A style of British beer that's dark, malty, and punches above its weight in alcohol content — typically somewhere between 4% and 9% ABV. Old ale has a rich, warming quality with notes of toffee, dried fruit, and sometimes a hint of nuttiness. It's the kind of beer that suits a cold evening by the fire. In Australia the term is used more loosely to describe any dark ale. Often aged, sometimes blended with younger beer, and always satisfying.
He bypassed the lagers entirely and ordered an old ale — dark, rich, and exactly what a night like this called for.
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(Australia) Any dark ale.
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(UK) Any dark, malty, relatively strong beer.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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