Lager V Ale

[Digger11]

Might seem a strange question, but is the cold brewing temps and longer time to brew for Lagers worth the wait when compared to Ales ?

Don't really know what an Ale is - sounds a bit pommy to me.

Grew up drinking Fosters Lager and Vic Bitter (what is a bitter ?). Never drunk an Ale in my life before HB.

Are Ales and Lagers greatly different or just a bit ?

Reading the recipes and threads around here - Ales seem to be far more popular.

thanks
'Digger

 

[rclemmett]

Might seem a strange question, but is the cold brewing temps and longer time to brew for Lagers worth the wait when compared to Ales ?

Don't really know what an Ale is - sounds a bit pommy to me.

Grew up drinking Fosters Lager and Vic Bitter (what is a bitter ?). Never drunk an Ale in my life before HB.

Are Ales and Lagers greatly different or just a bit ?

Reading the recipes and threads around here - Ales seem to be far more popular.

thanks
'Digger

It depends.

Sinkas will be along shortly to explain.

 

[matti]

Not a strange question but one very common around here.
If you haven't read the depths of brewing, google John Palmer!
Ales are brewed with ale yeast and more forgiving but can taste as clean as a lager when done correctly.
Lagers brewed correctly will taste fantastic and better then VB and Fosters.

Brewing a good beer you need some kind of temperature control whether it is a cool ceallar a fridge or a bucket fo water and towels rapt around the fermenter.

The real reason ALEs are more popular is that they generally have flavour in comparison.

Us-05 is a yeast that you can brew ales and pseudo lagers with.
Clean crisp and eat everything in the wort effectively.

 

[manticle]

Might seem a strange question, but is the cold brewing temps and longer time to brew for Lagers worth the wait when compared to Ales ?

Don't really know what an Ale is - sounds a bit pommy to me.

Grew up drinking Fosters Lager and Vic Bitter (what is a bitter ?). Never drunk an Ale in my life before HB.

Are Ales and Lagers greatly different or just a bit ?

Reading the recipes and threads around here - Ales seem to be far more popular.

thanks
'Digger

It's mainly a difference in how the yeasts work. You can get very different results both between lager and ale and within those catgories themselves. Lagers are generally very clean tasting but you can brew pale, dark and amber lagers as you can with ales and you can brew very clean tasting ales.

It is worth doing and doing properly if you have a particular result in mind. Most aussie mainstream beers are lagers (with the obvious exception of Coopers pale and sparkling).

Ales take less time and effort due to optimum temps being higher and not requiring a lagering period (although cold conditioning is essentially the same thing). Originally ales were fermented malt beverages that were unhopped, whereas beer was distunguished due to hopping. That distinction is no longer valid.

Typical ales include stouts, porters (except baltic porters), browns, mids and pales.
Typical lagers include pilsners, pilseners and bocks

 

[Digger11]

thanks for the advice.

So if I make a good Ale (such as the Dr Smurto one) and use US-05 yeast and cold condition, then I am not really missing out on anything to great when compared to a Lager ?

Digger.

 

[manticle]

You're just making an ale as opposed to a lager. Both have their merits. It's a bit like asking whether a stout is better than a strong dark Belgian ale - it's preference and taste.

The DR Smurto one is a cracker though.

What I would suggest is trying some good commercial examples. Pilsner Urquell, Zywiec, Brok Sambor, DAB etc.

Then compare them with some ales and I think you'll find they're a different kettle of fish.

 

[buttersd70]

You're just making an ale as opposed to a lager. Both have their merits.

As manticle said, both have their merits. A good lager is a wonderful thing. Patience is a virtue with lagers. Ales are just as complex, just as good....just ....different. Totally different animals, really. Personally, I'm an ale man. But that doesn't mean that they're better. It's just my personal taste and preference, both for drinking, and for brewing. But when a serious lager-boy gives me a sample of a well crafted lager....well, that can indeed be a wonderful thing.

It's a bit like the old menu question of "beef or chicken?".

