BJCP Style Guidelines Category 8 - English Pale Ale

English Pale Ales should display earthy herbal English-variety hop character, but this character may be the result of the skillful use of other varieties of hops by the brewer. These beers have medium to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma which originally was helped by the water in some of the brewing towns. One city, which has become synonymous with English Pale Ale is Burton-on-Trent. The water there is high in gypsum, which precipitates even the finest sediments to produce a very pale color beer. The balance is toward the sulfate concentrations which enhances the hop bitterness.

All beers in this style are bitters. The word "bitter" is used in Britain to describe their pale ales. The bitter has been a big part of the British diet and culture for over 150 years. Pale Ales were made in Britain as early as 1703, but throughout the 18th and up to the early part of the 19th century, the dark, heavy Porter style of beer was the prominent beer in Britain.

Around 1784, the Saccharometer was invented. It was a device which could measure the sugar levels in liquids. It allowed brewers to finally calculate the alcohol content of their beers. What they found was that the pale malts could make beers higher in alcohol than the brown malts. So, thus began the movement toward the English Bitters. As lagers swept the continent of Europe, the English stayed with their bitter as their beer of choice. Lagers did make some inpact on Scotland where the brewing was more in the German style.

The three styles in this category are:

• 8A - Standard or Ordinary Bitter
• 8B - Special, Best, or Premium Bitter
• 8C - Extra Special or Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

Some distinguish the Pale Ale from the Bitter, saying it is a beer with more esters and with a variable malt to hop balance. They also contend that the English Pale Ale's color, carbonation and head retention are comparable to, but slightly higher than the Bitter. This should be an interesting category to learn since it has always confused me with all the special, best, premium, extra special, standard, and ordinary designations.

References: This page was adapted from the BJCP style guideleines for 2008, Beer Expert.com.uk/BitterBeer.

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