Por David Morante A. 

La Ale es una de las dos grandes familias que tiene la cerveza. Se caracteriza por su forma de fermentación en calor, llamada también de fermentación alta debido a que es elaborada a altas temperaturas y sus levaduras maduran en la espuma o parte superior de las cubas. Se estima que hay al menos 50 tipos de Ale en el mundo. 

Cada  vez se va conociendo más la cultura cervecera en este lado del planeta; distinguir por ejemplo los muchos estilos de esta bebida no es sencillo para miles de consumidores, que hasta hace apenas unos años, sólo conocían un tipo de cerveza. Aunque para algunos expertos de nuestro medio, ilustrar en este tema no tiene mucho que les aporte, o tal vez ningún sentido; sin duda, millones de chilenos y latinos agradecen aprender un poco más de esta bebida que nos apasiona. Dicho esto, daremos a conocer la cerveza Ale, tipo que se ha puesto en boga, a partir de la presencia y elaboración de las artesanales y Premium.

La Ale es una de las dos grandes familias de la cerveza que junto a la lager, conforman la matriz de donde derivan casi todos los estilos que se conocen en el mundo, excepto unas pocas que provienen de la mixtura de ambas y otras que son de fermentación espontánea.

 Etimología

 Procurando alcanzar en algo la etimología, diremos que Ale es una palabra inglesa que sencillamente significa cerveza; proveniente de “öl” expresión escandinava para identificar esta bebida. (versión completa en edición impresa)

AleThe Ale is one of the two great families of beer. It is characterized by warm fermentation, high fermentation also called because it is produced at high temperatures and yeast mature in the top of the tanks. It is estimated that exist at least 50 types of ale in the world.
 The Ale is one of the two main families of beer next to the lager, which form the matrix derived almost all the styles that are known in the world except a few that come from the mixture of both, and others that are spontaneous fermentation.

 

More and more is becoming known beer culture on this side of the planet, to distinguish for example the many styles of this drink is not easy for thousands of consumers, who until a few years ago, knew only one type of beer. Although some experts in our midst, to illustrate this theme does not have much contribution, or perhaps no meaning, no doubt, millions of Chileans and Latin are grateful to learn more of this drink that we love.
That said, we will disclose Ale beer, which has been in vogue from the presence and development of handicrafts and Premium.

Etymology Ale is an English word that simply means beer from “Ol” Scandinavian expression to identify this drink.  Charlie Papazian, perhaps the most renowned authority in the world of beer, argues that the word “ale” meant above mead “mead” in English, very diluted with water, while the strong mead was called ” biuza “from which” bier “(German beer), leaving historical evidence of this double family of beers.

 

Differences and features

 Unlike lager, are the top-fermented ale or those that use floating-fermentation yeasts (yeasts that float on the surface of the wort), matured into heat at temperatures ranging between 15 and 25 degrees, concentrated at the top of the container that contains them. Lagers Instead, they use more bottom-fermenting yeasts, matured in cold temperatures – between 5 and 8 degrees, which are concentrated in the deepest part of the tanks.
It is this property, which puts the seal on the Ale and the one that gives the term. From here you can find pale ales, darker, with high or low alcohol content, with little or much body, and more or less bitter, with different styles, depending on the quantities or qualities of the malt used in its development, as well as those hops and maturation times being granted.
The Ale, using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Another feature that takes its mature form is its fruity aroma and complex flavor.

History

Birth attributed to England, the ale or beer, were in principle the best known, predating by centuries, lagers, until after the Industrial Revolution took the last main role because of its mild flavor that appealed the massive audience in the world. In recent years the growth of the beer, especially craft have returned to this ancient presence Ale.

As we illustrate the contemporary connoisseurs, only in the seventies in England turned to brewing beer at home with more force. Formerly, women were very good beer processing, until the technology and the industrial revolution, said something else and filled the beer business with a lighter and cheaper than was forgetting the quality and the original recipes of the old brewery, to carry an increasingly large audience, a purely commercial product reportedly sometimes at the expense of quality ingredients.

In this way the Ale are always kept in Britain, but with a very low profile, but compared with the rest of the world were a larger production. It was not until the seventies that ales are “reinventing” the movement powered by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) to become massively little by little in the UK showing the quality of their beers and ancestral ways of making , demanding more and more the complexity of its aromas, flavors and colors.

 This same phenomenon occurs in the U.S. in the 80 initiate a remarkable development of craft beers and small breweries, dusting the classic recipes and hidden places of brewing tradition. The taste for the exquisite craftsmanship becomes increasingly demanding in the American beer of better quality and variety, alcoholic and even colors.

In Chile Ale coming with crafting, after the arrival of Europeans in the XIX to Valparaiso, is there when in 1850 installed the first brewery owned Chilean Joaquin Plaggeman, who creates a beer with his name and then a stout sold advertising the nutritional attributes “As the English original,” read the label. Then settle in the German colonies and Carlos Adwanter own factories in its plant in Valdivia. Then the story is known when it is replaced by the lagers. The Chilean industrial lager then made just the Ale disappear until they return through Southern Brewery and then Kunstmann, and then generating an interesting boom with the continued growth of craft brewers have brought back the good old Germany to market. About 95% of craft beers produced in Chile and South America are Ale.

