The Difference Between Lager and Ale (Because You’re Probably Getting It Wrong)
I will never forget one of the first tables I served as a restless new waitress, when a woman asked her husband, “ What does ‘IPA’ even mean? The man replied: “ So it’s made in America. While his response was certainly patriotic, it was also objectively false.
I kept quiet at this table (table 14 if you’re interested) for two reasons: First, I still wanted a good tip. Secondly, although I knew that he was wrong, I myself did not know the correct answer. Since then, I’ve expanded my knowledge of beer, which is one of the reasons I was recently caught off guard when faced with a seemingly simple question: what’s the difference between lager and ale?
It turns out that the difference between the two types of beer is quite simple, but difficult to spot in terms of flavor, aroma, or color. Here’s what you need to know about the difference between lager and ale so you can educate any beer nerd in your life, or at least get a better idea of what you like to order for yourself.
First, there are only two kinds of beer.
All types of beer are divided into two main categories: ale or lager. Some hybrid beers blur the lines, but in general any beer you order will be one of those two types. Complicating matters is the fact that the difference is not determined by aroma or alcohol content, but by the yeast used in the brewing.
It all comes down to yeast
It is so simple. Well, not so easy; Obviously, the history of yeast is long and centuries old. However, for our purposes, all you need to know is that the yeast used in brewing determines whether a beer is classified as an ale or a lager.
Yeast Fun Facts (Overkill): Ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is the same type of yeast we use to make bread. A lager yeast, S. pastorianus , is allegedly named after Louis Pasteur. Funny things.
Common misconceptions
In addition to the type of yeast, many online sources state that ales are fermented with top-fermenting yeast at high temperatures, while lagers are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at low temperatures. These popular distinctions are not entirely false, but they are not entirely accurate either – at least according to Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine . For example, top-fermenting/bottom-fermenting yeast does not take into account the fact that “yeast activity is distributed throughout the liquid”, which means that all yeast cells will be at the top or bottom of the beer at different points. Similarly, some lager yeasts work well at relatively high temperatures, and some ale yeasts work well at lower temperatures.
The differences in fermentation patterns and temperatures between lagers and ales can be tricky, so you can play it safe by sticking to the one true difference: yeast.
Ale examples
While all beers start with either ales or lagers, different styles and flavors emerge from there. Ely is traditionally associated with Belgium and Great Britain. Here are popular examples:
- Porters
- Stouts
- Wheat and Belgian styles
- Indian Pale Ale (IPA) (I wish I could find that husband on Table 14 now…)
Examples of lagers
The lagers are linked to the classic history of Bavarian and German beer. Various styles include the following:
- Pilsners, imperial pilsners
- Side
- Double
- Viennese style camps
- American lagers: Miller High Life, Budweiser and Coors.
It may not come as a big surprise, but lagers are tastier in every way and are the best-selling style of beer in the world. Ale, on the other hand, has more extreme flavors, ranging from super hoppy to super malty.
Now that you have the knowledge of lagers and ales, go ahead and enlighten all your friends. There’s nothing better than spending a night in a pub with someone who can’t stop spouting beer facts, right?