Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers' yeast. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea Malting is a process applied to Cereal grains in which the grains are made to Germinate by soaking in water and are then quickly halted from germinating further Barley ( Hordeum vulgare) is an annual Cereal Grain, which serves as a major animal Feed crop, with smaller amounts used for Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a Species of Budding Yeast. It is perhaps the most useful Yeast owing to its use since ancient times Yeasts are a growth form of eukaryotic Microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with about 1500 Species currently described This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Fermentation in Food processing typically refers to the conversion of Sugar to Alcohol using Yeast under Anaerobic conditions Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer. Hops are the female Flower cones of the hop plant ( Humulus lupulus) The other major style of beer is lager, which is bottom-fermented. Lager (storage camp bearing etc is the more popular of two main types of Beer; the other being Ale.

Ales are common in Britain, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the eastern provinces of Canada and among craft beer consumers in the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A microbrewery, or craft brewery, is a modern Brewery which produces a limited amount of beer usually with an orientation toward distinctive and flavorful products The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The German word for "top-fermenting" is "obergärig"; the French equivalent is "Haute fermentation".

Contents 1 History of ale 2 Modern ale 3 Varieties of ale 3.1 Pale ale 3.2 Brown ale 3.3 Dark ale 3.4 Light ale 3.5 Irish red ale 3.6 Belgian ales 3.7 German ales 3.8 Scotch ales 3.9 Old ales 3.10 Cream ales 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

History of ale

Before the introduction of hops into England from the Netherlands in the 15th century the name "ale" was exclusively applied to unhopped fermented beverages, the term "beer" being gradually introduced to describe a brew with an infusion of hops. The hop ( Humulus) is a small genus of Flowering plants native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea This distinction no longer applies.

Beer generally needs a bittering agent to balance the sweetness of the malt, and act as a preservative. Ale was typically bittered with gruit, a mixture of herbs and/or spices which was boiled in the wort in place of hops. Gruit (sometimes grut) is an old-fashioned Herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring Beer, popular before the extensive use of hops.

Ale was an important drink in the medieval world as a staple food, along with bread. As both undergo fermentation they were considered to be of supernatural import. Fermentation in Food processing typically refers to the conversion of Sugar to Alcohol using Yeast under Anaerobic conditions

The word 'ale' comes from the Old English ealu, in turn from the Proto-Indo-European base *alut-, which holds connotations of "sorcery, magic, possession, intoxication".

Modern ale

A modern ale is commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. Ales are normally brewed with top-fermenting yeasts, though a number of British brewers, including Fullers and Weltons, use ale yeast strains that have less pronounced top-fermentation characteristics. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a Species of Budding Yeast. It is perhaps the most useful Yeast owing to its use since ancient times Weltons Brewery is an independent brewery founded by Ray Welton in 1995 in Dorking, England. The important distinction for ales is that they are fermented at higher temperatures and thus ferment more quickly than lagers. Pale lager is a very pale to golden -coloured Beer with a well attenuated body and noble hop bitterness

Ale is typically fermented at temperatures between 15 and 24 °C (60 and 75°F). Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised Beer which is conditioned (including Secondary fermentation Handpumps are used primarily in developing nations as a manually powered means of bringing water to the surface from a Borehole, Rainwater tank or well The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 At these temperatures, yeast produces significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavour and aroma products, and the result is often a beer with slightly "fruity" compounds resembling but not limited to apple, pear, pineapple, banana, plum, or prune. Esters are a class of Chemical compounds and Functional groups Esters consist of an inorganic or organic Acid in which at least The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. A pear is a pomaceous Fruit produced by a tree of Genus Pyrus. Pineapple ( Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible Tropical Plant and also its Fruit It is native to the southern part of Brazil For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. A plum or gage is a stone fruit Tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. A prune is any of various of various Plum species mostly Prunus domesticus or European Plum (commonly referred to as a Sugar Plum Typical ales have a sweeter, fuller body than lagers. Mouthfeel is a product’s physical and Chemical interaction in the mouth

Differences between some ales and lagers can be difficult to categorise. Steam beer, Kölsch and some modern British Golden Summer Beers use elements of both lager and ale production. Steam beer may be defined as a highly effervescent beer made by brewing lager yeasts at ale fermentation temperatures Kölsch is a local Beer speciality brewed in Cologne, Germany. Baltic Porter and Bière de Garde may be produced by either lager or ale methods or a combination of both. However, lager production is perceived to produce cleaner tasting, dryer and lighter beer than ale.

Beers classed as ale use predominantly barley malts, though lambics and some wheat beers, which also use wheat, are brewed using the ale brewing methods. Lambic is a very distinctive type of Beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels) Wheat beer is a Beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of Wheat.

In a number of U.S. states, especially in the western United States, "ale" is the term mandated by state law for any beverage fermented from grain with an alcoholic strength above that which can legally be named "beer," without regard to the method of fermentation or the yeast used. A US state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of the United States of America that share Sovereignty with the federal government The Western United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American West or simply the West &mdashtraditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost

In many countries ale has lost popularity somewhat with the introduction of a wider variety of alcoholic beverages, most notably lagers and alcopops. Lager (storage camp bearing etc is the more popular of two main types of Beer; the other being Ale. Alcopop is a term describing certain flavored alcoholic beverages including Malt beverages to which various fruit juices or other flavorings have been added However in Britain sales of bottled ale rose by 8. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 4% in 2006^[1].

