Ale to the selling of beer labeled "strong beer" that had actually been diluted with small beer. In medieval times, ale may have been safer to drink than most water (the germ theory of disease was unheard of, and the sterilizing properties of boiling unknown); however, there is no period evidence that people were aware of this nor that they chose to drink ale for this reason. The alcohol, hops, and some ingredients in gruit used to preserve some ales may have contributed to their lower load of pathogens, when compared to water. However, ale was largely safer due to the
Burton Ale (Brewers of South Suburbia), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, recreated Allsopp's Artic Ale. Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project recreated a 1901 Burton Ale KK, which has been described in the following terms: “What’s old is new again! Originating in Burton-on-Trent, the Burton ale was a popular English ale before being supplanted by pale ales and IPAs. The KK designation denotes that the beer was for ‘keeping’, meaning it was high in both alcohol and hopping. When Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project attempted to recreated the style using a historical recipe from 1901, the brewers discovered that the combination of