Cream ale is a style that almost defies definition. For starters, it does not contain cream, and compared to many other styles, it isn’t exceptionally creamy.
So what’s the scoop on cream ales?
The Origin Story
The cream ale was born in America, unlike most styles of beer. In the mid-1800s, American ale brewers started losing business to German-inspired lager breweries, so they invented an ale that drank like a lager. This invention would later become “cream ale.”
Historically, ales were heavier beers than lagers, but ale breweries learned to lighten their beer by using rice, wheat, sugar or corn instead of barley.
The fermentation of this new process took less time than a lager fermentation did, and it produced a beer of similar crispness and refreshment. All of this to say: more beer, more quickly for more money!
The Name Game
As we’ve mentioned, the cream ale doesn’t contain any dairy or lactose. So how did its name come to be?
Bad news! There’s no real evidence as to which brewery coined the term or in which city it officially originated. The overall information on cream ale tends to be a little murky, but we can assume it’s marketing jargon, possibly referring to the beer’s silky taste or richness.
The Taste Test
Cream ales are most closely related to a lager: mild, pale and light-bodied. And even with “ale” in the name, these beers have a clean crispness comparative to a bottom-fermenting beer.
Taste-wise, this style is almost like a fuller kölsch and typically falls around 5% ABV. Cream ales pair well with salads, mild shellfish, monterey jack cheese and lemon custard tart.
Cheers!