What is a really good Pale Ale and how are they made?
What’s is a really good Pale Ale
At the Adventurers Drinks Company, we have two really good Pale Ales brewed for us by the First and Last Brewery in Northumberland.
Rowers Pale Ale is a great British session ale with a 3.4% ABV. It is brewed with Malt from Barley, Wheat and Oats and using Endeavour and Harlequin Hops. Its flavour can be described as gentle flavours of passion fruit, peach and light citrus complemented by a fruity and floral aroma.
Peak Baggers Pale Ale is also an amazing American Pale Ale with a 3.8% ABV. It is brewed with Malt from Barley, Rye, Wheat and Oats and using Comet and Centennial Hops. Its flavour can be described as notes of zesty grapefruit and tangerine with aromatic pine and subtle pine notes to finish.
You can find these great Pale Ales available online at the Adventurers Drinks Company.
How long has beer been made in Britain?
Brewing in Britain predates recorded history, but it’s understood that early inhabitants of Britain brewed ale from barley and other grains. This ale was quite different from modern beer, and it was often flavoured with herbs and spices.
In the Middle Ages it was widely consumed due to its nutritional content and relative safely compared to water. Hops were introduced in the 15th Century, beers becoming more bitter, a departure from the sweeter beers traditionally brewed in Britain. Over time, with its preservative qualities, most beer included hops and ales came to describe pale less hoppy beers in Britain.
How is beer made?
In the present-day beer is made by a process that involves Malting, in which grains are soaked to initiate germination to activate enzymes that covert starches into fermentable sugars and dried to stop germination and to determine the malts colour and flavour. Lighter malts produce pale beers.
Then there is Mashing, in which the malted grains are milled and mixed with hot water to create wort in which the starches are broken down into fermentable sugars which is critical in determining the beers alcohol content and its flavour.
Lautering and boiling follow where the liquid is separated from the grain and brought to the boil whilst adding hops, which contribute to the beer’s bittiness and flavour.
Cooling and Fermentation is next where the wort is cooled and yeast is added, the type of which will affect the beers flavour, aroma and whether it’s a beer or lager. The yeast converts the sugars in the liquid wort to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
After fermentation the beer is aged dependent on its style. Pale Ales are best consumed fresh whilst stouts benefit from aging.
Beers can then be naturally carbonated by small amounts of sugar to the seal containers or carbonated using Co2 gas. Some beers are filtered to remove yeast and create a clearer product before being transferred into bottles cans or kegs.
Finally storing and serving the beer at the right temperature is important to the beers ultimate drinking experience.
How is Pale Ale made?
Pale Ale involves brewing beer with a specific balance of malt and hops, resulting in a pale colour and a hoppy flavour profile.
The malts are pale, due to the Malt being lightly kilns dried, giving the ale its light colour. The hops feature at a moderate to high level of bitterness, flavour and aroma, many imparting citrusy piney, floral or earthy notes. The yeast used also contributes to the ales characteristics by imparting a clean fermentation allowing the malt and hops to shine. American ales tend to use a clean yeast which imparts less flavour than the English yeast which add mild fruity or earthy notes.
Flavour within a pale ale includes a bitterness balanced by the malt’s sweetness. Whilst the malt presence in a pale ale is less dominant it does provide a biscuity sweet flavour compared to the hop bitterness. The main favour in the pale ale comes from the hops. The array of varieties give flavours and aromas that range from citrusy and fruity to piney and resinous.
What’s the difference between Indian Pale Ale and Pale Ale
The difference between an India Pale Ale (IPA) and a Pale Ale mainly lies in their hop content, alcohol strength, flavour profile. While both beers belong to the broader category of Pale Ales, IPAs are generally hoppier being more bitter, stronger in alcohol content 5.5% to 7.5% ABV compared to Pale ales 4.0% to 5.5% ABV , and more intense in flavour with the malt less dominant.
What’s the difference between British and American Pale Ale
The main difference is the variety of hops used. Britian and American hops provide a different range of flavours. Those from Britian typically impart earthy, floral, herbal, and sometimes slightly fruity or spicy flavours and those from America are known for their bold, citrusy, piney, floral, and tropical fruit Flavors and aromas. The yeast used in the American Pale Ale has less of a contribution to flavour and the character of malts used in American Pale Ales is also less pronounced than in British Pale Ales. American Pales ales are also slightly more carbonated.