 

[roverfj1200]

I brew lagers and that's it. I have excellent temp control and reuse the yeast a number of times. One of the best things about lagers is the clean up. The fermenters only need a rinse and in with the next brew. No volcanoes out the air lock. And the beer smooth and clean.

Think I will go have one now.... :chug:

 

[MarkBastard]

I can't see myself brewing a lager anytime soon, I could brew more ale in the same time, and pale ales are better than any light lagers I've tasted.

Tempted to make a bock at some point but.

 

[bowie in space]

As others above have suggested, lagers are much more in the craft beer realm, but that's not to say ales aren't well crafted beers. 90% of the beers I brew are ales. I love the simplicity of ales, yet they have complex flavours and aromas. I initially got into home brewing thinking I would make lagers but didn't realise the wide scope of the ale world. I love both styles of beers, but I don't have the time to brew lagers all year round (i drink more than my time frame will allow me to brew).

No doubt you will acquire the taste of an ale and you'll also realise you can get a crisp, clean tasting ale using temperature control and yeast such as US-05.

Just keep brewing, experimenting and enjoy it :icon_cheers:

Bowie

 

[Dazza_devil]

All the lagers I have tried have a distinct flavour and I think are more suited to drinking in hot weather.

 

[brenjak]

My personal preference is the top fermented Lager or Pilsner. Pilsner Irquell, Budjovicky or DAB are a couple of my favourites. The bottom fermented Ales on the other hand have a larger varieity of tastes and "sub-styles". Just look at the difference between a Little Creatures Pale Ale and a Black Sheep or the like. Try a few different commercial boutique or imported beers and taste the difference. Like i said, i prefer lager/pilsner but will never knock back and ale as some are fabulous. My brewing is a lager, cold conditioned for about 4 weeks followed by an ale which takes two weeks at the most. This allows me to have "stock on hand" so to speak. Beer now is the wine of the past.

 

[Frag_Dog]

So far I have brewed about 50/50 Ales and Lagers.

The real killer is the time it takes a lager to smooth out. You can get stuck into an ale a day or 2 after fermentation is completed (kegged that is) and it will taste great, but a lager really needs 4 weeks min.

I've found this recently when I popped a few kegs into my chesty. I waited a week for them to gas up. The Pale Ale was awsome, but the lager had some off flavours. Now 2 months later they both taste great.

If you need a quick turn-around then stick with ales. If you can wait or have some time do a lager.

 

[MarkBastard]

I actually prefer dark lagers and pale ales, am I a weirdo or what?

 

[Bribie G]

There are also some lager yeasts that will let you do a quick lager, for example the Australian Mauribrew Lager yeast (you can buy it as Morgans Lager Yeast) or dried Swiss Lager yeast S-189. These can be fermented at a higher temperature than 'mainstream' lager yeasts so you can crank out a brew fairly quickly: ferment for 10 days at, say 16 degrees, then transfer to another fermenter and lager at 2 degrees for ten days, then bottle or keg and rest for a while before drinking. They will produce a 'proper' lager beer that you don't have to wait 3 months for.

The Swiss yeast can be bought from sponsors at the top of the page and the Morgans through most LHBS.

 

[Nick JD]

I prefer ales, so I'm glad they are easier to brew.

 

[Bribie G]

Heres some piccies of recent ales, most of them made on US-05 except for the one in the jug that was made on West Yorkshire 1469. As you can see they don't have to be dark and mysterious.






Quick edit: I just remembered that the one in the first photo was actually made on Morgans Lager yeast and ended up more ale like than the rest, so there ya go :lol:

 

[brenjak]

Heres some piccies of recent ales, most of them made on US-05 except for the one in the jug that was made on West Yorkshire 1469. As you can see they don't have to be dark and mysterious.
View attachment 32561
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Christ! 9:50am BribiG and you are amking me really thirsty.

 

[Dazza_devil]

Man those ales look good.
Cheers BribieG, it's a good day for it.
Happy punting.