What's the difference between ale and beer?

Question

Or lager?

Answer 1

There are two main categories of beer...ale and lager.



Ales use yeast that ferments at the top of the fermentation vessel, and this takes place at warmer temperatures. Ales tend to be more complex and aromatic. Some beers that fall into the ale category: stouts, hefeweizens, belgians, IPAs, barleywine.



Lagers use yeast that ferments at the bottom of the fermentation vessel. They ferment at much lower temperatures than ales, and many require a cool storage period after fermentation to fully mature and be ready to consume. Lagers tend to be more malty, crisp and clean tasting. Mass produced beers like Bud, Coors, Heineken, etc. are technically lagers. Other examples of lagers are Oktoberfest beers, pilsners, bocks & schwarzbier.

Answer 2

Ale And Beer Difference

Answer 3

The above guy is partially right, except that lagers can have residual sugars, just try a dopplebock or a good malty marzen.



Lagers are brewed with a yeast that sinks to the bottom of the fermenting tank, and is more resistant to low temperature fermentations. Ales are brewed with floating yeast that ferments at the top of the tank, and is more comfortable above 60degrees F. However, lagers can be fermented warm and ales fermented cold depending on what specialty style of beer is being made.



Beer is now a generic term that usually refers to most grain based (non-distilled) alcoholic beverages. Technically, even Sake is a beer, since it is made from grain.



However, Ales were traditionally unhopped... beer or more accurately bier was used to describe hopped fermented beverages. The bittering agents in ales were typically herbs, flowers, grasses, and woods.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.



RE:

What's the difference between ale and beer?

Or lager?

Answer 5

I think beer is a general term covering several brews including strange things like ginger beer.

Lager is cold brewed with a bottom fermenting yeast and all sugar is brewed out.

Ale uses a top fermenting yeast and is warm fermented and some brews may contain residue sugars.



Hope I got this right!



Anthony James Barnett - author of WITHOUT REPROACH

Answer 6

It is my understanding that beer gets its flavors mainly from the grains such as stouts and porters. While ales depend a lot more on the flavor added to the brew by the hops such as pal ales, india pal ales hence the addition of ale to the name

Answer 7

An ale is a type of beer, while "beer" includes other beverages like lagers, pales and browns.

I personally prefer browns or pales, mostly microbrews. :)

-peace