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A type of beer that is made from fermented barley malt and hops. Sometimes referred to as English beer, it has a strong and slightly bitter taste. A dark malted beer, lighter and paler than Stout.
Ale: Ale is an ancient word for a fermented alcoholic beverage obtained chiefly from malted barley.
Before the introduction of hops into England from the Netherlands in the 15th century the name "ale" was exclusively applied to unhopped fermented beverages, the term "beer" being gradually introduced to describe a brew with an infusion of hops. This distinction no longer applies.
A modern ale is commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature.
Strain of Yeast: An ale yeast is normally considered to be a top-fermenting yeast, though a number of British brewers, such as Fullers and Weltons, use ale yeast strains that settle at the bottom. Common features of ale yeasts regardless of top or bottom fermentation is that they ferment more quickly than lager yeasts, they convert less of the sugar into alcohol (giving a sweeter, fuller body) and they produce more esters (which give a fruity taste) and diacetyl (which gives a buttery taste).
Fermenting Temperature: Ale is typically fermented at higher temperatures than lager beer (1523°C, 6075°F). Ale yeasts at these temperatures produce significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavor and aroma products, and the result is a beer with slightly "fruity" compounds resembling but not limited to apple, pear, pineapple, banana, plum or prune.
Stylistic Difference to Lager: Stylistic differences between some ales and lagers can be difficult to categorize. Steam beer, Kölsch and some modern British Golden Summer Beers are seen as hybrids, using elements of both lager and ale production, while Baltic Porter and Bière de Garde may be produced by either lager or ale methods or a combination of both. However, lager is commonly perceived to be cleaner tasting, drier and lighter in the mouth than ale.
In a number of U.S. states, especially in the western United States, "ale" is the term mandated by state law for any beverage fermented from grain with an alcoholic strength above that which can legally be named "beer," without regard to the method of fermentation or the yeast used. This distinction is not obsolete, but it is idiosyncratic.
In former times the Welsh and Scots had two distinct kinds of ale, called common and spiced ales, the relative values of which (compared to mead) were appraised by law in the following terms:
If a farmer have no mead, he shall pay two casks of spiced ale, or four casks of common ale, for one cask of mead.
Ales are very common in Britain, Germany, the United States, and Belgium; however, Lager - but please see the discussion page about the term lager - is the dominant style of beer in almost all countries, worldwide.
Source: wikipedia
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