ale
n. C / Un. a type of beer that is made using a warm fermentation method. It usually has a stronger, more bitter, or fruity taste compared to lager.
n. a category of beer brewed using top-fermenting yeast at relatively warm temperatures. Often distinguished from lager by its more complex, ester-driven flavour profile and historically shorter maturation period.
He ordered a pint of local ale at the pub.
The brewery specializes in traditional English ale, using local hops to create a distinctively bitter finish.
While the industrial revolution favored the consistent production of lagers, many small-scale breweries have revived ancient ale recipes to satisfy a growing consumer interest in artisanal craft products.
From Middle English ale, from Old English ealu, ealo, from Proto-West Germanic alu, from Proto-Germanic alu (compare Dutch aal, Swedish öl), from Proto-Indo-European h₂elut- (“beer”), or h₂elu- (“bitter”). Compare Russian ол (ol), Lithuanian alùs, Armenian օղի (ōġi); compare also Latin alum (“comfrey”), alūta (“tawed leather”), Ancient Greek ἀλύδοιμος (alúdoimos, “bitter”).
Uncountable when referring to the liquid in general; countable when referring to a specific glass or a particular variety.