What is the difference between beer and ale?

Answer 1

Ale would be considered a subcategory of beer, actually. I'm going to ignore various legal definitions because they're silly and arbitrary.

Beer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grains. You can split beer into many subcategories, but two common ones are ale and lager. What differentiates these two is the temperature of fermentation- ales are fermented at roughly room temperature, and lagers are fermented at much lower temperatures.

What makes this difference is the yeast, and in fact we recognize two different species of yeast- ale yeast is saccharomyces cerevisiae, and lager yeast is saccharomyces pastorianus aka saccharomyces carlsbergensis.

Stout is often noted as separate from ale and lager, but if we're using temperature of fermentation as a basis for categorizing, it fits in ale category.

Nothing is black and white of course, so there are things which blur the lines. A style called California Common, best known by the beer Anchor Steam, is fermented with a lager yeast at warmer temperatures. The converse is a cream ale- an ale yeast fermented at low temperatures (though not always... shades of grey).

Answer 2

Lagers are brewed with bottom fermenting yeasts at cooler temperatures and tend to be lighter and cleaner tasting. Ales are brewed with top fermenting yeasts at warmer temperatures and tend to be more full-bodied. Because of the cooler temperatures at which lagers ferment and condition, they take much longer to develop. Homebrewers can make drinkable ales at cellar temperatures in as little as six weeks, but lagers take months to craft and usually require some sort of refrigeration. The novice homebrewer should always start out with an ale, porter, or stout, which all use ale yeasts for fermentation.

Answer 3

There are two different types of beers, ales and lagers. The difference between the two lies in the type of yeast that is used during the fermentation process which results in a difference in taste, aroma, head, and balance. Lagers are most commonly from regions like Germany whereas Ales are more commonly brewed in Britain.

Answer 4

While the term ale used to refer to beer brewed without yeast, today the difference between ale and lager is in the yeast as well as length and temperature of fermentation Yeasts come in a variety of styles, each developed for a certain style of alcoholic beverage. There are lager yeasts, champaign yeasts; yeasts used for pilsners, and several varieties of yeast for ale, lambic and barley wine styles. Each yeast variety has unique qualities that impact the final flavor and aroma of the beer.

The main difference between yeasts used for lagers and ales is that ale yeast is a top-fermenting yeast which means the yeast floats to the top and hangs around up there during most of the fermentation process. Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast which means it hangs around the bottom of the fermenter. During both types of fermentation the active yeast does permeate the brew and eventually settles out on the bottom of the fermenter when it is done.

The other main difference in producing a lager or ale is in the temperature during fermentation. Most ales are fermented at a controlled temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Lagers are generally fermented about 15 degrees lower, around 55 degrees.

The yeast and the fermentation temperatures play an important roll in the flavor of the beer. Ale and lagers share the benefit of a rich variety of flavors and aromas due to the yeast used, but ales tend to be more robust and fuller flavored than lagers because of the warmer fermentation. Colder fermentation tends to rob the beer of flavors that may be imparted during this process because the cold temperature subdues activity. This is also why lagers tend to take longer to completely ferment, typically a week or two longer than common ales.

Answer 5

All lagers are beers, but not all beers are lagers. In other words, lager is a type of beer. The other general category of beer is ale.

A better question would have been, "What's the difference between ale and lager?" And come to think of it, that question has been asked here. See the related question.

Answer 6

Lager and ale are the two largest families of the liquid refreshment we call "beer". Lager is primarily characterized by cooler fermenting temperatures and yeast that like to live on the bottom of the fermenting vessel...ales are typically fermented at higher temperatures and ale yeast prefers to hang out at the top of the fermenting wort. Both ales and lagers are "beer".

Answer 7

Ales ferment roughly at room temperatures (upper 60's, lower 70's) and the yeast typically feeds from the top portion of the fermenter.

Lagers ferment at lower temperatures (30's to 50's) and the yeast feeds from the bottom portion of the fermenter.

Ales tend to taste sweeter, while lagers tend to taste more dry.

Answer 8

The type of yeast...ales are fermented at nearer room temps, beers (as in lagers) are fermented at refrigeration temperatures.

Answer 9

Not if you can't taste it!

Are you a lager drinker?