Strong ale

British Strong Ale

BJCP 17A

The catch-all for strong English ales that are not old ales or barleywines: malty, fruity, moderately bitter, and usually brewed to be drunk within the year.

Vital statistics

Each bar is drawn against the full range of all 98 styles

Original gravity

1.055 - 1.080

Final gravity

1.015 - 1.022

Bitterness

30 IBU - 60 IBU

Colour

8 SRM - 22 SRM

Alcohol

5.5% - 8%

Colour also 16-43 EBC

What goes wrong

Under-attenuating and calling it rich. There is a difference between residual body and unfermented sugar, and only one of them tastes good.

Commercial examples

Fuller's 1845Harvey's Elizabethan AleJ.W. Lees MoonrakerSamuel Smith's Winter WelcomeShepherd Neame 1698

Reference examples of the style, as listed in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Availability varies by market and year.

Vital statistics as published in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Not yet checked against the published guidelines: treat these ranges as a planning aid and read the source at bjcp.org before entering a competition.

The rest of the strong ale family

17B

Old Ale

5.5-9% · 30-60 IBU

17D

English Barleywine

8-12% · 35-70 IBU

20C

Imperial Stout

8-12% · 50-90 IBU

22B

American Strong Ale