Definition of ale
1 : an alcoholic beverage brewed especially by rapid fermentation from an infusion of malt with the addition of hops
2 : an English country festival at which ale is the principal beverage
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Examples of ale in a Sentence
The bar serves two very different ales.
Recent Examples of ale from the Web
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Who needs Michelin stars when you’re at the bar with that po’ boy and an icy honey ale, entertained by the kitchen staff doing its thing?
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Scaldis Pêche Mel (8.5 percent) is a Belgian amber ale that drips with fresh peach flavors.
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Ten beers were on tap, five of which were bitter-meets-fruity pale ales, IPAs and double IPA.
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Dale’s Pale Ale is as well known as any pale ale on the market despite being almost as strong as an IPA.
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Dark in coloration, Anak is scheduled to be accompanied at the fest by Ironwood's Catkin pale ale.
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Taste: This wheat ale, brewed with lemongrass, is a bit on the thin side but has a decent smack of Lemondrop hops on the finish.
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More impressive to hop snobs, however, the band recently worked with the San Diego craft brewery Belching Beaver to release Phantom Bride IPA, a limited-run ale that’s as far removed from Coors Light as Deftones are from Celine Dion.
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The ale did score points for high drinkability, always a winning quality in our book.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ale'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of ale
Middle English, from Old English ealu; akin to Old Norse ǫl ale, Lithuanian alus
First Known Use: before 12th century
ALE Defined for English Language Learners
ale
playDefinition of ale for English Language Learners
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: an alcoholic drink that is similar to beer
ALE Defined for Kids
ale
playDefinition of ale for Students
: an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops that is usually more bitter than beer
Learn More about ale
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See words that rhyme with ale Spanish Central: Translation of ale Nglish: Translation of ale for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ale for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ale
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