Cream ale is a style of North American beer. During Prohibition in the United States, Canadian brewers took up brewing cream ale and refining it to some degree. Following the end of Prohibition, cream ale from Canada became popular in the United States, and the style was produced anew in both nations. A cream ale is related to pale lager. They are generally brewed to be light and refreshing with a straw to pale golden color. Hop and malt flavor is usually subdued, but like all beer styles, it is open to individual interpretation, so some breweries give them a more assertive character.