English brewers were the last in Europe to start using hops in their beer production. They learned about its properties with the arrival of Flemish immigrants to the islands in the 16th century. Previously, they flavored their beers with mixtures of herbs and spices. Porters and stouts were commonly brewed types of beer at that time. Light beers became popular only with the advent of the industrial revolution, which enabled the production of light malts. New beers began to be hopped more and more boldly, taking advantage of its antiseptic properties, allowing for better durability of delicate light Ales. There are quite a few discrepancies in the unambiguous definition of when we can speak of a Bitter style distinct from the usual Pale Ale. Some say a story from 60 years ago, others say it was about 150 years ago, when beer was referred to as "Bitter Ale". One thing is for sure, the differences between "Pale Ale" and "Bitter" are minimal and we can often hear that they relate to the way of packaging - the barrel version of the beer is "Bitter" bottled - "Pale Ale". This does not mean that we will not find Bitter in the bottle - it is possible.