Varieties of ale

Pale ale

Main article: Pale ale

Pale ales are brewed using a pale barley malt, the classic example being the bitter of English pubs. Pale ale is a term used to describe a variety of Beers which use Ale yeast and predominantly pale Malts It is widely considered to be one of the major Bitter is a British term for a style of Beer or Pale ale. The expression first appeared in the UK in the early 19th century as part of the development Strengths vary from under 3% abv to over 20% in some rare barley wines. Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) is a standard measure of how much alcohol ( Ethanol) is contained in an Alcoholic beverage Barley wine or Barleywine is a style of strong Ale originating in England in the nineteenth century (derived from the March or October beers Hop levels also vary - ranging from barely noticeable to over 100 IBUs in some examples of India Pale Ale. The International Bitterness Units scale, or simply IBU scale, provides a measure of the bitterness of Beer, which is provided by the hops used India Pale Ale, abbreviated IPA, is an ale that is light amber to copper in color medium to medium-high Alcohol by volume, with hoppy, bitter and sometimes India Pale Ale (IPA) was originally brewed to survive the journey from England to her colonies in Asia, well-hopped and high in gravity, but the term may be used today to indicate a session bitter or a super-premium pale ale. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Bitter is a British term for a style of Beer or Pale ale. The expression first appeared in the UK in the early 19th century as part of the development Amber ale is a North American term for a slightly darker style of this type, that probably takes its name from the ambrée of France. Pale ale is a term used to describe a variety of Beers which use Ale yeast and predominantly pale Malts It is widely considered to be one of the major This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Brown ale

Main article: Brown ale

A darker barley malt is used to produce brown ales, of which the English mild and Belgian oud bruin are examples. Brown ale is a Style of beer made with a dark or brown Malt. The term brown beer was first used by London brewers in the late 1600s to describe their Mild ale is a low- gravity, malty beer that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1600s or earlier The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Oud Bruin, also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of Beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. They tend to be lightly hopped, and fairly mildly flavoured, often with a nutty taste. In the south of England they are dark brown, around 3-3. 5% alcohol and quite sweet; in the north they are red-brown, 4. 5-5% and drier. English brown ales first appeared in the early 1900s, with Manns Brown Ale and Newcastle Brown Ale as the best-known examples. Brown ale is a Style of beer made with a dark or brown Malt. The term brown beer was first used by London brewers in the late 1600s to describe their Newcastle Brown Ale is a brand of dark Brown ale. It has been brewed in Tyne & Wear, England, since April 1927 by Newcastle Breweries (now Newcastle Federation The style became popular with homebrewers in North America in the early 1980s; Pete's Wicked Ale is an example, similar to the English original but substantially hoppier. The 1980s was the decade spanning from January 1 1980 to December 31 1989. Pete's Brewing Company was founded by homebrewer Pete Slosberg in 1986

Dark ale

Main articles: Stout and Porter (beer)

Dark ales are brewed using dark-roasted barley malts. Stout and porter are dark Beers made using roasted Malts or roast Barley. Porter is a dark-coloured style of Beer. The history and development of Stout and porter are intertwined Porter was a London style that became extinct but has been revived in recent years, particularly in North America by companies such as Sierra Nevada. Porters range from brown to black in colour; a version of porter using more highly roasted malt to give a black colour was known as a "stout porter", or simply "stout". Stout and porter are dark Beers made using roasted Malts or roast Barley. The English preferred sweet stout, typified by Mackeson's, a brew of around 3. Mackeson's XXX is a dark sweet Beer. It is one of the few surviving examples of an old southern English style of sweet Stout also known as milk stout so-called 75% to which milk sugars had been added. In Ireland dry stout became popular, exemplified by Guinness. Guinness (ˈɡɪnɪs is a popular Dry stout that originated in Arthur Guinness ' brewery at St Imperial Stout, or Imperial Russian Stout, is an even "bigger" style of 8-10%, originally exported as a winter warmer to the Russian court. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending

Light ale

In England, a light ale is the bottled version of a basic bitter. In Scotland, "Light" indicates the lowest gravity draught beer, which is often dark in colour. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. In neither case does the term imply "low-calorie".