Elaboration

The easiest way of developing this type of beer is getting warm fermentation (15 to 25 degrees C), which lasts three to four days. But many producers left to ferment for up to two weeks. Most top-fermented beers have some type of maturation after using few days of conditioning at temperatures ranging between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius, or a cold maturation and may include a second fermentation in barrel or bottle.
We hinted then that Alea are not for jokes. They are complex beers that are obtained after a lavish dedication alchemist. Teachers have been very old recipes from today, demanding brewers have decided to pull the trunks. According to the weather and the Ale places have a long list of styles, the style is British, Belgian, German, American, Australian and even on this side of Patagonia.“Pale” in English pale or light, well known in South America and Chile, perhaps the most developed by the local brews. Born to determine pale ale though some do not have anything pale because there are very dark and very good qualities.

Styles

British Style

Pale Ale :

Indian Pale Ale (IPA):  A special type of “pale ale” called “Indian Pale Ale (IPA).” In antiquity, this beer was sent to countries overseas, especially to India, hence the name. To ferment slowly during the trip, prepared with more density, in addition to protect it from possible infection stood much hops. This beer, which was transported in wooden barrels, had to make a long journey by sea, leaving England with a cold climate, passed through the equatorial heat, then crossed another cold zone passing through the Cape of Good Hope heat and then again across Ecuador to India. Exposed to constant motion by the waves during the months that lasted the trip. Its arrived at his destination, had a particularly fine and delicate flavor, so the IPA fame spread. Today we use the term pale ale IPA for stronger, more hop character and pale in color.Is charged at the Ale hop bitterness, unlike the Mild is rather light and slightly bitter. A Pale Ale is sometimes confused with it, but unlike barrel sold.Irish Ale: Red, with traditional fruity malt character. In Ireland, due to high consumption of Stout and Porter classic black, you can hardly find, yes, very well protected, by conservatives brewmasters.

 Mild: Bitter opposed to, for its softness. It is a dark beer of an alcoholic moderate. It is sold in barrels and is almost impossible to find in the bottle.
 
 Bitter:

Brown Ale: Appearing in the northeast of England – the center appeared Pale Ale and Brown Ale this part, the latter sought to have a lighter color than Porter.

Old Ale: Dark and full-bodied, sometimes a little sweet. Its name Old: refers to the old way of making beer, not your age.

 Barley Wine: English barley wine, formerly known as strong or Strong Ale. Has an alcohol content similar to wine.

Porter: A classic English, born in London, back in 1722, is a powerful, strongly built dark beer and malt character. They soon become the most popular among workers in London, especially the porters and baggage handlers, who gave him a property restorer.

Stout: A quintessential Irish, according to the treaties was born in the heyday of the porters and the term was used to highlight the stout beers, solid, strong and robust, so that one would wear at his side a little lighter color body and a stout which is a typical brown ale made with roasted malts and roasted barley. Although some consumers do not qualify within the Ales, are made with top-fermented yeast, therefore, is an Ale.
The stout is in any case an upper class “cervezota” in itself may vary with your tastes fruity spices, chocolate, etc. according to the process and ingredients. Hence this style exist within a number of sub types, cases, and the Imperial Stout, Stout Dry, Sweet Stout, Dry Irish Stout, American Stout, English Stout, Oatmeal Stout, etc..

 Scotch Ale:  Also known as Scotch Ale, are very similar to the strength of England, but made with malt from Scotland. They usually have more body than the English and are more sugary, highly prized in Belgium, some of which occur in Scotland only for export to the Netherlands.

 

Belgian Style

Belgian Ale: Almost all are top-fermented, that’s why all should be called Ale. However, rarely are named in this place, except some that are produced for export.  Here highlight the abbey and Trappist.

Trappist: Developed by the ancient monks in their monasteries of northern Europe. Today only seven abbeys breweries in the world have the right to this appellation of origin. Six are in Belgium and one in Holland. Beers are excellent body, fruity and should be served in a glass of origin.

Abbey: Are those that are made with the same recipe as the abbey, but not necessarily in a monastery.
There are also some very special high fermentation beers: Ale toast, Red Ale, Ale and Saison strong golden Season by name a few.

German Style
In Germany, beer is relatively more popular, the fermentation is low or lagers, however, there are very good Ale.

Altbier: Subsequently fermented and mature in cold like lagers. Its name expresses this condition, which means, do it the old-fashioned.

 Kölsh: It is a beer that would keep with the old way of fermenting: While in Germany he spent a cold fermented in Cologne and Dusseldorf kept the traditional style of fermenting beer. 

 There are also other characteristic determined by eg Biere de Garde:

Biere de Garde “Beer to save” stems from the northeastern France. It was created when there was no cooling systems, to drink during the summer, when it was not possible to receive heat.