{{refimprove|date=August 2007}}

{{otheruses}}
[[Image:Ale Bitter.jpg|thumb|right|A pint of ale]]
'''Ale''' is a type of [[beer]] brewed from [[barley]] [[malt]] with a [[top-fermenting yeast|top-fermenting]] [[brewers yeast]]. This yeast [[Fermentation (food)|ferments]] the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full [[mouthfeel|body]] and a fruity (and sometimes [[diacetyl|butter]]-like) taste. Most ale contains some herb or spice, usually [[hops]], which imparts a bitter herbal flavour that balances the malt's sweetness. As an appellative, '''ale''' means any top-fermented beverage made from malt. The other major style of beer is [[lager]], which is bottom-fermented.

Ales are common in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Belgium]], [[Germany]], the eastern provinces of [[Canada]] and among [[craft beer]] consumers in the [[United States]]. The German word for "top-fermenting" is "''Obergärig''", the French equivalent is "''Haute fermentation''".

==History of ale==

[[Image:Daugthers of Ægir and Rán.jpg|thumb|250px|In [[Norse Mythology]], [[Ægir]] and his [[Daughters of Ægir|daughters]] brew ale in a large pot..]]
Before the introduction of [[hop (plant)|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. 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 (brewing)|wort]] in place of hops. The preponderance of hops means we have lost a great deal of variety in the flavour of modern beer, though it is probably fair to state that hops deserves its status because it performs the job of bittering and flavouring better than any of the old gruit recipes.

Ale was an important drink in the medieval world as a staple food, along with bread. As both undergo [[Fermentation (food)|fermentation]] they were considered to be of supernatural import.

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". {{Fact|date=July 2007}}

==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 yeast]]s, though a number of British brewers, including [[Fullers]] and [[Weltons]], use ale yeast strains that have less pronounced top-fermentation characteristics. The important distinction for ales is that they are fermented at higher temperatures and thus ferment more quickly than [[lagers]].
[[Image:HandPumps.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Cask ale handpumps]]]]
Ale is typically fermented at temperatures between 15 and 24[[celsius|°C]] (60 and 75[[fahrenheit|°F]]). At these temperatures, yeast produces significant amounts of [[ester]]s 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 (fruit)|prune]]. Typical ales have a sweeter, fuller [[mouthfeel|body]] than lagers.

Differences between some ales and lagers can be difficult to categorise. [[Steam beer]], [[Kölsch (beer)|Kölsch]] and some modern British Golden Summer Beers use 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 cleaner tasting, dryer and lighter beer than ale.

Beers classed as ale use predominantly barley malts, though [[lambic]]s and some [[wheat beer]]s, which also use wheat, are brewed using the ale brewing methods.

In a number of [[U.S. state]]s, 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{{Fact|date=August 2007}}.

In many countries ale has lost popularity somewhat with the introduction of a wider variety of alcoholic beverages, most notably [[lager]]s and [[alcopop]]s. However in [[United Kingdom|Britain]] sales of bottled ale rose by 8.4% in 2006<ref>
{{cite news
| title = Bid to make ales 'women-friendly'
| publisher = BBC
| date = [[2007-08-07]]
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6934282.stm
| accessdate = 2007-08-09 }}
</ref>.

==Varieties of ale==
===Pale ale===
{{main|Pale ale}}
Pale ales are brewed using a pale barley malt, the classic example being the [[bitter (beer)|bitter]] of English pubs. Strengths vary from under 3% [[alcohol by volume|abv]] to over 20% in some rare [[barley wine]]s. Hop levels also vary - ranging from barely noticeable to over 100 [[IBUs]] in some examples of [[India Pale Ale]]. 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. [[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.

===Brown ale===
{{main|Brown ale}}
A darker barley malt is used to produce brown ales, of which the English [[mild ale|mild]] and Belgian [[oud bruin]] are examples. 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 Mann's Brown Ale and [[Newcastle Brown Ale]] as the best-known examples. The style became popular with homebrewers in North America in the early 1980's; [[Pete's Wicked Ale]] is an example, similar to the English original but substantially hoppier.

===Dark ale===
{{main|Stout|Porter (beer)}}
Dark ales are brewed using dark-roasted barley malts. 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]]". The English preferred sweet stout, typified by Mackeson, a brew of around 3.75% to which milk sugars had been added. In Ireland dry stout became popular, exemplified by [[Guinness]]. Imperial Stout, or Imperial Russian Stout, is an even "bigger" style of 8-10%, originally exported as a winter warmer to the Russian court.

===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. In neither case does the term imply "low-calorie".

===Irish red ale===
{{main|Irish red ale}}
Irish red ale is a type of ale originating in [[Ireland]]. 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.

===Belgian ales===
{{main|Belgian beer}}
[[Belgium]] produces a wide variety of specialty ales that elude easy classification. In addition to making a variety of [[blonde ale]], common classifications for these specialty beers may be [[dubbel]] (malty-complex with a red hue) and [[tripel]] (a high-alcohol, lightly-gold coloured beer). 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.

Some specialty beers are based on monastic brewing recipes. The best known among them are the [[Trappist beer]]s, which are brewed under direct control of the monks themselves. Only seven Trappist monasteries brew this beer, six in [[Belgium]] and one in the [[Netherlands]]. Similar styled ales brewed by commercial breweries (sometimes under licence of an actual monastery) are called [[Abbey beer]].

===German ales===
{{main|Kölsch (beer)|Altbier|wheat beer|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 [[oligosaccharide]]s to provide body to the beer. 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 [[ester]]y flavour of hefeweizen.

===Scotch ales===
{{main|Scotch ale}}
The ales of Scotland generally have a malt accent. 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|Old ale}}
In England, Old ale was strong beer traditionally kept for about a year, gaining sharp, acetic flavours as it did so. 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. Belgian oud bruin is similar to the traditional English old ale.

===Cream ales===
{{main|Cream Ale}}
Cream ales, also referred to as a "creamers," are related to [[American lager]]s. 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 [[High Falls Brewing Company|Genesee Cream Ale]] and Little Kings Cream Ale. 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==
{{Reflist}}

==See also==
{{portal|Beer}}
* [[Cask ale]]
* [[Beer style]]
* [[Lager]]
* [[Wheat beer]]

==External links==
*[http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000041.html Michael Jackson on Ale and Porter]

{{Beer Styles}}
{{Alcoholic beverages}}

[[Category:Types of beer]]

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