How ale differs from beer + description of 11 types of ale

Perhaps it's worth starting with the fact that this is a fairly popular question, which is not quite correct in its essence.

The fact is that beer refers to all low-alcohol beverages produced as a result of alcoholic fermentation of malt wort. Thus, ale, which falls into this category, is only one type of beer.

However, in the beer culture inherent in the post-Soviet space, beer is actually identified with its other type - lager. Accordingly, by asking the above question, a Russian-speaking lover of low-alcohol malt products really wants to find out for himself how ale differs from lager. And this is the question that Vzboltai answers...

Types of ale

1. Bitter ale

   A type of pale ale that has a very pleasant and pronounced taste.

   The drink got its name several centuries ago, when English brewers began using hops, which gives beer a bitter flavor.

   A typical bitter ale has a dark copper color, although some specialty beers have an amber to bronze color.

   Strength: 3% to 7%

2. Pale Ale or Pale Ale

   One of the main varieties of English beer, as more hops are used in its production, which in the past allowed the beer to better withstand long transportation to remote colonies of the British Empire.

   The main difference is the spicy flavor and lighter color.

3. India Pale Ale

   Strongly hopped type of pale ale.

   Hops give beer a rich aroma and pleasant bitterness.

   This is the most popular style of craft beer in the United States.

   Subspecies: Imperial, Black, American, Season, Double, Triple.

   The degree of bitterness: 15 - 120

   Strength: 8% - 12%

   Density: 1.005 - 1.040

   Color: dark shades

4. Mild ale

   This style of beer originated in Great Britain in the 17th century and has a predominantly malt flavor.

   Modern mild ales are mostly dark in color with an alcohol content of 3% to 3.6%, although there are examples of lighter shades, as well as stronger ones reaching 6% and higher.

5. Brown ale (Brown Ale)

   Traditional dark English beer with an alcohol content of 2.8 to 5.4%.

   In addition to all shades of brown, it has a strong malt flavor and a characteristic nutty aroma.

6. Strong Ale

   It is superior to lighter variants in terms of density, alcohol content and malt saturation.

   The taste may contain fruity notes or a sour tint.

   Old, aged and dark ales are also considered special types of strong ale.

7. Barley wine (Barley wine)

   A drink that often contains more than 10 degrees of alcohol.

   Beer is made from grain. Color from brownish-golden to black.

   There are two main varieties of barley wine: English barley wine, which has a slight hop bitterness and a wide variety of colors ranging from red-gold to black, and American barley wine, which is more bitter and varies in color from amber to light brown.

   Strength from 8% to 12%.

8. Irish Red Ale

   Differs in color from amber to dark copper, good transparency. Forms a small foam from off-white to yellow-brown color.

   It has a mild flavor and sweetness of caramel malt, sometimes with a taste of toasted bread with butter or caramel.

   Moderate malt aroma with notes of caramel.

   Strength from 4 to 6 %.

9. Scottish ale (Scotch Ale or Wee Heavy)

   Originated in Edinburgh in the 1800s. This is a super malted, rich ale full of caramel flavors and aromas.

   Has a dark brown, rich color with a high alcohol content (6 to 10%).

   A slight bitterness may be present in the taste, although strong caramel flavors tend to dominate the noticeable bitterness.

   Some Scottish ales can have a slightly peaty taste.

10. Porter

    National English beer, which unites many subtypes of dark beer under its name.

    Made from at least two types of malt, one of which is brown malt.

11. Stout

    An Irish derivative of porter, characterized by the presence of expressive coffee notes and burnt flavor in the flavor bouquet, as well as perfect light resistance.

    Nowadays, along with the classic version containing a relatively high percentage of alcohol, there are sour oyster stout, which is even more popular, Irish dry stout, its sweet English counterpart containing lactose, as well as imperial and tropical stouts that can easily withstand the vagaries of transportation.

    Read more about stout

In addition, the following drinks fall under the concept of ale:

1. Trappist beer produced in Belgium, Holland and France (including the famous Quadrupel).

2. Red or Burgundy (according to the wine color of the drink) Flanders ale of Belgian origin.

3. Bavarian Wheat Beer and Old Beer originate from Dusseldorf, Germany.

Differences between ale and beer

1. The method of top alcoholic fermentation is used in the production of ale

   It is based on the lightness inherent in yeast fungi growing in the Old World.

   In the process of fermentation, such yeast inevitably floats to the surface of the liquid, forming a kind of hat.

   It was only with the discovery of America that a heavier variety of yeast, which settles to the bottom of a vat or barrel during fermentation, came to Europe.

   Over time, these yeast fungi were used to make lager (classic beer).

2. The fermentation temperature of ale varies between 15 and 24°C, as lighter yeasts prefer warmth

   Their overseas counterparts feel much more comfortable at lower temperatures (5-14°C, and sometimes even lower).

   The latter circumstance makes it possible to reduce the intensity of reproduction of various microorganisms in the liquid, and thus protect beer from rapid souring.

   However, the possibility of using American yeast on an industrial scale, and thus the introduction of lager into mass production, appeared only with the invention of powerful refrigeration units.

   Fermentation at higher temperatures, accompanied by intense release of various essential compounds and natural flavors, makes ale brighter and more intense, although less stable and controlled than lager.

   In addition, due to the same thermal factor, the process of primary maturation of ale is much faster than in the case of lager. It lasts on average from two weeks to two months.

3. Classic ale, unlike lager, is not subjected to pasteurization or filtration

   Therefore, it continues to ferment, as the British say, to the last drop.

   Such a "live" drink has incomparably brighter and more individual flavors, but its shelf life is limited to a few days.

Questions and answers about ale from Zbovtay

1. Ale is stronger than beer?

   Answer: No. Strength indicators overlap with various variants of regular beer.

2. Guinness ale or lager?

   The answer: In the first place Guinness - is stout, Which is a type of ale.

3. Which Irish ale to choose?

   Answer: Read information about types of ale. Shake likes stouts, but pale ales are also interesting, you just have to taste it, otherwise nothing else.

4. Ale how many degrees?

   Answer: Big question, in short 2,8 to 12 percent by volume.

5. Who invented ale?

   The answer: People who lived on the territory of today's Iran. Scientists have been studying ancient ceramics using chemical tests that show traces of beer dating back 7000 years. This does not mean that beer was invented at that time, but it is the oldest evidence.

6. How much did the most expensive ale cost?

   Question: Nail Brewing's Antarctic Nail Ale at a price of $800 to $1800 per 500 ml.

Update: 09.02.2020

Category: Beer, Cider, Ale