Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers' yeast. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer. The other major style of beer -- lager -- is bottom-fermented.
Ales are common in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, the eastern pro...
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Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a top-fermenting brewers' yeast. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer. The other major style of beer -- lager -- is bottom-fermented.
Ales are common in the United Kingdom, 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".
Ales typically take 3 to 4 weeks to make, although some varieties can take as long as 4 months. Lagers take significantly longer to brew than ales and tend to be less sweet.
Before the introduction of hops into England from the Netherlands in the 15th century, both "ale" and "beer" were essentially interchangeable, although the Old Norse Alvíssmál says "öl heitir me mönnum,...
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