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pale ale

pale ale

2 2.8
A light amber beer made from pale grains with a hoppy, dry taste
  • noun
  • /peɪl eɪl/
translation icon : pale ale
  • I ordered a refreshing pale ale at the bar, and it had a crisp, hoppy flavor.
  • India pale ale
  • pale ale beer
  • style of pale ale

But somebody who does love beer tried the pale ale and he said it was bomb.

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Examples

  • A Cascade dry-hopped American pale ale.

    Blog text (15)
  • I got this one in a sampler, and thought it was much more in line with a British/Irish Pale Ale than anything even kind of Belgian.

    Blog text (28)
  • But somebody who does love beer tried the pale ale and he said it was bomb.

  • So you get Bass Pale Ale and Old Peculiar and all these, these other cool things.

  • Blue Moon's Belgian-Style Pale Ale

    Blog text (28)
  • Ten years ago, many beer drinkers might not have known what an Indian pale ale is, let alone the subtle differences between two varieties.

    Blog text (13)
  • He drank thirstily from his pale ale.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • In order to meet the demand that exists for a beer popularly known as keg or canister, we are now producing our best pale ales in this form.

    Blog text (24)
  • ME: Belgian Pale Ale pours a copper color with the head and carbonation level you'd expect from a mass-produced product.

    Blog text (28)
  • During the tasting event, he recommended trying a pale ale paired with spicy dishes.

Synonyms

ale
vspale ale
115 3.0

A kind of beer that often tastes bitter and has more alcohol

is a specific amber malt beer lighter and drier than this broader bitter type
APA
vspale ale
5.4

A pale ale beer from the United States with a hoppy, citrus taste

is brewed lighter and drier from pale malts rather than focusing on citrusy hops

How Pale

pilsner
5 6.7
pale ale
2 2.8
porter
45 4.9
stout
9 5.0

Surface Forms

pale ale singular
pale ales plural

Morphology

pale + ale

The compound is directly compositional: 'pale' (light in color) modifies 'ale' (a type of beer), so the phrase denotes a light-colored beer. This straightforward adjective+noun formation follows common cross-linguistic patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Pale ale may come from its light color: brewers used lightly roasted grain called malt so the drink looked pale compared with older dark beers, and it was a kind of ale. That's why pale ale now means an 'ale' that is paler and often lighter in taste.