Lager Vs. Ale

[bthorn9435]

I am a newb and I am having a hard time understanding something. Why the
two types? What does lagering do that an ale cannot? I recently
tasted a Sam Adams Boston Ale and it was excellent. I have been drinking the Boston Lager for around a year know. To me the Ale tastes much better. Why is the Lager so popular? Sorry for the rant but I would love some input on this issue.

 

[McKBrew]

The difference between an lager and an ale is the type of yeast used.

Ale yeast typically ferments at warmer temperatures, lager yeast at lower temperatures.

Read this thread for more information.

While the vast majority of the beers I drink are ales, there are many good lagers out there too.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/ale-vs-lager-yeast-107360/

 

[Kegstand]

From what I understand a lager is bottom fermenting and at a cooler temperature whereas ales are top fermenting (meaning the yeast is at the top of the fermenter) and at a higher temp. As far as taste goes...I asked this not too long ago. It seems that ales are a bit hoppier whereas lagers have more of a malt taste. Of course there are exceptions but this is what I understand. Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken.

 

[LuckyRVA]

Lager is so popular due to it's mild but crisp flavor. On average beer drinkers want a lighter tasting beer. Hence lagers being so popular.

I'm with you though, I much prefer an ale to a lager.

 

[snipper_cr]

I've never brewed a Lager for the simple fact I have no way to Lager it. Need a way to keep temps around 40 degrees or so and I dont have a fridge to do that.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Saccharomyces Cervisiae, or ale yeast, tends to produces higher levels of fermentation byproducts i.e. Esters, Phenols, etc... mostly due to the warmer fermentation temperatures that they have evolved through.

Wheras, Saccharomyces Uvarum or Carlesbergenous, lager yeast has evolved to ferment more thouroughly a wider range of sugars (raffinose) much more slowly paced and results in a more attenuated product with fewer fermentation byproducts.

However, many lagers are brewed to a lower alcoholic volume. I suppose this is due to the rigors of cold fermentation.

 

[eelpout]

This sounds like a soup or stew kinda thing

 

[bthorn9435]

so lagers kind of rob the flavor over ales?
If this is the case why do so many people want to lager?

 

[Yooper]

so lagers kind of rob the flavor over ales?
If this is the case why do so many people want to lager?

Not at all. Lagers can be super-rich and flavorful. Many of the world's favorite beer styles are lagers. I love Oktoberfests, Maibocks, dopplebocks, etc. They aren't flavorless, not at all.

 

[Edcculus]

so lagers kind of rob the flavor over ales?
If this is the case why do so many people want to lager?

No, absolutely not!!!

Simply put, lagers won't have any noticable byproducts of fermentation like ales will. Ale yeasts work at warmer temperatures, so they tend to put off more esters, phenols and other compounds. That is why ales will have all sorts of flavor and aroma descriptions including, but not limited to bananna, bubblegum, clove, apple, pear, plum, vinous, cherry, and the list goes on. Lagers on the other hand have a very clean fermentation profile. They allow the malt and hops to shine. Light American Lagers have given lagers a bad name. There are a lot of very flavorful and wonderful lager styles like Swartzbier, Bocks, Vienna Lager. Even a properly made Pilsner is a truly wonderful experience. Victory Prima Pils is an outstanding beer. Lagers are a little more subtle and tend to get overlooked by a lot of craft brewers trying to brew massive hop bombs or oak aged, cherry infused, touched by the hand of God Russian Imperial Stouts.

 

[bthorn9435]

Im not a beer expert by any means but I can say this for sure, the Boston Ale tasted
cleaner and more flavorful that the lager version. The Boston lager seems to have more bite, or hops. Maybe I'm wrong, I see nothing wrong with either style but I was blown away by the taste of the ale.

 

[bernerbrau]

I happen to agree that Sam Adams Boston Ale is a better beer than Sam Adams Boston Lager. However, it's not as if they take the Boston Lager recipe and just ferment it with an ale yeast to get Boston Ale. They're two completely different beers with two completely different recipes and flavor profiles. To suggest that, because Boston Ale is better than Boston Lager, ale is generally better than lager, is a little silly...

 

[snipper_cr]

. Lagers are a little more subtle and tend to get overlooked by a lot of craft brewers trying to brew massive hop bombs or oak aged, cherry infused, touched by the hand of God Russian Imperial Stouts.

Haha, do I detect a hint of resentment in your voice? Great analogy!

 

[bthorn9435]

Thats why I am asking because I don't know the difference. I still don't understand what the point of a lager is. I mean if Ale's are easier to brew and have good profile why even mess with a lager?

 

[slowbie]

Thats why I am asking because I don't know the difference. I still don't understand what the point of a lager is. I mean if Ale's are easier to brew and have good profile why even mess with a lager?

