The History of Real Ale
What is beer?
Beer is actually the world's
oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage. Beer is defined as any
alcoholic drink brewed through the fermentation of starchy material -
the most common being malted barley; however, wheat, corn and rice are
also widely used, usually in conjunction with the barley. This is then
not distilled after fermentation. Since the ingredients used to make
beer differ from place to place, beer characteristics such as taste
and colour vary widely, and consequently its type or classification.
Beer uses many varying ingredients, production methods and
traditions. The type of yeast and production method may be used to
classify beer into ale, lager and spontaneously fermented beers. A
massive 133 billion litres of beer are sold per year worldwide! In
many countries ale has lost popularity somewhat with the introduction
of a wider variety of alcoholic beverages, most notably lagers and
Alco pops. However in Britain sales of bottled ale rose by 8.4% in
2006! What is ale?
Ale is a type of beer brewed
from barley malt with a top-fermenting brewers yeast that ferments
quickly, giving a sweet, full body and a fruity, and sometimes
butter-like, taste. Most ale contains some herb or spice, usually
hops, which imparts a bitter, herbal flavour which balances the malt
sweetness.
As well as being of course popular here in the UK, ales are very
common in Germany, Canada, the United States and Belgium. Ale drunk
abroad is usually however of the pale variety. We have the Dutch to
thank for ale largely because of their introduction of hops into
England 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. In modern
times this distinction no longer applies. It is believed that the
word 'ale' comes from the Old English 'ealu.' This word is meant to
stand for sorcery, magic, possession, intoxication. 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 as shown by the explanation of the word 'ale.'
How is ale made?
A modern ale is commonly defined by the strain of
yeast used and the fermenting temperature. Beers classed as ale use
mainly barley malts, though lambics and some wheat beers, which also
use wheat, are brewed using the ale brewing methods. Ales are often
brewed with top fermenting yeasts, although a some British brewers
such as Fullers and Weltons use ale yeast strains that have less
pronounced top fermentation characteristics. The important distinction
between ales and other types of beers is that they are fermented at
higher temperatures and thus ferment quicker than lagers, for example.
Ale is typically fermented at temperatures between 15°C and 24°C. 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 fruits such as apple,
pear, pineapple, banana, plum, and prune. Typically ales have a
sweeter, fuller body than lagers, a familiar taste for all real ale
lovers! Having said all that, it can be hard to differentiate
between some ales and lagers when it comes to categorising. Some
modern British Golden Summer Beers confuse things by using elements of
both lager and ale production. 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 beer that tastes
cleaner, drier and lighter than ale alternatives.
Types of Ale
Pale ale
Pale ales are brewed using a pale barley malt. Strengths
vary from under 3% ABV to over 20% in some rare barley wines. Hop
levels also vary - ranging from barely noticeable to over 100 IBUs.
Amber ale is a slightly darker type of pale ale. Bitter ale is a
hoppier pale ale found in many English pubs, but difficult to find
commercially compared to other English ales. Brown ale
Brown ales
are brewed using a somewhat darker barley malt than amber. They tend
to be lightly hopped, and fairly mildly. Many have a nutty taste. They
are mostly common in English brewing, with Newcastle Brown Ale being
the flagship brown ale. T here is an American-style brown ale as well,
created during the early 1980s by home brewers, and most prominently
commercially represented by Pete's Wicked Ale; it is similar to the
English original, though substantially hoppier. Dark ale
Dark ales
are brewed using dark-roasted barley malts. Stout, oud bruin and mild
ale are examples. Initially, stout was a variation of porter, a
stronger version known as a "stout porter." The main difference
between the two is that stouts are stronger. Porters also have a wider
range of colours; while stouts are black in colour, porters range from
black to brown. German, Belgian and Cream Ales are also popular
throughout the rest of the world.
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