

The Railway, Wymondham, Norfolk

The Whiffler, Hellesdon, Norfolk

The European (formerly Spark House; The Drum), Leyton, Greater London

Who	Score	When	Notes
Philip Pirrip		26 Dec 2014	Nethergate seems to have lost all of its USP - its historic hoppiness

The Beer Emporium, Bristol, Avon

The Wrong Turn, Barfrestone, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Jack William		29 Aug 2014	Only a taster - but not keen, rather sour.

Sir William Peel, Sandy, Bedfordshire

Express Tavern (use other entry now please), Brentford, Greater London

White Hart, Roydon - South Norfolk, Norfolk

The Feathers, Wymondham, Norfolk

Who	Score	When	Notes
HSB		09 Mar 2014	Not to my taste.

The Crown, Westleton, Suffolk

Lobster Shack (formerly The Whitstable Brewery Bar), Whitstable, Kent

The Red Lion, Ripley, Derbyshire

The Amber Rooms, Loughborough, Leicestershire

The Axe & Compasses, Aythorpe Roding, Essex

Who	Score	When	Notes
Wittenden		18 Aug 2010	A dark, almost ruby best bitter. perhaps a little sweet and cloying for me.Too well balanced?

The Harlequin, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Jolly Millers, Cottenham, Cambridgeshire

The County Hotel, Ashford, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Ian	Not Tried	05 Jul 2005
Ian		30 Jun 2005	Mid brown beer with some malty fruit and some hops, but to be honest more or less instantly forgettable, but nothing actually wrong with it