Around this time of year, you might be prone to consider one of the many available winter beers. There is much to know about winter beers and beers for the winter. But as we delve deeper into this world few things remain crystal clear. The beer gets darker and cloudier, and so does some of the terminology. Here are just a few examples.
Pale ales are darker in color than most, pale only in their comparison to brown and black ales.
Bitter ales, which have nothing to do with bitters, usually taste bitter, but are not necessarily as bitter as other styles like India Pale Ale, which comes not from India but England. When my buddy Rob pours me a pint of stout at my local Irish pub it is not 16 but 20 ounces, an Imperial pint, but not Imperial stout, which is a special style. Now that we are straight on everything else, I like many ales for the winter, but not winter ales. So-called winter and holiday beers are a mixed bag. A few are enjoyable, but most are an acquired taste.