Best guess is that if you’re reading this post, you drank beer at a wedding recently, perhaps your own.
In one beer blog, Zythophile, Martyn Cornell explains that the word “bridal” comes from the 16th century Anglo-Saxon term brýd-ealo, or bride-ale. Ale, though, “was being used here in its secondary sense of ‘a festival or merry-meeting at which much ale was drunk,’” Cornell says.
Here are some craft beers that are bridal ales, some specifically brewed for modern day bride-ales. They also make great gifts for the bride and groom.
Sam Adams (Boston, Massachusetts) Brewlywed Ale 8% ABV
Today is the one-day release of the 2014 Sam Adams Belgian-style Brewlywed Ale. This unfiltered beer is perfect for summertime, with both floral and tropical aromas from Ella and Summer hops. The annual release of this beer and the first fifty bottles of it that Jim Koch signs attract a line of brides and grooms in full garb. The first twenty people to arrive in bridal attire move to the front of the line.
Bell’s (Kalamazoo, Michigan) Wedding Ale 8% ABV
Bell’s was one of the first American breweries to put a wedding ale out into the world, and theirs includes the zest of orange peel and coriander and the sweetness of honey. Brewed with a combination of wheat and pale malts and fermented with Bell's signature house ale yeast, this subtle golden ale finishes dry, so it’s ideal for the next merry meeting at which much ale will be drunk.
Birrificio Del Ducato (Roncole Verdi, Italy) Wedding Rauch 5.2% ABV
Giovanni Campari created the Wedding Rauch for his bride on their wedding day. The story goes that, “she was a girl with a weakness for Rauch beers and he was a brewer in love with his work.” The Wedding Rauch is an amber-colored smoked beer modeled after rauch beers from Bamberg. It was served at the couple’s wedding reception, which was decorated with hop plants. Campari decided to keep brewing the beer, and it has become part of the Birrificio Del Ducato’s beer family.
Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene, Oregon) Nuptiale 5.7% ABV
“Inspired by human rituals of love.” Created for a summer wedding and now brewed annually for wedding season, the Nuptiale cream ale has been a part of many weddings throughout the Northwest. The flaked oats in this beer give it a smooth, creamy finish.