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Beer, as bread, is intimately linked to human life. Indeed they both rely on grain, water and yeast and the art of their creation has long been considered to be complimentary. In his book, "Beer," Christopher Finch relates that there are scientists who believe early man gave up nomadic life in order to grow grains for beer production. Those early days of beer making were likely marked by a slim range of flavors and no doubt a wide range of aromas.

But what of the perplexing array of beer available today? Besides being a sign that the craft of beer making is alive and well it also signals the arrival of beer styles fit for connoisseurs. Perhaps the beer style with the deepest roots is the ale. These top-fermented, powerhouses of the beer world come in a remarkable range of colors and flavors.

It's important to make a major differentiation at this point between mass-market beers made predominantly of corn sugar, and those truer beers made of barley. The differences are immense and while the mass market brands have their audience to serve, the beers made of barley more closely reflect the true heritage of crafting beer.

Of the barley beers three styles of ale that many people are most familiar with include the mild, the pale and the bitter. Mild ale has its roots as a British draft beer, is low in alcohol and is on the sweet side. The pale ale is essentially the bottled version of the bitter ale and if you like hops, (hopheads as they are called in the beer connoisseur world), then you'll like pale ales. The bitter ale is just that and that's where the British name "bitters" comes from as in a "pint of bitters." It is a draft beer and takes a lot of its characteristics from the process of being conditioned in the cask.

For those more adventurous souls who have developed a lust for ales the next steps in the experience include the brown ale and the scotch ale. Brown ales have a strong flavor and lean to the hoppy side while scotch ales are very close in flavor to bitter ales with a creamy characteristic. By now though, if you have reached the point where you are enjoying these offerings, you are no doubt hooked on the ale experience and will seek out new adventures in ale tasting at every opportunity. And, the world has risen to the task of making sure you have a wide variety to sample.

There are porters and there are stouts and when you encounter their robust, hoppy flavors along with a meal of roast beef and glazed potatoes you will undoubtedly believe you have ascended. Then for a lighter experience you can reach for the Belgian ales, Trappist ales, Altbier, Kolsch, Berliner Weisse and Weisenbier. These bitter to exceptionally balanced ales will keep you coming back for more, as long as you can afford it. The use of wheat in some of these brings a smooth, creamy character to them that is delicate and wonderfully refreshing.

Most of the ales above have their origins in Europe and they are widely available in bottles across the globe. Craft brewers in the U.S. are making their own versions to the delight of a growing crowd of beer connoisseurs. Which leads to the often heard phrase: So many ales, so little time.

Learn more about this author, Duane Craig.
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