Irish red ale

Main article: Irish red ale

Irish red ale is a type of ale originating in Ireland. Pale ale is a term used to describe a variety of Beers which use Ale yeast and predominantly pale Malts It is widely considered to be one of the major Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The slightly reddish colour comes from the use of roasted barley, in addition to the malt. The beers are typically fairly low in alcohol (3. 5% ABV typically), although stronger export versions are brewed. A red ale tastes less bitter or hoppy than an English ale, with a pronounced malty, caramel flavour. Caramel (pronounced /ˈkærəmɛl/ or /ˈkɑrməl/ refers to a range of confections that are Beige to dark brown in Color, derived from the

Belgian ales

Main article: Belgian beer

Belgium produces a wide variety of specialty ales that elude easy classification. It is claimed that Belgian beer comprises the most diverse national collection of quality beer in the world and varies from the popular Pale lager to Lambic The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those In addition to making a variety of blonde ale, all Trappist beer and virtually all Abbey beer are ales. Blonde ales, also called golden ales range in color from that of Straw to golden blond(e. A Trappist beer is a Beer brewed by or under control of Trappist monks It is claimed that Belgian beer comprises the most diverse national collection of quality beer in the world and varies from the popular Pale lager to Lambic Many Belgian ales are high in alcoholic content but light in body due to the addition of large amounts of sucrose, which provides an alcohol boost with an essentially neutral flavour. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those

Trappist beers are brewed under direct control of the monks themselves. A Trappist beer is a Beer brewed by or under control of Trappist monks Of the 171 Trappist monasteries throughout the world, only seven brew beer, of which there are six in Belgium. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The seventh is in the Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Abbey beer is brewed by commercial breweries using the name of a monastery, often one that no longer exists or sometimes, one that has licensed its name to a brewery. It is claimed that Belgian beer comprises the most diverse national collection of quality beer in the world and varies from the popular Pale lager to Lambic

German ales

Main articles: Kölsch (beer), Altbier, wheat beer, and Berliner Weisse

German ales tend to be fermented at a somewhat lower temperature, and have more body than British or Belgian ales due to differences in mashing process; the traditional German decoction mash tends to create more oligosaccharides to provide body to the beer. Kölsch is a local Beer speciality brewed in Cologne, Germany. Altbier (often abbreviated to Alt) is the name given to a form of German top-fermenting beer that originated in Westphalia and spread to parts of the Rhineland Wheat beer is a Beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of Wheat. Berliner Weiße is a type of Wheat beer brewed exclusively in the area of Berlin, Germany. An oligosaccharide is a Saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to ten of component sugars also known as Simple sugars. The best-known varieties are Kölsch, a very pale ale from Cologne, and altbier (most associated with Düsseldorf but made in other parts of western Germany as well); wheat beers such as Hefeweizen and Berliner Weisse are also technically ales, though they may have different flavours, particularly the pronounced banana-like estery flavour of hefeweizen. Altbier (often abbreviated to Alt) is the name given to a form of German top-fermenting beer that originated in Westphalia and spread to parts of the Rhineland Düsseldorf (ˈdʏsəldɔɐf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Wheat beer is a Beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of Wheat. Berliner Weiße is a type of Wheat beer brewed exclusively in the area of Berlin, Germany. Esters are a class of Chemical compounds and Functional groups Esters consist of an inorganic or organic Acid in which at least

Scotch ales

Main article: Scotch ale

The ales of Scotland generally have a malt accent. Pale ale is a term used to describe a variety of Beers which use Ale yeast and predominantly pale Malts It is widely considered to be one of the major Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. While the full range of ales is produced in Scotland, the term "Scotch Ale" is used internationally to denote a malty, strong dark ale. The malt may be slightly caramelised to impart toffee notes, or smoked (as it is for whisky production).

Old ales

Main article: Old ale

In England, old ale was strong beer traditionally kept for about a year, gaining sharp, acetic flavours as it did so. Old ale is a term commonly applied to dark malty beers in the UK, usually above 5% Abv, often also called Winter Warmers also to dark ales of any strength in The term is now applied to medium-strong dark beers, some of which are treated to resemble the traditional old ales. In Australia the term is used even less discriminately, and is a general name for any dark beer. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Belgian oud bruin is similar to the traditional English old ale.

Cream ales

Main article: Cream Ale

Cream ales are related to American lagers. Cream ale is a style of Beer which describes an American beer resembling a Kölsch, as well as a beer served with Nitrogen. American-style lager beer is a common variety of beer a type of Pale lager, traditionally made and consumed in North America but also popular in much of the rest of the world They are generally brewed to be light and refreshing with a straw to pale golden colour. Hop and malt flavour is usually subdued but some breweries give them a more assertive character. Two examples are Genesee Cream Ale and Little Kings Cream Ale. High Falls Brewing Company (High Falls is an American brewery located along the Genesee River in Rochester New York. While cream ales are top-fermented ales, they typically undergo an extended period of cold-conditioning or lagering after primary fermentation is complete. This reduces fruity esters and gives the beer a cleaner flavour. Some examples also have a lager yeast added for the cold-conditioning stage or are even blended with lager. Adjuncts such as maize and rice are used to lighten the body and flavour although there are all-malt examples available.

References

See also

• Cask ale
• Beer style
• Lager
• Wheat beer

External links

• Michael Jackson on Ale and Porter

Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised Beer which is conditioned (including Secondary fermentation Beer style is a term used to differentiate and categorize Beers by various factors such as colour flavour strength ingredients production method recipe history or origin Lager (storage camp bearing etc is the more popular of two main types of Beer; the other being Ale. Wheat beer is a Beer that is brewed with a significant proportion of Wheat.

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