Old ale
A primarily English style of
ale,
Old ales are rich, sweet and dark, and usually possess a fairly strong flavour. Their characteristic body, flavour and sweetness derives from the fact that they are not thoroughly fermented, leaving much of the
malt sugar in the
beer. Despite high gravity, the actual alcohol content of these beers generally remains rather modest.
Commercial examples include Theakston Old Peculier and, the amusingly named, Robinwood Old Fart.