Lager vs. Ale

Main Difference

The main difference between Lager and Ale is that the Lager is a type of beer and Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method

• Lager

  Lager is a type of beer conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. Well-known brands include Asahi, Carlton Draught, Pilsner Urquell, Molson Canadian, Miller, Stella Artois, Beck’s, Brahma, Budweiser Budvar, Corona, Snow, Tsingtao, Singha, Sapporo, Kirin, Quilmes, Heineken, Kingfisher, Carlsberg, Birra Moretti and Tennents.

  As well as maturation in cold storage, most lagers are also distinguished by the use of Saccharomyces pastorianus yeast, a “bottom-fermenting” yeast that also ferments at relatively cold temperatures. It is possible to use lager yeast in a warm fermentation process, such as with American steam beer; while German Altbier and Kölsch are brewed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae top-fermenting yeast at a warm temperature, but with a cold-storage finishing stage, and classified as obergäriges lagerbier (top-fermented lager beer).

• Ale

  Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops.As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale was originally bittered with gruit, a mixture of herbs or spices boiled in the wort before fermentation. Later, hops replaced gruit as the bittering agent.