Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

What Is Pale Ale? Everything You Need to Know About the Basic Beer Style

Lee Heidel
By

The pale ale isn’t sexy. It’s not extreme. It’s not a palate wrecker. But, believe it or not, there was a time when this humble beer style was the hottest thing going (think of it as a reverse She’s All That). In fact, the argument can be made that the American pale ale was the spark that ignited the fuse on the craft beer revolution.

From the mid-1970s through the early 1980s, craft beer pioneers like Anchor Bering and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company perfected their recipes for pale ales, taking original English ale ingredients and processes then refining them to use a balanced blend of malts and American-grown hops. Within a few years, Anchor’s Liberty Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale would help provide the financial backbone for those breweries to grow and thrive, setting the stage for more small breweries and more experimentation.

1 of 2
sierra nevada pale ale
Sierra Nevada/Facebook
stone brewing pale ale 2 lifestyle
Stone Brewing/Facebook

For decades, it was the norm for every American craft brewery to offer its own signature pale ale recipe as a part of a core lineup. Within the relatively narrow parameters of the pale ale style, it became difficult to stand out. The number of pale ales lining store shelves was overwhelming. In a crowded field without much diversity, breweries began to shelve their pale ales for the more aggressive India pale ale style, where balance and moderation are rarely encouraged.

Recommended Videos

As craft beer continues to grow in sheer numbers, as well as style diversity, it’s the perfect time to look back on the American pale ale, recognize its place in the pantheon, and celebrate the breweries that are still making excellent pale ales.

Related

Most American pale ales are crafted of American two-row (or similar) malt, American hops (like Cascade), and American ale yeast.

Most American pale ales are crafted of American two-row (or similar) malt, American hops (like Cascade), and American ale yeast. This simple foundation creates an easy-to-drink beer with a toasted biscuit base and bright but balanced hop profile. American pale ales pour in a variety of light colors from golden to amber, hence the “pale” signifier in the name. The middle of the road mouthfeel and higher carbonation create a refreshing drink with more tooth than summer ales or light lagers. The alcohol by volume percentage hovers in the 5 to 6 percent range, enabling casual consumers to enjoy more than one in a sitting.

The best way to learn about pale ales isn’t to read about them. It’s to drink them. Search out these beers for a representation of the best the style has to offer in today’s market.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Sierra Nevada brewing Company Pale Ale
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Perhaps the quintessential American pale ale, Sierra Nevada‘s all-time classic is still being brewed and is available in a wide range of formats. The pine and grapefruit hop notes will make this your favorite new (old) beer.

Stone Pale Ale 2.0

Stone Brewing Company

stone brewing pale ale 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Never one to follow the rules, Stone uses German hops in its reimagined Pale Ale 2.0 recipe. The result is a classic biscuit malt profile with accents of stone fruit and citrus.

Zombie Dust

3 Floyds Brewing Company

Zombie Dust 3 Floyds Brewing Company
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While technically classified as a pale ale, Zombie Dust pushes up against the big hop signifiers of many IPAs. While the hops here are big and bold, the beer is still crushable.

MO

Maine Beer Company

Mo Maine Beer Company
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A show of restraint and craft, lemon and pine flavors are followed by a dry finish. MO is complex while still being an everyday, all-occasion beer.

Daisy Cutter Pale Ale

Half Acre Beer Company

Daisy Cutter Pale Ale Half Acre Beer Company
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A balanced pale ale, Daisy Cutter provides a welcome combination of sweet and bitter. It brings a decadent dankness to the pale ale scene with bonus hints of mango and papaya.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel
Lee Heidel is the managing editor of Brew/Drink/Run, a website and podcast that promotes brewing your own beer, consuming the…
How to order a Martini like you know what you’re doing
how to order a martini bar

The Martini might be one of the most famous cocktail orders of all time thanks to James Bond taking his his Martini shaken, not stirred. But please, we're begging you, don't order a drink this way if you want to enjoy it. It's a mystery why Bond enjoys his cocktail made in what most bartenders will agree is objectively the wrong manner, but we're sure you'll have a better time drinking a Martini if you have it stirred.

