Beer and lager are similar names used for alcoholic beverages. There’s also ales, IPAs, pilsners, porters, stouts and more – it can get all rather confusing.
So, what really is the difference between beer and lager?
The TL;DR
The difference between beer and lager is that beer is the name of a group of alcoholic beverages.
Lager is a type of beer, as is ale.
All beers are either a lager or an ale, which is determined by the fermentation technique and yeast used in brewing – rather than the colour, strength or flavour.
Read on for the detail.
The Difference Between Beer and Lager
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced using water, hops, malt and yeast. It’s the third most popular drink in the world after water, and tea.
The water and hops are heated and cooled to make beer, which is known as ‘brewing’. Yeast is used to ferment the liquid and convert the sugars into alcohol and CO2 to produce beer.
A beer can be either a lager or an ale, depending on the yeast used and the fermentation process.
What Is An Ale?
Ales are a type of beer that have been fermented for a relatively short time at a warm temperature (60 – 75 degrees).
The yeast used in an ale is called ‘Saccharomyces cerevisiae’ and ferments throughout the beer, but settles at the top.
Ales tend to have a full-bodied and fruity taste. The average drinker will think of it as darker, cloudier in appearance to a lager, with more alcohol – and a more robust flavour.
Types of Ales include porters, stouts, blonde ales, brown ales, pale ales, India pale ales (IPAs) and sour ales.
What Is A Lager?
Lagers are a type of beer that have been fermented for a longer time at a lower temperature than ales (35 – 55 degrees).
Yeast used in a lager is called ‘Saccharomyces pastorianus’, which is a bottom-fermenting yeast.
Lagers generally have a crisper and cleaner taste to ales. The average drinker will think of a refreshing, smooth and light coloured beer with less than 5% alcohol. But lagers can be light, amber, or dark.
The term ‘lager’ comes from the German for ‘storage’, in reference to the beer being stored before drinking.
Pilsner are a type of lager as well – named after the Czech city Plzen. They are made with netural or hard water and a different yeast. Pilsner have a dry, more bitter and spicy taste, as they are often made with malts and hops.
Other types of lager include Helles, Marzen, Bock, Dunkel, Schwarzbier, Vienna lager, Brooklyn lager and more.
Summary
Beer is an alcoholic beverage, which has two main types – lager, and ale.
So in short, all lager is beer, but a beer isn’t always a lager (as it can be an ale if you’ve been listening).
The differences between lager and ale are down to the yeast used and the fermentation process.
- Lager uses bottom-fermenting yeast and is fermented for a longer time at a lower temperature.
- Ale uses top-fermenting yeast, and fermented for less time at a warmer temperature.
Congratulations on making it to the end, you’ve earned yourself a lager beer!