[mass noun](chiefly Brit.)any beer other than lager, stout, or porter (主 英)(除陈啤酒、浓烈黑啤酒或黑啤酒之外的)麦芽啤酒 a draught of ale. 一口麦芽啤酒。 [count noun]traditional cask-conditioned ales. 传统桶内陈化的麦芽啤酒。 ■(N. Amer.)beer brewed by top fermentation (北美)上层发酵啤酒,上面啤酒 ■(historical)a drink made like beer but without the addition of hops (旧)麦芽酒
语源
Old English alu, ealu, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse o̦l. Formerly the word referred especially to unhopped or the paler varieties of beer