8th Street Ale vs Old Wavertonian: Which Should You Drink?

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8th Street Ale

Four Peaks Brewing Company

United States · English Bitter

hopIQ rank #1066

81%

Overall similarity

side by side, across 56 flavour tags

Old Wavertonian

Spitting Feathers Brewery

United Kingdom · English Bitter

HOPIQ TAKE

8th Street Ale if you want a beer with more presence and warmth, Old Wavertonian if you want something lighter and more delicate. They're both proper English bitters at nearly identical IBU levels, so the bitterness won't differentiate them—it's really about malt backbone and alcohol warmth. That half-degree ABV difference sounds trivial until you're halfway through a pint and feeling it. Choose based on whether you want your bitter to feel substantial in your hand or like it's floating.

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WHEN TO CHOOSE WHICH

Pick 8th Street Ale when…

→You want a beer that feels like an event, not just a beverage
→You're in the mood to taste complexity and malt work
→Evening drinking where you're committed to fewer, better pints

Pick Old Wavertonian when…

→You're at the bar for conversation, not just drinking
→You want bitterness without the alcohol warmth following you around
→It's warm out or you're settling in for a longer session

SIDE BY SIDE

	8th Street Ale	Old Wavertonian
ABV	4.8%	4.4%
Bitterness	Noticeably bitter	Noticeably bitter
Colour	Amber	Golden
Style	English Bitter	English Bitter
Origin	United States	United Kingdom

WHAT IT TASTES OF

9 shared · 4 distinct

Both beers

maltyhoppycaramelbittercleancrisprefreshinglightsmooth

STRUCTURE — HOW IT'S BUILT

8th Street AleOld Wavertonian

Bitterness

Body

TASTING NOTES

8th Street Ale

MaltyEarthyFloral

8th Street hits with a noticeably fuller malt character—there's actual sweetness underneath the bitterness, like brown bread and a hint of caramel. The 4.8% gives it enough weight that the hops feel integrated rather than tacked on, and there's a warming finish that sticks around. It's a bitter that asks you to slow down and actually taste it, not just refresh yourself.

Old Wavertonian

MaltyHoppyBready

Old Wavertonian is cleaner, crisper, lighter on its feet. The malt is there but it's restrained—more like biscuit than bread—which means the bitterness reads sharper even though the IBUs are identical. At 4.4% it feels like a session beer masquerading as a traditional bitter, which is exactly the point. It's the one you can drink three of without feeling it.

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