What are the styles of beer of the English Brewing School?

If you think of an English pub, it is usually associated with a pint of dark beer. Guiness, to be more exact. And it's normal, because the most characteristic style of the English Brewing School is dark and full-bodied beer.

This is due, among other things, to the fact that the waters available in most areas of the islands are hard and alkaline, which favors (and in many cases forces) breweries to produce dark beers.

If we get more technical, we could say that in England we find 4 large branches of styles: Pale "pale" beers, brown beers (English Brown Ale), dark beers (Porter and Stout) and beers (Strong Ale), which have in common the fermentation at temperatures between 18º and 20º, that is, they are all from the Ale family (high fermentation, which provides more complexity in aroma and flavors).

Pale beers, the "pale" beers

The Style Pale Ale o English Pale Ale is one of the pillars from which the evolution of beer in Britain has developed over the last three centuries.

In 1642 in the United Kingdom the innovative system (national patent) had been spreading cereal drying in air jet ovens instead of direct fire, whose technology made it possible to obtain lighter colors than in the past, with its consequent taste nuances. Thus entered the scene a beer that, in 1703, was officially given the name of Pale Ale, literally “pale beer”.

Until then, decidedly darker beers were produced, with a more or less dark brown color that was particularly intense (as we mentioned before). Here, the arrival of pale ales had limited effects at first, then gradually more tumultuous, until it sparked a real revolution. So much so that the fame of the darker beers, which dominated the scene at the time, was largely questioned. What are the reasons for its great success?

1. First: It was, above all, a novelty, and as such, it attracted a lot of attention.
2. Second: Initially, given that for its elaboration it was necessary to dry the malt in new generation ovens, the cost of the technology affected that of the beer itself (Her nickname was twopence, i.e. the expense of a pint: nearly double that of a regular Brown) and thus became in a kind of beer almost exclusive to the wealthier classes.
3. Third: its diffusion managed, over time, to break through even among the less wealthy. A phenomenon that the historiography of the sector explains with the effects of the industrial revolution, when, starting at the end of the 18th century, a large number of farm workers moved to new, more mechanized factories and began to want more refreshing beers to quench their thirst. sed while costs were reduced by scale production.

The English Pale Ale o English Pale Ale is a well-balanced, amber-colored beer where the flavors of the caramel malts are coupled with the floral and earthy aromas of the hops. Subtle fruity odors from the yeast strains will also be found. All with a support of water high in minerals.

Regarding this style, there is no consensus on the differences between the names Pale Ale and Butter.Some authors claim that the two terms are effectively synonymous, while others claim that the beer is called a Bitter when in kegs, becoming a Pale Ale when filtered and bottled (Even major style guides diverge: BJCP 2015 only describes Bitters, explaining that they arose from English Pale Ales; whereas in BA both Bitters and English Pale Ale appear as distinct styles)

Las Scottish Ale e Irish Red Ale they are adaptations of the English style, but they put more emphasis on caramel and dark malts and less on hops.

We cannot fail to mention the India Pale Ale, the fashionable bitter beers that, quite briefly, we could say is a version of the Pale Ale but with bitterness powerful. This is because during the colonization of the Indies, the English put more hops in the Pale Ale so that they would be preserved during the long journey (since the hops, in addition to providing amagor, is also a natural bactericide and fungicide that helps preserve beer)

Brown Beers, English Brown Ale

The name of some beer styles such as Amber Ale, Red Ale or Brown Ale refers to their color, which is their main common characteristic, since it defines beers absolutely different in different cultures.

That many of the beers of the past were brown in color is well understood, since the malts were fire-roasted. The first documented use of the term “brown” to describe them was in England of the 17th century, the poet John Milton already spoke in his poem L'Allegro of 1645 of a “spicy nut-brown ale”.

Porter and Stout Beers

The Porter style is the trunk of a great family tree that encompasses most of the dark beers we drink today.Since its origin in London around 1720, it has been a widely popular style, associated with the working classes, and was the first to be industrialized, abandoning the small-scale brewing in pubs for production in specialist factories

It was also the first global style that, from England, traveled to the USA, Ireland, Sweden or Russia, places where already at the end of that same 18th century it was interpreted through different local versions that would later become new styles: American Porter, Baltic Porter, Stout and Imperial Stout.

Stout and Porter are beers that range from brown to black, balanced between bitter and sweet, where roasted, coffee and chocolate flavors always stand out, to a greater or lesser extent. English Porter and Stout tend to be sweeter while Irish Stouts are drier and more roasted.

Strong Beers

Better known by its name in English Strong Ale: they are the most intense versions of the 2 branches mentioned above. The Barley Wine can be interpreted as a more concentrated version of a Pale Ale, much more alcoholic and intensely rich in malt flavors and fruit esters. In the same way the Imperial Stout and Foreign Extra Stout are the beers strongest English and Irish dark shadows respectively.

Special mention deserves the Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, which is the strongest Scottish beer. When talking about Scotland, it's almost impossible not to immediately think of Scotch whisky. But the close relationship between whiskey and beer is often overlooked. The “water of life”, from which the name whiskey (uisge beatha in Scottish Gaelic) comes from, can be summed up very simply as distilled beer.

The Scottish climate is too cold for growing hops, but suitable for growing barley. And the climate not only influences the inputs, but also (mainly a few centuries ago) the production processes. In general, they have an amber to copper color and a decidedly malty profile, with aromas ranging from biscuity to peat, passing through notes of caramel, toffee and even smoky notes.

We know it's a bit cruel to mention all these styles of beer without giving you our advice to try some. Do not worry: in the next article we will talk about our selection of beers faithful to the style of the English School, and some tricks on how to drink them. We are waiting for you!

Source: malbainsumos.com, mestre-cervejeiro.com