Beer Basics #1: Lager Vs Ale

Lager vs Ale

All beer is either ale or lager. The distinction has to do with the yeast. Ale yeasts are typically happier doing the work of fermentation quickly at warmer temperatures while lager yeast strains thrive when working slowly at much cooler temps.

Most beer produced by lager yeast strains will be subsequently “lagered” at near-freezing temperatures for anywhere from 2 to 20 weeks. Many are also filtered. The result is a finished beer that will typically exhibit a more brilliant visual clarity, and less apparent aromatics when compared to an ale. Save for the occasional whiff of sulfur on the nose, cold-fermented lagers should allow the malt, hops, and water chemistry of a given brew to take center stage.

Ales on the other hand will often showcase fruity aromas called “esters” or spicy “phenolic” notes that can be a hallmark of high-temperature fermentation. An easy way to remember this distinction can be to think of how we dress in the summer versus the winter months. When our environment is hotter, we show more of ourselves.

Contrary to frequent misconception, lager can be most any color, flavor, or texture and so can ale. The key distinction is that generally brews fermented at higher temperatures will tend to express their fermentation character more unabashedly, while colder fermentations are more modest, leaving less evidence of their work behind within the aroma, flavor, and body of a finished beer.