Beer or ale: What are you drinking?
Are you drinking Lagers or Ales? Do you know?
This is an interesting question that many beer drinkers face. Budweiser is a lager, but what is Miller light? Are my favorite Harpoon beers lagers or ales?
At a recent beer event, I had a discussion with a festival participant on this topic. Lets say his name is Bob. Bob asked me if he was drinking “beer” or an ale. At first I was a little confused. Ale’s are beer – what was he asking me about?
I quickly understood his question. He was asking me about Lagers vs. Ales. I explained that in this specific case he was drinking an ale. He asked. “Is it an ale because it’s darker and maltier”. No Bob, that’s not the reason. Lets Discuss…
Here are some basic differences between Lagers and Ales:
- Fermentation Location:
- Ales use yeast fermented at the top of the vessel.
- Lagers use yeast fermented at the bottom of the vessel.
- Fermentation Duration:
- A standard ale will complete fermentation in 2-3 weeks.
- A standard lager will complete fermentation in 4-6 weeks.
- Fermentation Temperature:
- Lagers need a colder temperature – fermentation typically occurs between 45 – 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Ales need a warmer temperature (closer to room temp) – fermentation typically occurs between 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Style Examples:
- Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Stout, Porter, Barley-wine, Belgian Strong Ale, Extra Special Bitter.
- Light Lager, American Style Lager, Pilsner, Marzen, Bock, Dunkel.
- Classic Examples:
- ALES: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Harpoon IPA, Redhook ESB.
- LAGERS: Budweiser, Miller Light, Heineken, Sam Adams Boston Lager.
I hope that this helps unlock the mystery.
Enjoy!!
Sean
Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned it!!
This article can also be viewed on examiner.com
5 Responses to “Beer or ale: What are you drinking?”
July 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I find that when most people are unaware what kind of beer they are drinking, it is typically a lager they are holding.
July 16th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Good post – Lagers are my personal favorite. Went to the Sam Adams brewery last weekend and they had a similar explanation.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I agree. Most ale drinkers know that they are drinking an ale.. mostly because it’s not common to have a coors 30 rack of a German Bock.
When will then be now?
I think the Sam Adams Lager confused many people (it confused me). It’s very different than other mass produced lagers. I perfer to have it on draft, rather than in a bottle.
Thanks for sharing your feedback
Sean
2Beerguys.com
July 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Interesting. The opposite is the case in the UK: people talk about beer and they mean ale and lager as specifically lager. As in “Oh, I don’t drink beer, I prefer lager.”
It’s opposite, but the same, if you get my drift.
July 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
HA. That’s funny.
Sean
2Beerguy.com
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