Strong ale

Old Ale

BJCP 17B

A strong ale aged until it develops the leathery, vinous, faintly sour character that only time gives. Traditionally blended with fresh beer before serving.

Vital statistics

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

Original gravity

1.055 - 1.088

Final gravity

1.015 - 1.022

Bitterness

30 IBU - 60 IBU

Colour

10 SRM - 22 SRM

Alcohol

5.5% - 9%

Colour also 20-43 EBC

What goes wrong

Expecting the flavour without the wait. The defining character is an ageing artefact, and a three-month-old old ale is just a British strong ale.

Commercial examples

Avery Old JubilationGale's Prize Old AleGreene King Strong Suffolk AleMarston Owd RodgerTheakston Old Peculier

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

17A

British Strong Ale

5.5-8% · 30-60 IBU

17D

English Barleywine

8-12% · 35-70 IBU

20C

Imperial Stout

8-12% · 50-90 IBU

22B

American Strong Ale