Pale and mysterious
In the latest of our series on beer styles, Roger Protz discovers the origins of pale ale
It’s called pale ale but it’s not a pallid beer. Brewed properly, with careful attention to style, it should be a robust beer, with a powerful punch of hop bitterness balancing juicy malt and the tart and tangy fruit flavours associated with Britain’s warmfermented ales.
Let us begin by stating what pale ale is not. It’s not IPA – India pale ale – neither is it bitter. Pale ale stands between the two. Crudely, pale ale is sometimes called a weaker version of IPA, but that does it a disservice, as it marked a major development in brewing practice in the 19th century. Bitter, as we shall see later in the series, is an early 20thcentury beer, brewed to meet the demands of the new ‘tied pubs’ of large brewers who wanted a draught ‘running beer’ that could be served after only a few days of cellar conditioning.
IPA had been a means to an end. The brewers in Burton-on-Trent had lost their lucrative trade with Russia and the Baltic States as a result of the interminable wars with France. India and other colonies offered new outlets, but the beer had to be radically different from the pervading British styles of the early 19th century – mild, porter and stout as ‘the Raj’ demanded a quenching beer to suit the climate.
IPA was a new style, made possible by the innovations of the industrial revolution but it contained some of the baggage of an older time. Porter and stout in particular were vatted beers, stored in giant wooden vats for long periods to reach maturity. IPA was also va.....
To read the rest of this article you can buy this issue
or subscribe to Beers of the World to have every issue delivered direct to your door.
By Roger Protz
Section : Beer styles
Page number : 64
