The beer world is justifiably understanding of the odd reality that a Belgian Pale Ale (BPA) isn’t really a pale ale. We tolerate a lot of unusual, atypical, even nonsensical things from that great brewing hotbed of Belgium, and so it seems almost natural that when we find a beer with lots of malt and not much hops but that shares an appellation with American pale ale or India pale ale that we shrug and mutter whatever the Flemish version of “C’est la vie” is. Belgian Pale Ale is very much an outlier among its Franco- Belgian or Belgian strong-ale cousins, but it doesn’t properly belong alongside APA or IPA, either. It is not unreasonable to argue that BPA shares as much (or more) with English bitter, Czech Pilsner, or Vienna lager as it does with saison, witbier, and golden/dark strong ale.
An Unremarkable Style
The vital stats are a good place to start in terms of getting to know this style, and the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines note that the SRM range for Belgian Pale Ale is 8 to 14. For those of you doing the numbers at home, that’s amber to copper in color. Otherwise, though, there’s not a lot to write home about: twenty to thirty IBUs against a gravity of about twice that and a modest ABV range. The most remarkable thing about BPA, as a style, is that it’s not pale. Beyond that, though, it’s not all that remarkable, like a Belgian version of English bitter. Numbers can be deceiving, however.
This is decidedly not just another ale—and certainly not just another pale ale. Moderate toasty bready malts are common (thanks to Vienna and/or Munich malts), often with a honey-like flavor (most likely thanks to Pilsner malt). This isn’t an atypical malt-flavor profile or grist…until you compare it to other pale ales (especially other pale Belgian ales). Compared to those, it seems downright luxuriant, with a richer malt flavor even than some brown Belgian beers. Reading the description of the style, you’d be forgiven for thinking this is a beer with more in common with English mild than other pale ales. “Nutty” in a pale ale? Odd.