Comments on: The Meaning of Ale

By: Phil

Phil — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:08:50 +0000

No injured feelings here, I can assure you, and no wish to referee anybody. Just thought you were banging your head against a brick wall.

By: Jeff Renner

Jeff Renner — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:58:01 +0000

Here’s another peculiarity. At least one US State, Texas, requires, or did require, that beers over 5% abv be labeled “Ale.” So when I was last there in the late 90′s, I found Salvator Bock Ale.

I think that this is a relic of the days in the late 19th Century in America when the new, lower alcohol lagers were replacing the heavier ales in popularity. Even when I was a kid in the 50′s in Cincinnati, Ohio, the common belief was that the one local ale, Schoenling Cream Ale, was really high in alcohol, and one bottle would get you drunk. I think that it probably was over 6%.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:24:58 +0000

Because, Phil, I care even far less about your injured feelings and apparent continuing ability to get a point. I can talk with BB without you as ref.

Tandy: I have my Largs Thistle scarf to keep me warm. Div 3 is too big city for me.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:40:50 +0000

a reasonable dose of whogivesafeck

If you don’t give a feck, why not give the thread a miss and leave it to the (doubtless deluded or mistaken) individuals who do? Wading into an argument and shouting “I don’t care about what you’re discussing, and neither should you!” doesn’t usually make many converts.

By: Tandleman

Tandleman — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 21:17:08 +0000

Don’t always agree with Alan, but I do on this. Apart from the Scottish Third Division football bit obviously.

By: Alan

Alan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:46:24 +0000

I am against the idea of having a discussion about anything as broad and perhaps even undefinable as “ale” without a reasonable dose of whogivesafeck – including and maybe even especially including stuff about the writings of Jack Michaelson.

The point I am making is that this is all a bit bizarre. What must the stamp collectors think of the beer nerds.

By: py0

py0 — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:18:26 +0000

“There’s no “technical” definition of a fruit.”

My botany dictionary begs to differ Phil.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:51:04 +0000

Not sure what point you’re making. If you think about it our hosts are arguing for more rather than less casualness about naming – they’re certainly arguing against any tendency to make authoritative claims that beer X is an ‘ale’.

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:46:10 +0000

When people say “technically a tomato is a fruit” they’re talking nonsense, as there’s no “technical” definition of a fruit. Technically a tomato is a berry, as are some fruits – although a lot of the fruits ending in -berry aren’t berries (technically).

A tomato is (technically) a fruit in much the same sense that Punk IPA is (technically) craft beer – it’s something a lot of people believe on the basis of hearing people say it, but there’s no actual definition there.

By: Pivní Filosof

Pivní Filosof — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 18:45:41 +0000

This is something that I find quite a bit funny. Almost every time I read an article talking about different sorts of beers I see something like “Beer can be divided into two (or three) families, Ale or top fermented and Lager or bottom fermented (spontaneously fermented)”, or a variation thereof. Why bother then with the “Ale” or “Lager” thing? Dunno….