What is Ale?

Hops and fermented barley malt are used to make a type of beer known as ale. Another name given to this beer is English beer. This beer is dark in color, is strong and taste a bit bitter. In the ancient ages, an alcoholic beverage was made using malted barley and the name given to it was ale. This beverage did not contain hops as they were not introduced in England till then. In England, hops came from Netherlands in the 15^th century. Beer came in when hops were used in the brewing process. Modern ale is different than the ale of yesteryears and is referred to as the strain of yeast used in the fermentation process of beer.

One can find different types of ale namely:

Light ale

Old ale

Irish red

German

Dark ale

Belgian

Pale ale

Cream ale

Brown ale

Scotch

Modern ale

The temperature of 15-24 degree Celsius is kept while fermenting ale. During this time, the production of esters and aroma products by the yeast is significant and thus it results in formation of a beer which has a slight fruity flavor. It might resemble to fruits like pineapple, plum, prune, pear, apple and banana.

Here is some more information about the type of ale available

Brown ale

Brown ales are produced with the help of barley malt that is dark in color. This ale has a nutty and mild flavor while having a slight tinge of hops. The alcohol content in brown ale is around 3-3.5% in the southern parts of England and around 4.5-5% in the northern parts. Some of the best examples of ale from yester years are Manns Brown Ale and Newcastle Brown Ale which made their entry into the market in the 1900s.

Pale ale

Malt dried with coke is used to prepare beer and this beer variety was called pale ale. Int eh 15^th century, roasting of malt was done with the help of Coke. The term being used for this ale came around in the 16^th century.

Scotch ales

This ale has a characteristic strong and malty flavor. In some places, a toffee flavor is induced in them by caramelizing them a bit.

Mild ale

Unaged ale was being referred as mild ale. This ale type was truly the opposite of old ale. The color of this ale is generally dark brown and it can have any strength and any color.

Burton Ale

Characterized by sweet, dark and strong flavors, this ale was kept at the brewery for a longer period of time and was always brewed so as to make it stronger. It was also used in the young beers. Barley wines and Burton Ales are compared sometimes.

Old ale

These ales were kept in the brewery for a whole year so that it can get its strong flavor. This helped it in getting acetic and sharp flavors. The medium strong dark beers available today are referred to as old ale.

Belgian ales

Ales produced in Belgium can be recognized very easily. The body of these beers is light while the alcohol content is more. This is because a lot of sucrose is added to the ale that causes the flavor of alcohol to get a boost.