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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A fermented alcoholic beverage containing malt and hops, similar to but heavier than beer.
  2. n. A serving of this beverage.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A light-colored beer, made from malt which is dried at a low heat. See beer. Pale ale is made from the palest or lightest-colored malt, the fermenting temperature being kept below 72° to prevent the formation of acetic acid.
  2. n. An ale-drinking; a festival or merrymaking at which ale was the beverage drunk.
  3. n. A brew of ale; as much ale as is brewed at one time.
  4. n. An ale-house.

Wiktionary

  1. n. An intoxicating liquor made from an infusion of malt by fermentation and the addition of a bitter, usually hops.
  2. n. A festival in English country places, so called from the liquor drunk.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. An intoxicating liquor made from an infusion of malt by fermentation and the addition of a bitter, usually hops.
  2. n. A festival in English country places, so called from the liquor drunk.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume

Etymologies

  1. Middle English, from Old English ealu, alu; see alu- in Indo-European roots.

Examples

  • “Formerly, brewers made ale only twice a year, -- the _summer ale_ in”

    The Proverbs of Scotland

  • “One such pumpkin ale is the Pumpkin Ale from Southampton Publick House.”

    LENNDEVOURS:

  • “The brewing process for the ale is the same, but just as the primary fermentation slows, the beer is transferred from the fermenter to a cask where it continues to ferment or condition.”

    Long Island Beer Events

  • “There was a coldness in the civility of Mrs Adams which persons of accurate speculation might have observed, but escaped her present guests; indeed, it was a good deal covered by the heartiness of Adams, who no sooner heard that Fanny had neither eat nor drank that morning than he presented her a bone of bacon he had just been gnawing, being the only remains of his provision, and then ran nimbly to the tap, and produced a mug of small beer, which he called ale; however, it was the best in his house.”

    Joseph Andrews, Volume 2

  • “Real ale is enjoying a revival, a report reveals today, as younger drinkers and women embrace a drink which may be shedding its traditional "flat cap" image.”

    The Guardian: Real ale revival continues as women and young buy more

  • “Rachel Evans, drinks quality manager of pub operator M&B, which runs Vintage Inns and Toby Carvery, said: "Cask ale is a fantastic match to food, with natural ingredients and strong flavours which complement many of the dishes on the menu.”

    The Guardian: Real ale revival continues as women and young buy more

  • “At the common table, gnawing on a rack of ribs and a joint of beef, drinking ale from a serving pitcher rather than a cup, sat a massive dark-haired barbarian.”

    Archive 2009-12-01

  • “Don't miss out on this opportunity to try a fantastic pumpkin ale direct from the cask.”

    Long Island Beer Events

  • “If you have never had a pumpkin ale, you should know that there is a wide variation in the quality of the different versions out there.”

    Long Island Beer Events

  • “Some brewers gimmick-up their pumpkin ale with a sugar and spice rim.”

    Long Island Beer Events

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Lists

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Comments

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  • oroboros X-word clues: "draft pick" & "inn-take". Sep 26, 2009

  • tbtabby Means "discount" in Finnish. Jul 13, 2009

  • bilby Was raw tap ale not a reviver at one lap at Warsaw? Oct 18, 2008

‘ale’ has been looked up 1816 times, loved by 1 person, added to 28 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 3.