It's actually a huge broad term; Pale ale. According to the Beer Judge Certification Program, the Brewers Association and the closer to home Beer Judges Guild, Pale Ale is pretty much an umbrella term many different styles.
According to them, Pale Ale is pretty much an umbrella term for everything from Belgian blonde beers and ambers, golden ales and English bitters to lighter, less hoppy and lower ABV brother of the IPA family; the American Pale Ale.
Whether you want to know something about the color of pale ales, the history of the style pale ale, the flavors or what beer glasses to drink pale ales out of. Then you've come to the right place. Uiltje brews lots of hop-forward beers, including pale ales, in many different styles and flavors.
The History of Pale Ale
The introduction of coke (coal) - made by heating coal or oil without air - was a breakthrough for emerging industrial areas in the early modern era. Using the material as fuel for stoves and forges significantly reduced air pollution by generating the required heat without smoke and soot. Furthermore, this proved to be very useful in the brewing industry when it came to easting sprouted grains, resulting in lighter malts and thus lighter beers.
To avoid discussion of the origins of pale ales, which is quite one ... Let's look at the beer styles mentioned earlier, introduced by our favorite quote from brewing historian James Sumner:
"Such general terms as ale, porter etc ... cannot by their nature have any solid 'correct' definition over all time and space, in spite of the efforts of various prescriptive authorities."
The color of a Pale Ale
The name might give the impression that pale ales are usually yellow-gold in color, but the amber to copper-colored Special Belge is also considered a pale ale. Examples of Special Belge - or Belgian Pale Ales - are generally found in the Netherlands and Belgium, with De Koninck and Palm dominating in this area. Light malty, somewhat fruity and easy to drink characterize this style. They differ from their overseas cousin, the English Bitter, by their yeast character. The color in the Special Belge usually comes from the use of caramalt or added candy sugar.
Belgian Blonde is a lot lighter in color compared to Special Belge; it tends to be more golden than amber. Fruity esters and phenolic spices dominate the flavor profile, while the malt aroma is more subtle. This style is often part of the classic Belgian holy trinity of abbey beers, namely Blonde, Dubbel and Tripel.
The taste of Pale Ale
Bitter and Pale Ale were often used interchangeably in English beer history. Today, Bitter has its own style, divided into Ordinary, Special / Best and Extra Special Bitter (ESB), with colors ranging from golden to amber and from deep copper to light brown. Low carbonation is a common feature, with the biggest difference between the three being the increasingly perceived malt and hop aromas and flavors.
Original Pale Ale and American Pale Ale
A beer bridge between England and the United States is formed by the Golden ale. This pale ale is slightly more hop-forward like the American Pale Ale, but contains British ingredients commonly found in Bitters; even though the hop profile is sometimes carried by the use of citrusy American hops. Golden ales often have an alcohol content of 4.0% - 5.5%, but their heavyweight brother, the Strong Golden Ale, is a pale ale with the ability to knock you off your barstool.
Pale Ale with hops!
American Pale Ales are beers we feel a little more comfortable with at Uiltje Brewing Company. You probably already figured it out, but we just love hoppy beers! Light in color and super refreshing, this is what put the U.S. on the beer map. Youngtimers Anchor Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are downright classics and have inspired a veritable beer boom over the past few decades. American Pale Ales are generally a bit more balanced than IPAs and more accessible to new specialty beer drinkers. Now familiar hops like Citra and Cascade have found their way into the hearts of breweries around the world as they are widely used in American Pale Ale, derived from English Pale Ale but made with American ingredients.
Several Pale Ales from Uiltje Brewing Company
As we mentioned earlier, there are vastly different varieties of Pale Ale. Session Pale Ales, Juicy Pale Ales, hazy Pale Ales, Milkshake Pale Ales, Fruit Pale Ales; New England Pale Ales; you name it!
Like us Dikke Lul Drie Bier! Oh, you can smell notes of freshly washed sandalwood and freshly picked beach grass. Dikke Lul Drie Bier. No bullshit, just a stunner of a hoppy American Pale Ale. But as always at Uiltje: store cold, drink fresh.
The tastiest pale ales delivered fresh to your home!
Order the tastiest pale ales online from Uiltje Brewing Co. Pale ale is an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of beers: from Belgian blonde beers to English bitters and American pale ales. But at Uiltje , we prefer not to make things too complicated. We have a great fondness for hops, which is why we focus on the more hoppy and fruity varieties. When you order pale ales online with us, we also make sure your beer gets to your fridge as quickly as possible. After all, fresh, these hoppy creations taste best!
Discover our hoppy and fruity pale ales
The pale ale is one of our favorite styles of beer. Because we are real hopheads, when we think of pale ales we think mostly of American pale ales. We like to put our own twist on this popular beer by experimenting with brewing grains, hop varieties, and different combinations of these. The result is beer that is similar to IPA, but slightly malty and less bitter. So want to get introduced to specialty beers or looking for an alternative to lager? Then our pale ales are accessible beers to start with!
Discover pale ales from Uiltje Brewing
Uiltje 's core range includes two pale ales: Dikke Lul Drie Bier! and Trackdown. Trackdown is an ideal entry-level beer for novice specialty beer drinkers, but is also appreciated by seasoned craft beer lovers because of its flavor and fruitiness. Dikke Lul Drie Bier! goes that little bit further. With no fewer than four types of hops, this pale ale brings about a true taste explosion. In addition to our regular offerings, we regularly brew smaller quantities of other pale ales. Keep an eye on this page to get your hands on a fresh batch!
Looking for more than pale ales?
Are you looking for more great beers besides pale ales? Then feel free to click around our online beer store and discover the numerous options. Are hoppy and fresh beers your thing? Then be sure to try our beloved IPAs or fruity beers. Are you looking for something completely different? Then you should definitely try a beer package or for example stouts and porters. Taste as many as you like and discover your favorites!
Why buy pale ales online from Uiltje Brewing?
Buying pale ale online at Uiltje means you always enjoy the freshest beer. That way your beer always tastes its best. Another advantage of buying beer online at Uiltje is that you can quietly immerse yourself in all the ins and outs of our beer. Read the extensive descriptions and delve into the ABVs, IBUs and EBCs. Or delve further into the wonderful world of this delicious Uiltje beer....