I thought I found a diamond earring in our washing machine. Ended up being a Cubic Zirconia. OT sorry, just kinda sad

Here is one!

The bottle says it is an IPA. If an IPA is acceptable, then you're good to go: they sell Greene King in Zurich and Basel (and probably elsewhere too).

But IPA isn't Bitter, it's India Pale Ale.... or Pale Ale that travels/has a longer shelf life... no?

Anyway, I usually stock Sam Smiths Pale Ale and if you remind me, I'll bring a few cases to the Expat Expo in Geneva on 2nd October (I might be at the British Classic Car show in Morges the day before too)

My OH talks about light and biiter and makes mutterings sometimes about pale ale. I think he used to get it when we lived in Belgium but not sure about here. I'll ask him this evening.

I can remember the Double Diamond adverts (Double diamond works wonders and all that) so I must be getting on a bit too.

I think this combination must be a bit of a southern thing as I don't recall seeing it up north where a pint of Tetley's was the norm (or Sam Smiths or Timothy Taylor's if you were posh). OH doesn't consider Tetley's good enough to be called beer.

youre absolutely right, i was mistaken to add IPA in the list of bitters.Its sounds like a plan, I usually go to Morges, maybe we can organise a small event? Otherwise a trip over to the expat expo is on the cards.

Things change. What used to be sold as a pale ale (or light ale) is often just called bitter now. IPA (India Pale Ale) is an ale which was designed for shipping to India so was made to keep longer. It's often quite strong.

A "light and bitter" shiould be a pale ale (the old fashioned weak and malty stuff) mixed with a bitter. It often added a bit of fizz to the drink.

You can't substitute the pale ale from the 70s and 80s with an IPA. In effect, an IPA now is just a bitter, so mixing half a pint of IPA with half a pint of ... IPA or another bitter is pointless.

It's one of those drinks which simply isn't drunk any more. Like asking for a "pint of mild". Keep the memories, don't mess up your tastebuds, and move on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_ale
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mild_ale

My only reason for drinking light and bitter 'back in the days' was to get more than a pint. The half of bitter often turned out to be more like 3/4 pint

That is very true. I liked the taste but if it was your mate serving behind the bar, it would often be a "full" pint

Of course, you can only achieve that by having no head.

There's no accounting for the taste of you southerners, is there?

white shield worthington pale ale, one of englands oldest pale ale for export to india.They left the sediment in the bottle to keep it alive during the transit. It would appear it is still available today. Theres a niche there for someone.

No sir, you just dont add the full bottle of pale ale in one go, and you get the head as adrian said cos the pale ale gives it a bit of zing

I was in a pub in a rough area of London a few years ago, a guy came in and ordered a pint of bitter with a Yorkshire accent, I was about to say hello (being a Yorky meself) when I saw something quite astonishing.

The barman poured a pint, reached under the counter and grabbed a live rat and proceeded to cut its head off on the bar. He then pushed the body, neck down into the beer. We were all astonished but the Yorkshire guy who ordered it was absolutely horrified, and when the barman asked him for £3 he just shook his head muttering "I can't drink that!"

"Why not?" asked the barman.

"It's got no head!"

He left the room quickly, which I guess I should also do

Hi! I'm actually not a beer drinker but I pass this place most days - they always have an intriguing range in the window.
http://www.lamiseenbiere.ch/
It's a little shop called 'La mise en bière' in Lausanne.
So a lot closer to you in Geneva than travelling all the way to Zurich!

Have you checked Jim's British market, just over the border in St Genis?

They have a good selection of British beer, and can sometimes special order stuff, however I have no idea if they have the one you are looking for.
http://www.jims-british-market.com

Reminds me of the time I ordered a White Shield in a bar in Cornwall. The landlord carefully poured it, leaving the sediment in the bottle. A couple of minutes later, a barmaid came along and topped up my glass with the remains

Another 'mixer' was bitter with barley wine (Gold Label etc.) That gave the pint a real kick

St. Peter's, Greene King or Sam Smith's may work OK for light ales. They all tend to be 500ml bottles now though.

Shocker, but very frequent all the same!

I noticed my local is doing sam smiths so just for the hell of it tonight its darts and a sam smiths and london pride. Its no doubt going to cost me the national debt of a small african nation but its worth a try. I shall keep you well and truly posted.

Incidentally, has anyone noticed the lack of female contributions on this thread? It could be considered the men`s bar equivalent at the EF

No need for fancy beer boutiques, you can get Young's London Ale in the Co-Op. It's a bit too strong for my fancy (IIRC it's around 6%) but it is rather nice when you really need a proper tasty beer.

Like Worthington White Shield, secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle, so be careful how you handle and pour it.