Ale is a centuries-old tradition for beer connoisseurs. El
A drink like beer is popular all over the world. It is made by fermenting grains and yeast. There are many types of intoxicating drink, but many divide them into 2 groups - ale and lager. The term "lager" is more often replaced by the term "beer".
Irish ale and beer: how are they different?
The difference between these two drinks is that they are prepared using different methods (preparation method) and the fermentation of yeast. Previously, ale did not contain hops, but today most producers add it.
What is the difference between ale and beer? ? The difference lies in how the yeast is fermented in the barrels: ale uses yeast that collects at the top, while beer uses yeast that ferments at the bottom.
The production of ale and beer begins in the same way - brewer's yeast is added to dried barley or other types of grain, resulting in a fermentation process. When making ale, fermentation occurs faster, the drink is stronger and does not last as long as beer.
The fermentation process of ale is carried out at more high temperature. Yeast is used with high content enzyme. The yeast rises to the top like beer enzymes, resulting in foam on the top of the beer barrel, the required temperature is 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Classic beer is fermented at a lower temperature, using a different type of yeast that ferments in the right conditions. As a result, the yeast settles to the bottom. Fermentation occurs more slowly, so beer lasts longer than ale. Typically, the shelf life of ales is limited to a few weeks, and beer - to months.
Also, these two drinks differ in taste. In ale, it is brighter, richer, and hoppy. Plus, it usually has a higher alcohol content. Beer has mild aroma, not as hoppy.
They also have different popularity in different regions. Ale is found in Belgium, the British Isles, the USA and Canada. Classic beer is popular in Germany and other European countries.
The most popular types of ale: which ones?
There are many types of this drink and today we will tell you about the most popular and in demand. Perhaps you will have the opportunity to try them by visiting one of the above countries, since it is very difficult to find ale in our stores:
Bitter ale (Bitter) - for those who prefer classic taste. It can be distinguished from other types by its bitter taste; the strength of the drink can vary from 3 to 6-7%. It contains hops due to the addition caramel coloring On sale you can find ale of different shades - both very light and dark.
Barley based (Barley Wine)- compared to the previous version, it is much stronger, the alcohol content can reach 12%. The drink will appeal to those who adore fruity taste and aroma. They drink this ale in wine glasses.
Wheat based (Weizen Weisse) - it can be recognized by light shade, it combines the aroma of fruits and plants. Quite soft, pleasant-tasting ale.
Mild- a soft, light drink, with a minimum alcohol content (about 3%), and has a malt aroma. You can buy a light or dark version.
Stout- you will recognize it by its dark caramel color; the drink contains burnt malt. The drink is healthy and contains a lot nutrients, relaxes and soothes, has a minimal alcohol content.
Porter- You can recognize this ale by its herbal aroma. It has an average strength, up to 6-7%. Color may vary depending on composition.
How to serve ale?
We are used to drinking classic beer chilled. Ale is usually served unchilled, at room temperature. But nevertheless, it all depends on the type of drink; some varieties are still cooled before serving. The general trend is that the lighter the ale, the colder it should be.
Which is better - ale or beer?
It is impossible to say for sure which of the presented drinks is better. It depends on habit and taste. If you like a bright hop aroma, opt for ale, but in our area it will not be so easy to find.
Beer is a fermented drink popular around the world, made from grains and yeast. There are many different types of beer, although they are divided into two main categories: ale and lager. The term "lager" is often used interchangeably with "beer", especially outside Germany, so some consumers make a distinction between beer and ale rather than lager and ale. The difference between beer and ale is how they are brewed and how the fermentation takes place.
Before hops became widespread in Europe, ale was brewed without the use of hops. Once hops reached the breweries, the difference between beer and ale was based on yeast fermenting in the barrel: Ale uses yeast that collects at the top, while lager uses yeast that ferments at the bottom.
Brewers start brewing beer and ale in the same way. Barley or another type of grain (malt) is sprouted in a humid environment, then dried. Brewer's yeast and starter are usually added very quickly, before the malt spoils. Other ingredients, such as hops, are added to increase the depth of aroma and temper the sweetness of the malt.
Definition of ale
Ale is fermented at high temperatures and as a result ripens faster. The yeast rises to the top as a starter for the beer, creating a yeast foam at the top of the keg. Lager is fermented at a lower temperature and the yeast settles to the bottom as the beer matures. Traditionally, beer is brewed in German caves, which are quite cool, especially in winter.
Beer and ale are different from each other - in taste, as well as in the brewing process. Ale has a bright, rich, more aggressive hop aroma, and a high alcohol content. The beer has a velvety and soft taste with a clear, clean finish. Examples of ale include any beer with Ale on the label in many German special varieties beer.
