Beer ale - the prototype of modern beer

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

What could be better than a cold, misted glass of fresh beer in the midst of a hot summer? That's right - two glasses! And you can’t argue with that, especially if you have a real connoisseur of a foamy drink in front of you. Beer is loved in all parts of the world, and it can be called one of the most popular drinks on the planet. Among the huge number of its varieties, everyone can single out their own, the most delicious, refreshing and invigorating. Our person is familiar with traditional wheat or lager, but ale beer is no less popular among the British or Irish. What is it?

A bit of history

Interestingly, the first mention of a drink similar to modern ale was found among the Sumerians. But it is traditionally considered 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 m alt and hops, but also a wide variety of herbs, roots, spices, fruits and even nuts. Ale beer had a rich pronounced taste and aroma,it turned out nutritious, and prepared simply and quickly. It is not surprising that uncomplicated beer soon became literally the "second bread" of the British. The foamy drink got its name "ale", from the Old English "ealu", borrowed from the ancient Indo-European "alut", which means "magic" or "witchcraft". The fantastic spell of heady ale soon spread to other continents. In some countries, he fell in love so much that ale beer began to be considered the hallmark of every self-respecting pub.

What is ale

The drink with the "witchy" name is actually one of the varieties of beer. The only and main thing that distinguishes it from other varieties is the method of fermentation. Regular beer is made by alcoholic fermentation of m alt wort. But the traditional English ale is a beer obtained exclusively by top-fermentation, and for this a special type of sourdough is used. Yeast in the process of making ale does not settle at the bottom of the barrel, but stays 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 that, 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, this should be drained in 2-3 days, otherwise the drink may turn sour. Ale is not filtered or pasteurized, but is drunk exclusively “live”, therefore, when you meet a bottle of ale on sale, pay attention toexpiration dates.

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 ale with a bitter taste;
• Pale Ale - pale and bitter;
• Mild Ale – Mild 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, sweetish and strong.

There are varieties that are brightly fruity, barley or even nutty. So, for example, Stout (dark ale) is a beer made on the basis of roasted barley or m alt, it is strong and contains about 7-8% alcohol.

Benefit

It should be noted that ale is not only tasty, but also he althy. And for those who follow their forms, you need to know that with the help of ale you can easily gain weight. Such beer does not undergo any processing, because the yeast, sugar, fungi and enzymes that appeared during the fermentation process remain in it in full. El is rich in B and E vitamins, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese. The amino acids contained in it improve metabolic processes,beneficial effect on the condition of hair and skin. Ale is useful to drink to improve digestion, it tones, soothes, dilates blood vessels, it is useful for atherosclerosis and for those who suffer from high blood pressure. But, we should not forget that ale beer degrees can be quite large, so, 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 an inviting pint of fragrant drink. But for some reason, ale did not take root in Russia. Everyone who has ever tried this unusual beer is divided into 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 used to putting everything on the shelves. If it is beer, then it should taste exclusively beer, if it is kvass, then 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, which we simply are not used to. Such beer tastes sweetish-bitter, moderately carbonated and can have completely different aromas, from fruity-herbaceous to the smell of “smoke”. But those who liked the drink will certainly remain its fans forever.

Shaggy Bumblebee El

Whatever it was, but there are still lovers. In pubs, various types of ale are increasingly beginning to appear and, of course, they do not go unnoticed. To someone el reallylike it, and someone tries it for the first time - for the sake of curiosity. Due to a very limited shelf life, we will not be able to try a true English ale. Therefore, quite recently we have our own Russian version of the famous drink. Beer ale "Shaggy Shmel" was born in Mytishchi thanks to our contemporary, who is well versed in beer wisdom - Mikhail Ershov. Thanks to his efforts, today each of us can enjoy the taste of real ruby ale.