Pale ale

Different brewing practices and hop quantities have resulted in a range of tastes and strengths within the pale ale family.

It is thought that customers used the term bitter to differentiate these pale ales from other less noticeably hopped beers such as porters and milds.

[citation needed] Different brewing practices and hop levels have resulted in a range of taste and strength within the pale ale family.

[10] In North America, American-variety hops are used in amber ales with varying degrees of bitterness, although very few examples are particularly hoppy.

[13] Fritz Maytag, the owner of Anchor, visited British breweries in London, Yorkshire and Burton upon Trent, picking up information about robust pale ales, which he applied when he made his American version, using just malt rather than the malt and sugar combination common in brewing at that time, and making prominent use of the American hop, Cascade.

[13][14] The brewery thought to be the first to successfully use significant quantities of American hops in the notably hoppy style of an APA and use the specific name "pale ale" was the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

[15] It brewed the first experimental batch of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in November 1980,[16] distributing the finished version in March 1981.

[26][27][28] Bière de garde, or "keeping beer", is a pale ale traditionally brewed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

The origin of the name lies in the tradition that it was matured or cellared for a period of time once bottled (most were sealed with a cork), to be consumed later in the year, akin to a saison.

Blondes tend to be clear, crisp, and dry, with low-to-medium bitterness and aroma from hops, and some sweetness from malt.

In the United Kingdom, golden or summer ales were developed in the late 20th century by breweries to compete with the pale lager market.

The UK style is attributed to John Gilbert, owner of Hop Back Brewery, who developed "Summer Lightning" in 1989, which won several awards and inspired numerous imitators.

[32] Late in the second half of the nineteenth century, the recipe for pale ale was put into use by the Burton upon Trent brewers, notably Bass; ales from Burton were considered of a particularly high quality due to synergy between the malt and hops in use and local water chemistry, especially the presence of gypsum.

[35] Worthington White Shield, originating in Burton-upon-Trent, is a beer considered to be part of the development of India pale ale.