Ale is consumed in Belgium, the British Isles and many former British colonies, including the United States and Canada. Lager is widespread in Germany and other European countries, although some German specialty beers are actually ales. Many consumers have difficulty trying to differentiate between beer and ale based on just one taste, as many modern breweries include a variety of brewing methods.
What really separates ale from beer?
All beers are brewed from a basic combination of water, malt, hops and yeast. The difference is the yeast. From this relatively small variation comes many changes and differences that make these two beers unique.
Brewed using top-fermenting yeast at room temperatures mid range. For this reason, ales are typically stored between 60° and 75° Fahrenheit during the fermentation stage. This type of yeast and fermentation temperature produces an ale that is fruity and spicy taste. In general, ales are more robust and complex. Common ale styles include – light beer, Indian pale ale, amber varieties and strong porter. 
(lagers) are made from bottom-fermenting yeast, which works better at higher temperatures. low temperatures, between 35° and 55°. Fermentation occurs slowly and the beer matures more stable, so it can be stored longer than ale. Yeast accentuates its presence less in the finished beer. Compared to ale, beers have a cleaner, more distinct quality hop accent and malt flavor. 
Is one style better than the other? Absolutely not. It's a matter of personal taste or what you crave at a particular moment. All beers are equally good!
Foods that go well with common beers:
- Pale Ales– salads, light snacks, fish and seafood
- India Pale Ales (IPAs)– good with pork, pizza, fried chicken, and also light salads and seafood dishes.
- Hefeweizens and Wheat Beers – fruit dishes, grain salads and desserts seasoned with warm spices (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg).
- Amber Ales– a decent centrist beer and goes well with everything: hamburgers, fried cheese, fried chicken, soups and stews
- Strong Stouts and Porters – barbecue, stews, stews - any kind meat dish. Also rich desserts with chocolate and espresso flavors.
Beer is a low-alcohol beverage produced by the fermentation of yeast from barley malt, rice, corn, hops and water. Each of the components, taken separately, will give different meaning. For example, barley grain energy value- carbohydrates, and in terms of protein and salt content - phosphates.
On average, 100 g of beer contains 46 kcal. One 300 ml glass of beer contains about 150 kcal. This is 94% water.
Effect of alcohol:
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A drink similar to ale was brewed by the Sumerians 3,000 years ago. A technology close to modern for preparing ales appeared at the beginning of the 15th century. Often, a dark ale beer recipe contained gruit, a mixture of herbs and spices, instead of hops. Gruit consisted of wormwood, heather, ginger, caraway, wild rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, honey. It was sold as a dry mixture and added during cooking. In some countries it is still used, for example, herbs are often added to Czech dark ale.
Today, classic dark ale is brewed from water, barley malt, hops and yeast. Sometimes added sugar is allowed. Fermentation occurs at a temperature of 15-24 degrees, due to which more esters are released. Ale, unlike lager, is not filtered or pasteurized. After cooking is completed, it is poured into barrels and aged from several days to several months.
Types and varieties of dark ale
Great Britain is considered the leader in the production and consumption of dark ale. Almost 90% of the world's reserves of this drink are produced here. Irish dark ale is no less popular. These two countries have become home to the most famous varieties of this drink - porter and stout.
- Porter is an English dark ale invented in 1722. The drink is foamy, high density, has bright taste cane sugar and toasted grains.
- Stout - Irish ale, a dark beer whose best known brand is Guinness.
- It was invented in Great Britain, but due to the ban on using grains in brewing during the First World War, the drink began to be produced in Ireland, turning into a symbol of the country.
- Belgian dark ale Oud Bruin is produced in East Flanders. Fruits are added to it, which softens the tart beer aroma. No less famous is Belgian red ale, which looks and tastes more like wine.
- Brown ale is a brown ale with a pleasant caramel-nut flavor and a mild malt aftertaste. Beginners are recommended to start with it, since denser varieties are more difficult to taste.
- Scottish dark ale has less hops and more sweetness than British versions. It has a pronounced caramel flavor as it is cooked with toasted grains.
- Barley Wine - special kind dark ale. This is a high density drink with increased content alcohol. Because of its bright burgundy color, it is called barley wine.
The Beer Family restaurant menu offers more than 40 varieties of dark ales, including Belgian, English, Scottish, German, and Irish. We welcome guests every day from 11 am until late evening.
What could be better than a cold, sweaty glass of fresh beer in the midst of a hot summer? That's right - two glasses! And you can’t argue with this, especially if in front of you is a true connoisseur foamy drink. Beer is loved in all corners of the world, and it can be called one of the most popular drinks on the planet. Among huge amount Of its varieties, everyone can choose their own, the most delicious, refreshing and invigorating. Our people are well familiar with traditional wheat or lager, but ale beer is no less popular among the British or Irish. What is it?
