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What's the difference between ............... 13 years 10 months ago #1

CDow Topic Author Offline Posts: 386	Pale Ale and Blonde Ale. Is pale ale hoppier? In an Irish context I really like the pale ales from say O'Hara's, 8 Degrees. I also love Helvick Gold from Dungarvan, which I don't find as hoppy. Alt and Cask Bitter Are these essentially the same beer?

What's the difference between ............... 13 years 10 months ago #2

TheBeerNut
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&quot;CDow&quot;:wk4vor78 wrote: Pale Ale and Blonde Ale. [/quote:wk4vor78]The label. I would certainly expect "pale ale" to be hoppier than "blonde ale" or "golden ale", but I doubt any Irish brewers are making beer according to pre-ordained style guidelines. Thankfully.

&quot;CDow&quot;:wk4vor78 wrote: Alt and Cask Bitter

Are these essentially the same beer?[/quote:wk4vor78]No, Alt is lagered, and isn't always served from cask. I have heard people remark on how similar they can be tastewise, though. London Pride in particular I've seen described as an Alt substitute for some drinkers.

What's the difference between ............... 13 years 10 months ago #3

CDow
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Thanks for the info.

According to CAMRA, golden ale are "This new style of pale, well-hopped and quenching beer developed in the 1980s as independent brewers attempted to win younger drinkers from heavily-promoted lager brands."

This would explain the less hop character, would that depend on the type of hop used or is it the length of time that the hops are used in the brewing process.

Re the Alt and Bitter. If alt is lagered and bitter brewed for more immediate consumption, are they brewed differently?

Sorry for all the questions.

What's the difference between ............... 13 years 10 months ago #4

TheBeerNut
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&quot;CDow&quot;:11i79cg6 wrote: would that depend on the type of hop used or is it the length of time that the hops are used in the brewing process.[/quote:11i79cg6]Could be either. It could be the only thing dividing a pale ale from a blonde is the grain bill. There are no hard and fast rules here and it's nigh-on impossible to generalise: the quote from CAMRA is describing rather than prescribing.

&quot;CDow&quot;:11i79cg6 wrote: Re the Alt and Bitter. If alt is lagered and bitter brewed for more immediate consumption, are they brewed differently?[/quote:11i79cg6]Off the top of my head, I would say so. They're from totally different brewing traditions so would tend to be made with different varieties of hops, malt and yeast, using different methods too.

What's the difference between ............... 13 years 10 months ago #5

tube Offline Posts: 3438	Have a look at the BJCP guide: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.bjcp.org/docs/2008_Guidelines.pdf">www.bjcp.org/docs/2008_Guidelines.pdf It makes for an interesting read.