Recipes for Ale

Ale is defined as a beer that is distinguished by use of top fermenting yeast strains such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae The top fermenting yeast perform at warmer temperatures than do yeast stains used to brew lager and their byproducts are more evident in taste and aroma. Traditionally they are low in carbonation and are served warm. Traditional (Medieval) ales contained no hops, though modern ales (sometimes referred to as 'bitters' do, indeed, contain hops). The bittering process was introduced into Britain somewhere around 1545 when Dutch immigrants introduced the practice of adding hops to beer.

The Principal kinds of Ale

Medieval Ale In Medieval times there were three main types of ale (all un-hopped): Strong Ale (the equivalent of barley wine without hops); Ale (which would be the equivalent of an unhopped India Pale Ale) and Small Ale (which would be the equivalent of an unhopped Mild.

Barley Wine The name is a bit of a non sequitur as this is indeed, an ale, but it is brewed with an alcohol-tolerant yeast strain that gives it an alcohol strength equivalent to wine (it can go up to 12% by volume).

Bitter here are three classic styles of English Bitters. They are the Ordinary (mild), the Special (moderate strength), and the Extra Special (a strong bitter). They are typically characterized with traditional hops such as Kent Goldings, Fuggles, or Brewers Gold. Just as they range from mild to strong, the color and alcohol percentage also follow. (Alcohol percentages range from 2.7% for a traditional mild to 4.8% by volume.

Pale Ale Again there are varying styles and strengths, but they all share a pronounced hop flavor and aroma with low to medium maltyness. There is also a good deal of fruity esters. Among the types of pale ales are the 'traditional' the India (IPA) and also the American. he India Pale Ale is usually stronger and hoppier because the higher alcohol content and hop acids acted as a preservative on the long boat journey from England to its colonies in India. (Alcohol content usually ranges from 5% to 7.6% by volume.)

Scottish Ale Though these are close cousins of their English counterparts, they are usually darker, maltier, and have less carbonation. They range in color, maltyness and strength in the order of Scottish Light(60 Shilling), Scottish Heavy (70 Shilling), Scottish Export (80 Shilling), and the Strong Scotch (wee heavy). he Strong Scotch is usually dark brown, high in alcohol (6-8 percent) and can have a lightly smoky character.

Belgian Strong Dark Ale These are usually medium to dark in color with a high alcohol content. They are very malty and with a low hop flavor and aroma. The most important ingredient in this style of beer is the strain of yeast. The yeast and warm fermentations create a unique biscuity flavor with fruity and spicy overtones and a good deal of carbonation. These beers are usually very aromatic and are best served in a goblet so as to better smell the beer while drinking.

Porter This style of beer is named after to Porters of London's Victoria Station who would frequently mix several styles of beer into one glass and drink large quantities of the mixture. A style was eventually created to approximate this blend and came to be known as a Porter. Eventually the alcohol content of Porter was increased and it slowly evolved into stout. Most modern stouts, however, use roast barley and have a more bitter flavour than porter. (Personally this is my favourite style of ale).

Imperial Stout Stout was one of the favourite beers of the later Russian Czars. Indeed, they so loved this style of beer that they had it shipped to them all the way from England. Unfortunately, the beer did not hold-up to well on the long journey and as a result the gravity and alcohol content just as was done in the creation of the India Pale Ale. Thus the Imperial Stout was born. This drink can range from dark copper to almost black in colour and it has a rich complex maltyness that is counteracted by a noticeable hop bitterness. This style is high in alcohol, which ranges from 7% to 9% by volume.

If you have never made beer before, please look at this page on basic mead brewing to find out how to make a simple mead. Even if you have made mead before, please check this page as all the recipes assume you have some familiarity with the techniques and methodologies described therein.

Need to convert any measurements on this site? I have conversion pages available for Volumes, Mass/Weight and Temperatures available.