That's like asking why anyone even bothers to make IPAs if you can make a good pale ale with fewer hops. Different people have different tastes. Many days I would rather have an Oktoberfest or Doppelbock than any ale.

 

[Yooper]

Thats why I am asking because I don't know the difference. I still don't understand what the point of a lager is. I mean if Ale's are easier to brew and have good profile why even mess with a lager?

Why make a cream ale, or an IPA, or a stout? They are different. If you don't like to make lagers, that's cool. But I'm not crazy about porters, and don't make them. I don't denigrate others that DO like them and brew them, though.

Saying all lagers aren't worth it is like saying that all pasta isn't worth it. There are so many different flavor profiles that limited yourself to drinking ales only is pretty self-limiting.

 

[remilard]

Thats why I am asking because I don't know the difference. I still don't understand what the point of a lager is. I mean if Ale's are easier to brew and have good profile why even mess with a lager?

Very few people in the US understand lagers and most home brewers and craft brewers in the US ask themselves the same question and choose to only brew ales.

 

[wildwest450]

To never brew a lager if you have the ability, just plain silly. I'm a forever hophead, but a good maibock or doppleboch, cannot be beat.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

Is your experience with lagers limited to Sam Adams and BMC? If so, I could see why you might think the way you do. Go try a Doppelbock like Ayinger Celebrator or a nice Bohemian pilsner like Pilsner Urquell and tell me lagers have no flavor.

 

[bthorn9435]

After all this I still have no clue what the point of lagering is! I am confused. I know there are different beer style but I assumed lagers or lagering was done for a specific purpose. What does a lager do that an ale doesn't. Another way would be why lager what does it bring to the table. Like I stated I'm a beer newb and a brewing newb. I have read alot but still need some clarification on Lagers. And by the way I didn't mean to give the impression that I don't like lagers, in fact I do! I mostly drink store bought craft beers like Sam Adams and such. I recently tried a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. My god that thing smells like fresh hops. I never knew what hops smelled like until I started brewing, and know I can pick the aroma up from certain beers. Very unique smell.

 

[slowbie]

What does a lager do that an ale doesn't. Another way would be why lager what does it bring to the table.

Lagers typically share two common characteristics:

1) They use lager yeast, which is different than ale yeast.

Yeast is an ingredient just like malt and hops. And just like using centennial hops gives you a different flavor profile than using saaz hops, using lager yeast will give you a different flavor profile than using ale yeast.

2) They undergo a cold storage period for a month or two after fermentation has completed.

I don't have any personal experience lagering, but as I understand it this period is necessary to allow off flavors produced by the lager yeast to diminish in the finished beer.

 

[Edcculus]

After all this I still have no clue what the point of lagering is! I am confused. I know there are different beer style but I assumed lagers or lagering was done for a specific purpose. What does a lager do that an ale doesn't. Another way would be why lager what does it bring to the table. Like I stated I'm a beer newb and a brewing newb. I have read alot but still need some clarification on Lagers. And by the way I didn't mean to give the impression that I don't like lagers, in fact I do! I mostly drink store bought craft beers like Sam Adams and such. I recently tried a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. My god that thing smells like fresh hops. I never knew what hops smelled like until I started brewing, and know I can pick the aroma up from certain beers. Very unique smell.

I think you really need to do some research on what a lager and an ale are. Like I said earlier, Lagers don't necessarily have LESS flavor than Ales. The yeast are very clean fermenting, so the beer doesn't exhibit strong fermentation characteristics. Therefore, what a lager brings to the table is a beer that doesn't have fruity aromas or flavors. No spicy phenolics like a Belgian will have. A lot of people see this as a bad thing because they see it as less flavor. Lagers let the flavor of the malt and hops really shine. Lager brewers use a wide variety of different malts and mashing methods to develop very interesting and complex flavors that would be totally lost in most ales. Lager yeast do things that Ale yeasts just can't do. You can't brew Paulaner Salvator (a Dopplebock) with ale yeast.

Take a look at the BJCP classification of styles

Categories 1-5 are all Lagers. That encompasses 17 styles of beer. If you include the hybrid beers (typically lager yeasts fermented at ale temps), that gives you 2 more categories and 6 more styles.

 

[bthorn9435]

Ok that makes more since. I can see what your saying now, when I drink Boston Lager it seems to be to have more bite. The Boston Ale I drank had more of a flavor profile. Now I hope I'm describing this correctly but I can kinda see what your saying. I would say that the Lager had more of a crisp bite.

 

[Edcculus]

Also, remember Boston Ale and Boston Lager arent just the same beer brewed with different yeasts. The Lager uses only German Noble hops, while the ale uses 2 different types of English hops (EKG and Fuggles). That alone will produce a huge difference in the beers. I think the ale has a slightly higher ABV, which will also give it a fuller flavor.