There are two choices when ordering a beer: ale or lager. All brews in the multitude that exist today are variations on those two themes. The brewing process determines the difference.
ALE
Ale yeast ferments at 60°-75°F. It produces flowery aromas in addition to those provided by the hops and fermentation completes in about a week. Spent yeast rises to the top of the tank at that point and is skimmed off. Ales are aged no more than a few weeks at temperatures between 40°-55°F. They are complex, flavorful beers with a rich aroma. Ale varieties (with examples) include:
- American Wheat: light-bodied, crisp and refreshing, sometimes flavored with fruit or spices (New Belgium Sunshine Wheat).
- Barley Wine: rich and strong with high alcohol content (Sierra Nevada Bigfoot).
- Brown Ale: malty and sweet, usually with low hop content (Newcastle).
- Dry Stout: very dark with a “roasted” flavor and some characteristic bitterness (Guinness).
- India Pale Ale: pronounced hop character and higher alcohol content (Inversion IPA).
- Pale Ale: balance of smooth malt flavors with some bright hops (Fat Tire).
- Porter: dark color, deep malt flavor, and sometimes more pronounced hops (Anchor Porter).
- Scottish: deep amber with rich malt flavor and minimum hops, occasionally smoky (MacEwan’s Export).
- Stock Ale: an American style known for its smoothness (Samuel Adams Boston Ale).
- Sweet Stout: sweeter than Dry Stout, dark in color with deep, roasted malt flavor (Saranac Stout).
- Wheat: unfiltered German wheat ale also known as Hefeweizen; similar to White ale but with more pronounced citrus and spice flavors (Weihenstephaner).
- White: spiced Belgian unfiltered wheat beer, slightly hazy and usually flavored (Blue Moon).
LAGER
Lager yeast ferments at about 34°F. It leaves behind less residual sweetness and flavor and allows aromas of the hops to be prominent. Lager yeast works slowly, taking about a month, and sinks to the bottom of the tank when sugar is largely consumed and fermentation is complete. Lagers are aged at lower temperatures, 32°-45°F, and for a much longer time, typically months. Lagers are clean, refreshing beers with light aroma and flavor. Lager varieties include:
- American Pilsner: pale color, thinner-bodied, most common in the US (Budweiser, Coors, Miller).
- Bock: rich and dark, often brewed in winter for drinking in spring (Shiner Bock).
- Bohemian Pilsner: crisp, deep-golden, with pronounced hop flavors (Pilsner Urquell).
- Lager: a broad category of beers with crisp and balanced flavor (Harp, Stella Artois, Heineken).
- Light: generally lower in calories and alcohol content (Amstel Light, Bud Light, Miller Light).
- Marzen/Octoberfest: “March” beer traditionally brewed in spring and conditioned in caves throughout the hot summer months until fall (Samuel Adams Octoberfest).
- Schwarz: German Lager with an opaque, black color and chocolate or coffee flavor (Kostritzer).
- Steam: fermented at warmer temperatures giving some qualities of ale (Anchor Steam).
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