ale

noun

ˈāl

: a beer that is brewed by fast fermentation with a quick-acting yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at relatively high temperatures

Note: Ales tend to have a complex, slightly fruity or spicy flavor with a usually darker appearance than lagers and usually with a more intense, bitter flavor of hops. The yeast used to ferment ale is often referred to as "top-fermenting" since it tends to rise to the top of the brewing vessel during fermentation. This yeast also has a tolerance to higher alcohol concentrations, resulting in a beer with a usually higher alcohol content than a lager.

… ale can be produced more quickly because it is fermented at higher temperatures—from 60 to 70 degrees.—

Frank J. Prial

compare pale ale, porter, stout

: an English country festival at which ale is the principal beverage

Examples of ale in a Sentence

The bar serves two very different ales.

Recent Examples on the Web

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From lagers to seltzers to ales to IPAs, there’s something for everyone in this beloved community gathering space. —

Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 13 Dec. 2024 The holiday ale that tastes the most like eating a Christmas tree is undoubtedly Royal Docks' Yuletide, available at the brewery's new Tied House taproom on Detroit Avenue in Ohio City. —

Sam Allard, Axios, 3 Dec. 2024 The brew: Basic Witch pumpkin ale, 5.5% ABV, 30 IBU Field Brewing's pumpkin red ale combines pumpkins, tamarind, Belgian candi sugar and maple and fig syrups to create an intensely autumnal dessert beer. —

Bradley Hohulin, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Oct. 2024 Your dutiful Axios Cleveland correspondents are slowly but surely working their way through the region's Christmas ale offerings. —

Sam Allard, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ale