Old Ale

What is Old Ale?

Old ale, also known as strong ale, is a dark, malty, and strong beer that is typically aged for a long time. It is a traditional British beer style.

Old ale resembles barley wine in taste and style, featuring flavours such as fruit, raisins, nuts, and hints of port wine.

Old ale is traditionally sold as cask ale, though some breweries also bottle it. Some of these beers can mature for several years after bottling.

Origin Story

Old ale is historically associated with stock ale, a beer that breweries would age in wooden casks for years. In pubs, it was often mixed with younger, fresher beer to achieve a balanced flavour profile.

This long-aged beer had a higher alcohol content, very low bitterness, and a complex, slightly sour taste due to prolonged exposure to the bacteria on the barrel surfaces.

This type of beer became quite popular in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Over time, old ales have changed considerably. While they have maintained their original dark colour range and typically feature fruity flavours, the wild/sour character has generally disappeared from their taste profile. The use of wooden casks for ageing has become rare, and the ageing period is significantly shorter than it was originally. Some old ales today are not particularly strong but have a rather moderate alcohol content (around 5%).

In the past decade or so, some craft brewers have sought to bring old ale somewhat closer to the styles of the 19th century. Many of these are very characterful and show good ageing potential.