However, there are still a bunch of other details that you can play around with when it comes to ordering a Martini -- from what spirit to use, to what garnish you prefer, to the glass in which you'd like it served. To learn about all the options, we asked New York City bartender Tom Walker about how to order a Martini. Walker is a gin enthusiast and has worked at some of the best bars in America and the world, such as Attaboy in NYC, The American Bar at The Savoy in London, Bramble Bar in Edinburgh, and George Washington Bar at the Freehand Hotel. It’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about ordering a Martini the right way.
Gin or vodka?

Read more
The Whole30 diet: Everything you need to know
Learn about what foods you can and can't consume on the Whole30 diet
Assorted vegetables sold at a market.

There are so many different diets out there, so is the Whole30 diet worth trying? While you don't want to follow a "quick fix" diet since they tend to cause more harm than good, as they are unsustainable, and many people gain the weight they lost right back, there are still ways of eating that promote health and wellness. The key is finding something that you would be willing to stick to long-term - that means it doesn't have any crazy or unrealistic restrictions!
With that said, there are certain circumstances under which following the Whole30 diet for a deliberately short time can be beneficial. For example, if you’re experiencing digestive issues routinely after eating with no known cause, trying an elimination diet and recording your symptoms and reactions as you reintroduce foods can elucidate your potential food sensitivities.
After the potential culprits are identified, you can resume a more liberal, diverse diet by excluding the trigger foods. Similarly, some guys may find a short-term, squeaky-clean diet can help them reset their brain and appetite to be keener with healthier eating habits after an extended vacation marked by indulgent eating or weeks of enjoying rich foods.
The Whole30 diet is designed for exactly these types of scenarios. Though highly restrictive and therefore not an easy diet to implement and stick with, the results can be rather transformative for those who can diligently adhere to the diet program for its entire 30-day duration. Fortunately, 30 days come and go fairly quickly. If you are experiencing symptoms of food sensitivities, the Whole30 diet just might be the dietary reset you need to start feeling better and making progress toward your health goals.
However, it can also be a controversial eating plan, and there are plenty of registered dietitians and nutritionists who take issue with some of the "rules" and exclusions set forth by the diet, so it warrants careful consideration of both sides before you jump in.
Are you curious to see if you’re up for the challenge and in need of rebooting your dietary habits and digestive health, or if you fall more in the camp that the Whole30 diet is a fad diet with little merit? Keep reading to learn all the need-to-know information about the Whole30 diet.

What is the Whole30 diet?
Created in 2009 by a married couple of sports nutritionists, Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig, the Whole30 diet is a 30-day dietary reset eating program designed to help people identify food sensitivities and triggers of inflammation, cravings, low energy, hormonal imbalances, and digestive dysfunction. Adherents of the Whole30 diet are asked to fully buy in for the entire 30 days, abiding by all the explicitly stated rules without slip-ups. Should a rule be broken, the dieter must restart their count from day one.
The Whole30 diet focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed foods, which is certainly a sound eating principle. However, because the list of rules is extensive, the actual diet is highly restrictive. The primary purpose of the diet is to remove trigger foods, and this includes many major food groups like dairy and grains. After the 30 days, the foods you miss eating can slowly be re-introduced one at a time while you’re expected to note any adverse reactions. If the food does trigger cravings, inflammation, bloating, low energy, sleep disturbances, etc., then you're supposed to permanently eliminate it from your diet.
Unlike most other popular diets, the Whole30 diet actually prohibits weighing yourself except for the first and thirtieth days of the program. Dieters are also asked not to track calories but to instead focus on eating to satiety.

Read more
The important health benefits of magnesium you need to know about
This is why you need more magnesium in your diet
Baby spinach

When most people consider important electrolytes that they need to replace after a hard workout, sodium and potassium typically come to mind. But what about magnesium? Magnesium has numerous benefits, and the essential mineral is involved in over 300 different enzymatic reactions in the body.

These include regulating blood sugar and blood pressure, synthesizing proteins, and conducting nerve and muscle impulses. Magnesium is also responsible for transporting calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes; this allows the heart to maintain its regular contractions.
Because there are several vital functions of magnesium in the body, there are numerous benefits associated with taking magnesium supplements or consuming foods high in magnesium to ensure adequate intake. Keep reading for a list of the benefits of magnesium, and make sure you’re not missing out on this essential nutrient for your health!

Read more