Lager vs Ale

Lager vs Ale

A shower of looks and appraisals erupt as you saunter through the double oak doors of your favorite bar because let’s face it, you’re awesome. Men abruptly halt their endless banter with their friends and women float their hands up to slide the wisp of hair behind their ears to get a better look. You take a seat at your wooden throne and the bartender asks you a simple question.
“Is it going to be a lager or an ale this evening?”
You weigh the different options because you are very well acquainted with the taste and relying upon your gut to make the vast majority of all your decisions. And you do know the difference between the two. Don’t you? Sure, you could describe the sensation as the crisp balmy fluid passes between your teeth across your palate and down for storage. However, what happens if you get into an argument concerning the characteristics of a lager and an ale? You know you’re awesome, but your pride would be face down in a ditch somewhere if someone attempted to challenge your knowledge. So let’s do you a favor and bulk up on some facts and processes. So when the day comes around you will be prepared. You have already identified the two different types of beer that exist. Lager and Ale. Now there are three prominent differences in the preparation and process that set these glorified beverages apart.

Ale

Ales are prepared with yeast which ferments on the top of the fermentation tank. Well in actuality, the yeast typically rises to the top near the end of the fermentation process. We could go into the organic compounds which are created in this process that can be altered to affect the taste between different lagers. However, you don’t want to provide unwanted attention to your superior chemical knowledge in addition to brewing expertise. That’s just cruel and overkill.

Lagers

Lagers are prepared with yeast which sinks down and ferments on the bottom of the tank. This yeast can often be reused since they rest on the bottom of the tank however, they do not add much to the flavor as we saw in Ales.

Hops

Hops and malts are also added to fluctuate the qualities of flavor including bitterness and malty taste. Lagers also often contain a lower amount of hops and malts. Thus, Ales commonly possess a higher degree of bitterness and malty flavor. So next time you are up at the plate, you can confidently stride up to the bar, order your primary gut decision, and enjoy knowing that if anyone challenges your choice, you can refer to your arsenal of wisdom to defend your pride and true love of beer.