A little history
Interestingly, the first mention of a drink similar to modern ale was found among the Sumerians. But it is traditionally believed that this drink originated and gained its popularity in England, at the beginning of the 7th century. Unlike modern technologies, the beer recipe of that time included not only malt and hops, but also a wide variety of herbs, roots, spices, fruits and even nuts. it had a rich, pronounced taste and aroma, it was nutritious, and was prepared simply and quickly. It is not surprising that simple beer soon became literally the “second bread” of the British. Foamy drink“ale” got its name from the Old English “ealu”, borrowed from the ancient Indo-European “alut”, which means “magic” or “witchcraft”. The fantastic charms of the intoxicating ale soon spread to other continents. In some countries, it was loved so much that ale beer began to be considered business card every self-respecting pub.
What is ale
The drink with the “witchcraft” name is actually one of the only and main things that distinguishes it from other varieties - the method of fermentation. Regular beer is prepared using the malt wort method. But traditional English ale is beer produced exclusively by top fermentation, and for this a special type of sourdough is used. During the process of making ale, yeast does not settle at the bottom of the barrel, but remains on top, forming a “cap”. Fermentation itself occurs at a temperature of 15 to 24 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, the drink is maximally saturated with aromas and acquires a pronounced taste. After this, the ale is sent to ripen in a cool room at a temperature of 11-14 degrees. When the drink is completely ready, the barrel is uncorked and fresh ale is enjoyed; it should be drained within 2-3 days, otherwise the drink may turn sour. Ale is not filtered and is drunk exclusively “alive”, so when you come across a bottle of ale on sale, pay attention to
Types of ale
By the way, ale beer also has a lot of varieties, differs in its taste, aroma and can be light or dark. Here are just a few of the most popular:
- Stout - Stout is a strong dark variety;
- Strong ale - Strong - strong ale;
- Bitter - Bitter is an ale with a bitter taste;
- Pale Ale - Pale Ale - light and bitter;
- Mild Ale - Soft ale - with a mild taste, reminiscent of kvass;
- Brown ale - Brown - mild taste, brown color;
- Light Ale - Light - light light ale;
- Porter - Porter - popular in England;
- India Pale Ale - Indian strong pale ale;
- Old ale - aged - strong and tasty;
- Barley wine - barley - has a wine flavor, sweet and strong.
There are varieties that have a bright fruity hue, barley or even nutty. So, for example, Stout ( dark ale) - beer made from roasted barley or malt, it is strong and contains about 7-8% alcohol.
Benefit
It should be noted that ale is not just tasty, but also healthy. And those who are watching their shape need to know that with the help of ale you can easily gain weight. This beer does not undergo any processing, so the yeast, sugar, fungi and enzymes that appeared during the fermentation process remain in it in full. Ale is rich in vitamins B and E, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese. The amino acids contained in it improve metabolic processes and have a beneficial effect on the condition of hair and skin. Ale is useful to drink to improve digestion, it tones, soothes, dilates blood vessels, is useful for atherosclerosis and for those who suffer from high blood pressure. But we should not forget that ale beer can have quite high degrees, for example, strong varieties of alcohol can contain up to 12%, so everything is good in moderation.
They argue about tastes
Not every Englishman or Irishman can resist a tempting pint aromatic drink. But for some reason ale didn’t catch on in Russia. Everyone who has ever tried this unusual beer is divided on two fronts: some like it, but others say that the taste, to put it mildly, is “not very good.” Surely such hostility can only be associated with the fact that we are accustomed to putting everything into shelves. If it is beer, then it should have an exclusively beer taste, if it is kvass, then it should be kvass, and if it is wine, then it should have its own, special taste. Ale is a relatively new drink for us, and often the spectrum of its taste can consist of a variety of shades, we are simply not used to this. This beer tastes bittersweet, moderately carbonated and can have a completely different flavors, from fruity-herbaceous to a “smoky” smell. But those who liked the drink will certainly remain its fans forever.
Ale “Shaggy Bumblebee”
Be that as it may, there are still fans. More and more people are starting to appear in pubs different kinds ale and, of course, do not go unnoticed. Some people really like ale, while others try it for the first time out of curiosity. Due to the very limited shelf life, we will not be able to try true English ale. That’s why quite recently we got our own Russian version famous drink. Beer ale “Shaggy Bumblebee” was born in Mytishchi thanks to our contemporary, who is well versed in the wisdom of beer - Mikhail Ershov. Thanks to his efforts, today each of us can enjoy the taste of real ruby ale.
Ale (translated from the Indo-European language as “intoxication”) is a type of beer characterized by a subtle fruity flavor and high alcohol content (3-12%). The first recipes appeared in England in the 15th century, but analogs of ale were made by the ancient Sumerians several centuries BC. In the Middle Ages, the drink was considered an essential product. Unlike milk, it did not spoil and did not require special conditions storage Thanks to high calorie content a mug of ale replaced a portion of bread.
