Pale Ale is not, in fact, pale. Most of you know this because you've been drinking it for years. Ever wonder why it's called that, then?

It's because in the day, most beers were dark, unfiltered, even unsettling in appearance. That didn't matter, because ale was consumed in leather or stoneware vessels. With the the invention of glass, brewers were comelled to make beer that looked more appetizing.

They found the answer in the use of isinglass, the swimbladder of sturgeon, which when dried, worked well to remove suspended solids in beer. Brewers then experimented with lighter hued ales to further enhance appearance. That's a long way to say pale ale is pale -- compared to the porters and stouts that proceeded it.

At the Smokehouse, we use only British malt in our Pale Ale, as well as British hops. We think it makes a difference you can taste.This is the beer that started it all for us, and we've been brewing it continually without interruption since the day we opened.