Cuisine at Home magazine says ales aren't technically beer

[dgez]

Issue 101 Sept/Oct 2013, Q&A, page 7.

Someone asks how beer is categorized...and part of the answer is

Ales are "top fermented" at a warmer temperature, meaning the yeast rises in the tank. (For this reason, ales aren't technically beer, but they're treated as such anyway).

I emailed them asking to explain to me in detail how ales aren't technically beer. I have not heard a response.

Can someone please confirm my sanity or lack thereof?

 

[Braufessor]

Here is a link that talks a bit about differentiating between ales and beer. Basically - at one point, ales did not use hops while lagers did. Thus, lagers were referred to as beer - but ales weren't....... Not sure how that holds up at all today.
I don't see how top fermenting yeast makes something "not a beer." I don't see how today's ales are not "beer." I think someone is looking too hard and out-thinking themselves - IMO.
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-beer-and-ale.htm

 

[sivispacemparabe11um]

Horse malarkey..... I would like to hear whatever nonsense they come up with. Keep us posted.

 

[evrose]

Absolute rubbish.

Yes, there are historical differences between ales and beer... but the reason they give is nonsense. Historically, ale and beer was differentiated based on the use of hops (beer had hops, ale didn't), but those terms haven't been commonly used since the 15th century. NEVER was the issue of top vs. bottom fermenting yeast strains ever a differentiator of ales vs. beer.

10 minutes of reading wiki-freakin'-pedia could have saved this "journalist" a bit of embarrassment.

Any professional brewer or yeast expert would laugh in the face of a person making a statement like that.

Having said that, you may still be insane for other reasons.

 

[sivispacemparabe11um]

So originally it was differentiated by the use of hops or lackthereof. Then hops were being used in lagers and ales so then it was determined by where the yeast was during fermentation. Sheesh now when my friends call me and ask what I'm doing I have to tell them,”just siting at home drinking an ale.”

 

[BigEd]

It's all beer. Just another beer article in a non-beer publication written (and edited) by those with less information than necessary to do the job properly. Ale is (or at least was) called beer in the UK and lager was called "lager" while in the US lots of old signs for breweries and taverns would say "Beer & Ales". Hell, even sake is technically beer.

 

[Sammy86]

Sub'd can't wait to hear the response

 

[thatjonguy]

In for the witch hunt...wait, no witch hunt? Ok.









Still want to see that response.

 

[beernutz]

 

[nickmv]

This is serious business. The world of beer is at stake here. Our ales have been phony!

 

[AlCophile]

Cuisine at Home is not really a magazine.

 

[Cathedral]

Well, this is awesome news, actually! I don't really drink too many lagers--er, ahem, "beers"--so now when the SWMBO asks how many beers I've had, I can say, "None! Honest!"