What you need to know about ales to love them

Beer is loved all over the world. But preferences, of course, are different everywhere. In Russia, there is a serious bias towards lagers. So serious that some are interested in how ale — the oldest kind of beer, by the way — differs from beer. And someone generally believes that only hobbits, leprechauns and pirates drink ale. To really taste this drink, so beloved in the West, we are prevented by well-established prejudices. Now we will mercilessly debunk them.

There are many varieties of ales and not all of them are strong

There is an opinion that ale is necessarily something strong. Not true. The history of ale dates back more than a thousand years, it was originally brewed in England and Scandinavia, and soon — almost all over Europe. It would be strange if the taste remained the same everywhere.

Some popular ales are really very intoxicating. For example, the strength of barley ale, or, as it is also called, barley Wine (Barley Wine), varies from 9 to 12%. The other varieties are much lighter in terms of alcohol. The strength of porter, like its closest relative, stout, does not exceed 7%. And soft ale (mild), which has a pronounced malt taste, is quite close to kvass — 2-3%.

In Russia, they know how to brew ales

Foggy Albion, of course, is a trendsetter. Ale is almost a national symbol for the British. However, in our country the brewing traditions were not born yesterday. One of those enterprises where they were forged was the "Trekhgorny Brewery", founded in 1875. By the time the First World War began, he was giving out six million decaliters a year — an amazing performance at that time.

After the revolution, however, brewing in Russia declined. The plant regained its breath only in the 60s and again became the leader of the beer industry, but only to finally fall silent in the depths of the 90s. The fallen banner was raised three years ago by the Moscow Brewing Company, reviving the brand popular among the people. As a hundred years ago, Trekhgornoye beer is brewed on elite foreign hops.

Bitterness can be light

Indeed, bitterness is a signature feature of ale. But manufacturers, of course, strive to diversify the taste palette. Not everyone loves one hundred percent classics. The Moscow Brewing Company, in particular, offers five varieties of ale, each of which is brewed according to a unique recipe.

The chief brewer of the enterprise has been working on improving the recipe for "Trekhgornoye Manufactured ale" for a year, and the product itself has been preparing for release to the market for as many as three years. As a result, a special drink was born with a nutty chocolate taste, a tart aftertaste of juniper berries and a soft bitterness. All its advantages are best highlighted by spicy snacks.

At the tasting competition World Beer Awards 2017, the best domestic bitter was recognized as "Trekhgornoe Original ale". It is based on hops of the "Polaris" variety, which gives a rich floral aroma and subtle mint notes. Malt sweetness and a powerful dry aftertaste are what you need to emphasize the taste of fried meat or a juicy burger.

For long feasts, the "Trekhgornoe Golden Ale" is ideal. This is a relaxed, but at the same time very fragrant drink of a transparent golden color with a citrus aroma.

Gourmets should pay attention to the "Trekhgornoe Spicy ale". This ale, fairly flavored with spices, is brewed in order to set the mood in bad weather or on a cold autumn-winter evening. Cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg create an extraordinary depth of taste and caramel-nutty aroma.

And of course, it was impossible to do without the unfiltered variety. "Trekhgornoe White ale" is brewed in the style of Belgian wheat, but in the author's "hop" reading.

Only hops, malt, yeast and water

We inherited three absurd, but quite common myths from the Soviet, if I may say so, brewing school. First: mass-produced beer is made from powders. This is nonsense, if only because there is not a single powder in nature that, when diluted with water, would give out at least something similar to beer. Breweries work on the same principles as if you were brewing foam at home.

The second myth: alcohol is added to beer. An interesting theory, but it's not very clear who needs it. Alcohol is known to be synthesized by yeast, consuming sugar in the process of natural fermentation. The question is, why should producers spend extra money on alcohol if it is formed in sufficient quantities by itself?

Third: hops contain a hormone that turns men into women. This story appeared relatively recently, when it became known that there is a hormone phytoestrogen in the cones of hops. The chemical composition of it is really similar to the female sex hormone estrogen. That's just its content in hops is no more than, for example, in radishes, and it is not able to cause any changes in the body.

The bottle is a suitable container for ale

Who would argue with the fact that the ale will be especially fine when it is delivered from the brewery directly to the table in steel kegs? But it is extremely difficult to implement this. Nothing better than a bottle for storing and selling beer has yet been invented. Although the bottle is different from the bottle.

The brand "Trekhgornoye", for example, refused the standard bottle. A special container resembling a ceramic jug with a handle of one or one and a half liters and a wide neck was developed. These vessels are produced at the factory where sparkling wine bottles are made. The vintage look is complemented by a plastic label, which is not glued to the bottle, but is put on top and then sits on the glass under the influence of steam.