Types of "Beer" - Ale

Ale

Ale is type of beverage that is brewed using malted barley and warm fermentation and then adding a strain of yeast which in turn will ferment the liquid. This fermentation will usually produce a sweet, fruity beverage. The temperature at which the fermentation takes place will ultimately produce different esters from the yeast which will alter the fruit-like flavors. The heaviness (or body) can also vary between light to medium to full. Adding hops are a common place in modern brewing which adds a bitter flavor to compensate and offset the sweetness. While still holding on to the characteristics of ale, the adding of the hops technically changes the name ale to "beer": Hence where the generic titling comes in to play, but ultimately, it still is a brewed ale style of beer.

Modern ale has, for the most part, come to describe a slightly bitter tasting barley beverage. During medieval times, the bitterness was derived from a substance known as gruit (a mixture of different spices and herbs) which was added to the wort (the boiling liquid and grains): For some time now, hops now have replaced the gruit.

There are different types of ales that can brewed. Here are a few of the more popular varietals and their characteristics.

Brown Ale - This type of ale is usually lightly hopped, with a mild nutty flavor. Around the early 1900's when this ale started to be produced, it actually was just named "nut ale". Between the north and south of England, overall they are the same but with slightly different characteristics. in the northern part of the country, they are reddish brown in color, a bit drier, and they usually have a slightly higher alcohol content. In the south, they are a darker brown and a bit sweeter. The most popular example of a brown ale is Newcastle Nut Brown Ale.

Pale Ale - This type of ale is made from malt that is first dried with coke (a high carbon content fuel) before being added to the water to start the brewing process. The malt's flavor is significantly changed after this drying process. During earlier centuries, this ale was also referred to as a Bitter. A few popular examples are Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Stone Pale Ale.

Golden Ale - Very similar to pale ales, it is a lighter color, and served at colder temperatures. They also have a lower alcohol content. Rogue Ales, Oregon Golden is a more popular version.

Scotch Ale - This style of ale is named to denote a strong, malty, amber-to-dark red colored beer. The malts used tend to be a bit sweeter on the palate producing notes of toffee or caramel. It is rumored that the color difference has to due with the generally colder climate of Scotland which gives it its color variation. The "Scotch" in the name is taken from this.

Belgian Ale - Belgian Ale could be considered the "Holy Grail" (or Holy Gr-ale) of the ale family. Generally, they have the highest alcohol content of the varietals of ale with being relatively very light in color and body. This lightness is due to the addition of sucrose during the brewing process. This added ingredient also raises the alcohol content without adding any other unfermentable material to the brew.

Thanks - CHEERS!!!! Charles