n.
Fermented malt beverage, full-bodied and somewhat bitter, with strong flavour of hops .
Until the 17th century it was an unhopped brew of yeast , water, and malt, beer being the same brew with hops added. Modern ale (now largely synonymous with beer) is made with top-fermenting yeast and processed at higher temperatures than lager beer. Pale ale has up to 5% alcohol content; the darker strong ale contains up to 6.5%.