Peculiarities. From regular beer classic ale is distinguished by the absence of hops in the recipe. Thanks to this, it cooks faster and is recognizable by its pronounced sweetish tint. The flavor bouquet is formed by herbs and spices, which are boiled in the wort instead of hops. Finished product not subjected to further pasteurization or filtration.
Modern brewers often neglect ancient traditions, adding hops to ale so that their product can be called beer.
Another fundamental difference between ale and another beer technology production. Ale is prepared by top fermentation at a temperature of 15-24°C. The yeast does not sink down during infusion, like most other types of beer, but stays on top, forming foam cap. During top fermentation, many esters appear and higher alcohols, which form a pronounced taste and specific aroma. The final stage- aging and ripening of ale in a cool room with a temperature of 11-12°C.
On average, it takes about 4 weeks to receive a fresh portion - these are fast varieties that are most often offered in drinking establishments. But there are varieties that take about 4 months to create.
Types of ale
British and Irish ales are classified depending on color, taste, aroma, and the additives used in the starter. There are quite a lot of varieties, so we will name only the most common varieties.
El happens different color Barley Wine (Barley Wine) - has a high alcohol content (8.5-12%) and a high wort density - 22.5-30%. This ale is also called “barley wine.” A fruity aroma combined with a pleasant malt bitterness gives the drink unique taste. The color of Barley Vine is dark with a hint of gold and copper. Served barley ale in a wine glass. The drink stores well and becomes softer after aging.
Wheat (Weizen Weisse) is a light ale with a moderate fruity and floral aroma. Sometimes there is a hint of wheat in the form of an odor fresh bread. It has a light straw or dark golden color.
Wheat ale Porter - originally created for people engaged in heavy physical labor. The full name is “Porter’s ale” - ale for port workers. Is different big amount additives, including spices, herbs, various aromatic substances. The color of porter varies depending on the additives used and can be light, golden or even dark. Several types of malt are used in preparation, which allows you to vary the flavor tones. Strength - 4.5-7%.
Stout is a dark descendant of porter. Roasted malt is used in production, which gives saturated color and a slight hint of coffee notes. For a long time This particular type of ale was considered healthy and was recommended for pregnant and lactating women.
Stout - the darkest ale White (Weisse) is a light variety with a sour taste. It is very popular in Germany, for which it received the unofficial name “Berlin”. There is a slight fruity accent that intensifies with age. Color - light straw. In some German pubs it is served with sugar syrup.
Bitter - rightfully considered a national variety English ale. Despite the name, it is not that bitter when compared with other varieties. Hops are used in production, which provides a characteristic taste despite the complete absence of sugar. The color palette is varied and ranges from light yellow to dark copper. ABV 3–6.5%.
Lambic is considered a traditional Belgian ale, to which raspberries and cherries are added, which gives a characteristic taste and a reddish hue.
Mild (MILD) - the lightest ale. Its strength is close to Russian kvass and is 2.5-3.5 degrees. It has a pronounced malt taste. They produce two variants - light and dark soft ale.
Useful properties of ale
For a long time it was believed that ale was a storehouse useful substances. Hence the tradition in many European countries to drink beer at every opportunity. If the ale is produced in accordance with traditional technologies made from natural ingredients, the finished drink contains vitamins B and E, selenium, phosphorus, calcium and potassium, magnesium. Don't forget about the high nutritional value - average calorie content 40 kcal per 100 grams.
Ale is also famous for its anti-stress properties. Just one mug in pleasant company helps get rid of depression, relieve tension at the end of a hard working day, and relax. This is the source Have a good mood, especially around loved ones.
How to drink ale
Etiquette of use classic ale Not much different from a regular beer. The drink does not tolerate fussiness. It is slowly poured along the side of the glass so that a lot of foam does not stand out, which takes away the characteristic bitterness. Sometimes the process of filling a glass takes about 7 minutes.
Pour the ale slowly so that it does not foam too much. They drink ale slowly, but not savoring it either. When stretching the process " liquid bread"It fizzles out, losing its aroma. The pace of the reception is like leisurely riding a horse. There is a tradition according to which ale is drunk in three sips with short pauses. But today this ritual is not in fashion.
Ale serving temperature is 6-12°C. Do not heat or freeze the drink, otherwise it will lose its aroma, color and taste. However, the British have a different opinion on this matter - they drink dark beer warmed up, but this is not for everybody. Which tradition to follow - decide for yourself. It is believed that pale ale, like beer, goes better in summer, and dark is good for long winter evenings.
In a word, ale is a universal drink with which you can have a pleasant time in good company, get rid of stress and get true pleasure. Its classic sweetish-bitter taste will help you forget about the worries of the past day and taste all the delights of evening relaxation.