malt - All About Beer

What This Country Needs Is A Good Five-Cent Beer!

Oh, wait. Not five-cent beer. What we need is five percent beer, although I actually drank what may have been

Canned Beer Tasting Notes

Fat Tire Amber Ale New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO There are subtle but noticeable differences between the bottled

Scottish ales are typically full-bodied and malty, with some of the classic examples being dark brown in color. They are more lowly hopped than the English counterparts and often have a slightly viscous and sweet caramel malt character due to incomplete fermentation. Scottish style ales can be found in far-flung corners of the world where faithful versions are brewed, this being a legacy of the style’s popularity in the British Empire. In the United States, many craft brewers produce a Scottish-style ale. The export versions produced by Scottish brewers, the type mostly encountered in the United States, are considerably stronger and more malty than the standard versions made available to Scottish beer drinkers.

Irish Style Ale

Irish ales are characterized by their reddish color, malt accents, slightly sweet palate, and low hopping. They are not generally bitter if true to style and in this they reflect the historical fact that the Irish have never taken to huge amounts of hops in their traditional beers. In their native land they have long played second fiddle to stout, and prior to that, porter. Lacking a truly indigenous character, many versions being revived in the United States owe more to Celtic marketing than to a distinct character, although the color and high drinkability are the usual reference point.

British and North American Pale Ales

Pale ales tend to be fuller-bodied with a more assertive character on the palate than the standard bitter in a English brewer’s portfolio. In Britain, it is generally bottled, as opposed to being sold on draft. Despite the name, pale ales are not pale but, in fact, more of an amber hue. The original designation was in reference to this style of beer being paler than the brown and black beers that were more popular at the time of the style’s inception. In the United States, pale ale styles have become one of the benchmarks by which craft brewers are judged. The U.S. version of pale ale is crisper and generally much more hoppy. Indeed, this style is well suited to assertive domestic Pacific Northwestern hop varieties that give the United States examples inimitable character. A good U.S. example should be available on tap in any bar worth frequenting for its beer selection.