Homebrew Basics: Brewing an English Ale

English ales have been brewed in kitchens and small breweries in England for over a thousand years. There are five main types of English ale: bitter, brown, mild, pale, and stout. Each style has its own flavor profile and varying levels of hops and malt.

What makes English ale "traditional" is that real ale is never made with adjuncts such as corn sugar. It consists of malted barley, hops, water and yeast- nothing else. English ale is not filtered or pasteurized and derives its body and character from its simple ingredients.

Because English ale is top-fermented at room temperatures, it is an easy beer to brew. Here are some common ingredients in each of the styles of English ale. For specific recipes, please see Beermaking 101.

Bitter

Bitter is one of the most common ales imbibed in England. There are also many microbreweries in North America imitating the style. A bitter can have many characteristics depending on the traditions of the region where it was brewed. It is often high in hops and only lightly carbonated. However, some bitters are very light in the hops department.

A regular bitter is brewed from a starting specific gravity of 1.034- 1.039, which will result in a slightly higher alcohol content than mild. The two most common hops varieties used in English Bitter are East Kent Goldings and Northern Brewer. Pale malt extract is the main malt but Crystal malt is often added to increase sweetness and body and to give the bitter a reddish-golden hue.

Brown

The most popular commercial brown ale in the world is Newcastle Brown. Brown ales are sweet and mild, with little hops. The often are more full-bodied than most other English ales and have a nutty flavor.

Brown ales are brewed from a starting gravity of 1.040-1.050 but retain more residual sweetness than other ales so the total alcohol content is low. Most of the malt used in brown ales is pale malt but the addition of chocolate malt gives the ale its nutty flavor and its deep chestnut color. Whitbread Goldings is a common hops variety for brown ale.

Mild

Mild ale is basically a lower-alcohol, low hops version of brown ale. It is dark and sweet and is considered the working man's beer in England.

Starting gravity is 1.031-1.035. Small amounts of Whitbread Goldings are used as well as chocolate or black patent malt to give it color and body.

Pale

An English Pale Ale is a light (in color) ale with a higher alcohol level and higher hops component than other English ales. In order to support a clean refreshing taste from the hops, water with higher sulfate levels are used. Calcium sulfate can be purchased from homebrew supply stores to replicate a true pale ale.

Initial specific gravity is 1.044-1.054, resulting in a higher alcohol content. Common hops used for pale ales are Fuggles and Cascade.

Stout

When most people think of stout, the Irish brew, Guinness, often comes to mind first. It is the most popular imported stout in North America. However, there are many English stouts that have regional characteristics. Some have a higher sugar content, rendering a low-alcohol, sweet brew. Most stouts are dry with a bitter edge and a creamy head. Roasted barley gives stout both its black color and its bitter flavor. Exported stout is often higher in alcohol than its original draft form due to excise taxes based on alcohol levels. Traditional stout is often no more than 3% alcohol.

Dark malt provides the basis of stout but additions of crystal malt (for head retention) and black patent malt (for color) are usual. It is the roasted barley, however, that gives stout its characteristic taste. Starting specific gravity is in the 1.048-1.050 range. Bullion and Northern Brewers are the most common hops used.