What could be better than a cold, foggy 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 you are facing a real connoisseur of a 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 the huge number of its varieties, everyone can select for himself his own, the most delicious, refreshing and invigorating. Our man is familiar with traditional wheat or lager, but ale beer is equally 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 believed that this drink was born and gained its popularity in England, at the beginning of the 7th century. Unlike modern technologies, the beer recipes of that time included not only malt 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 was nutritious, and it was prepared simply and quickly. Not surprisingly, plain beer soon became literally the “second bread" among the British. The foamy drink got its name "el" 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 was considered the hallmark of every self-respecting pub.
What is ale
A drink with a "witchcraft" 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. Ordinary beer is prepared by the method of alcoholic fermentation of malt wort. But traditional English ale is beer obtained exclusively by top fermentation, and for this a special type of sourdough is used. Yeast during the preparation of ale does not settle on the bottom of the barrel, but keeps on top, forming a "cap". Fermentation itself occurs at a temperature of 15 to 24 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, the drink is saturated with aromas and acquires a pronounced taste. After that, 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 enjoy fresh ale, this should be drained in 2-3 days, otherwise the drink may become sour. Ale is not filtered and not pasteurized, but they are drunk exclusively “alive”, therefore, having met a bottle of ale on sale, pay attention to the expiration dates.
Types of Ale
By the way, ale beer also has a lot of varieties, differs in its taste, aroma and is light or dark. Here are just a few of the most popular:
- Stout - Stout - a strong dark variety;
- Strong ale - Strong - strong ale;
- Bitter - Bitter Ale with a bitter taste;
- Pale Ale - Pale Ale - netted and bitter;
- Mild Ale - Soft Ale - with a mild flavor, reminiscent of kvass;
- Brown ale - Brown - mild flavor, brown color;
- Light Ale - Light - light light ale;
- Porter - Porter - popular in England;
- India Pale Ale - Indian Strong Light Ale;
- Old ale - seasoned - strong and tasty;
- Barley wine - barley wine - has a winey flavor, sweetish and strong.
There are varieties with a bright fruity hue, barley or even nutty. So, for example, Stout (dark ale) - beer made on the basis of roasted barley or malt, it is strong and contains about 7-8% alcohol.
Benefit
It should be noted that ale is not only tasty, but also useful. And 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 yeast, sugar, fungi and enzymes that appeared during the fermentation process remain in full. Ale is rich in B and E vitamins, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese. Amino acids contained in it improve metabolic processes, 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 those who suffer from high blood pressure. But, one should not forget that beer ale can have quite large degrees, so strong alcohol can contain up to 12%, therefore everything is good in moderation.
They argue about tastes
Not every Englishman or Irishman can resist the alluring pint of a fragrant drink. But in Russia, for some reason, ale did not take root. Everyone who has ever tasted this unusual beer was divided into two fronts: some like it, but others say that the taste, to put it mildly, is “not very”. Surely such hostility can only be connected with the fact that we are used to lay everything on the shelves. If it is beer, then its taste should be exclusively beer, if kvass is kvass, and if it is wine, then it should have its own special taste. El - a drink for us is relatively new, and often the spectrum of its taste can be made up of a variety of shades, which we are not used to. Such beer tastes sweet-bitter, moderately carbonated and can have completely different aromas, from fruity-grassy to the smell of “haze”. But then those who liked the drink, will certainly remain his fans forever.
Ale "Shaggy bumblebee"
Be that as it may, there are still amateurs. Various types of ales are beginning to appear in pubs and, of course, do not remain without attention. Someone really likes ale, and someone tries it for the first time - for the sake of curiosity. Due to the very limited shelf life, we can’t try the true English ale. Therefore, quite recently, we had our own Russian version of the famous drink. Beer Ale "Shaggy bumblebee" was born in Mytishchi thanks to our contemporary, well versed in beer wisdom - Mikhail Ershov. Thanks to his efforts, today each of us can enjoy the taste of real ruby ale.