ALD'STONE, or ALSTON, sometimes called ALSTON Moon, a market-t. of the co. of Cumberland, England, 30 m. e.s.e. from Carlisle. The parish of A. contains ex tensive and very productive lead mines, formerly belonging to the earls of Derwent water, and now to the lords commissioners of the admiralty. The t. has manufactures of worsted yarns and flannel. It is situated in a mountainous district on the declivity of a steep hill, near the confluence of the Nent and south Tyne. The pop. is about 2500. The produce of the lead mines has fallen off considerably during the past 15 years. Pop. of parish '71, 5680.
ALE would seem to have been the current name in England for malt liquor in gen eral before the introduction of hops. This took place, according to Johnston (Chemistry of Common Life), as late as the reign of Henry VIII., about the year 1524. As the use of hops was derived from Germany, the German name for malt liquor (bier), beer, was used at first to distinguish the hopped liquor from al t, the unhopped. The word ale had in all likelihood been introduced by the Danes and other Scandinavian settlers—for a (allied probably to oil) is still the name for malt liquor in the Scandinavian tongues—and must have driven out the beer of the Anglo-Saxons, which that people had in common with the other Teutonic nations. As now used, ale sigLities a kind of beer (q.v. and
FERMENTATION), distinguished chiefly by its strength and the quantity of sugar remain ing undecomposed. Strong ale is made from the best pale malt ; and the fermentation is allowed to proceed slowly, and the ferment to be exhausted and separated. This, together with the large quantity of sugar still left undecomposed, enables the liquor to keep long without requiring a large amount of hops. The Scotch ales are distinguished for the smallness of the quantity of hops they contain, and for their vinous flavor. They are fermented at an unusually low temperature. The ales of Edinburgh and Prestonpans have a high. reputation. Burton ale is the strongest Made, containing as much as 8 per cent of alcohol while the best brown stout has about 6 per cent, and common beer only 1 per cent. India pale ale differs chiefly in having a larger quantity of hops.