Whats The Difference?

[fasty73]

I am by NO means a beer expert!!! Lets get that out there first!!! Now for the dumb question. What is the difference between Lager and Draught?? Besides the colour. Can anyone give me an example between over the counter beers?? (I'm now hiding under a rock) LOL

 

[bum]

Lagers are (generally :huh brewed with lager yeasts at quite cool temps.

A draught is, uh, um, er, nothing really. It is when beer is poured from of a tap rather than served from a bottle. Not your fault, 50-odd years (guess) of marketing has all of us confused.

The real distinction is usually lagers and ales. But that doesn't help you as most beers labelled "draught" are lagers (except kit draughts which are pretending to be lagers but have ale yeasts). Confused yet? Yeah, me too.

 

[DU99]

Draught beer denotes beer brewed and stored in the traditional way, maturing naturally in the cask and served unpasteurised from the cask rather than from a bottle or can. Lager, which comes from the German 'lagern' (to store), is beer which is pasteurised and stored for longer periods in the casks and eventually bottled.

Draft - Draft beer is a recognized form of tasty, refreshing and flavorful beer on tap from a keg system.
Lager is a type of beer such as ales, pilsner and stouts to bitters, cream ales and iced beers
Lagers are bottom-fermented

 

[bum]

Lager is a type of beer such as ales, pilsner and stouts to bitters, cream ales and iced beers

And I thought my post was confusing!

 

[fasty73]

Then why such a dramatic colour difference? I have Tooheys Lager (from the can) and Tooheys Draught (also from the can) brewing next to each other at the moment and the draught looks like Guiness compared to the lager!!!

 

[earle]

A draught is, uh, um, er, nothing really. It is when beer is poured from of a tap rather than served from a bottle. Not your fault, 50-odd years (guess) of marketing has all of us confused.

Yep, definitely seems to be a marketing tool designed to convince you that beer sold in bottle/can/kit is the same as that out of a tap at the pub.

 

[earle]

Wait till you get a stout in a fermenter then.

The colour difference will be accentuated because your looking at a vessel of beer about 40cm thick. Once it is in a thinner glass the difference will be less. As you like to drink out a bottle you shouldn't be able to see the difference. You should avoid clear glass as it exposes your beer to UV light which causes skunking.

If you don't already, after you've tried a few different brews you will realise that colour doesn't necessarily translate into flavour if thats your concern. There are plenty of dark beers that don't taste like stout.

 

[mkstalen]

Then why such a dramatic colour difference? I have Tooheys Lager (from the can) and Tooheys Draught (also from the can) brewing next to each other at the moment and the draught looks like Guiness compared to the lager!!!

Different quantities of base malts and/or speciality grain.

 

[fasty73]

So what taste differnece am I looking at?? Any comparisions with commercial beers???

 

[fasty73]

I am recycling my stubbies from the cartons I buy at the moment. Because I have 2 fermenters going, I am running out of bottles FAST!!! I can't drink as much as I'm brewing. In turn this should help me age the beer nicely!! I hope!! LOL

 

[cdbrown]

It's a good feeling to produce beer faster than you consume as it builds up the stocks and then allows the beer to mature and condition before cracking it. Get yourself into kegging and you won't have to worry so much

The colour difference is a bit strange as the tooheys website lists the EBC to be about 7-8 for the lager and 9 for the draught. What do they look like when you pour a sample into the hydro tube?

Draught is probably more malty and good body, lager might be light body, clean and crisp taste.

 

[fasty73]

I haven't tried a sample tube yet.

 

[earle]

After you take a hydrometer reading you can have a drink of the sample to see how your beer is going. It will be sweeter as it may not be fully fermented and will be uncarbonated but it gives you an idea anyway.

 

[fasty73]

I just don't understand my hydrometer!! Is it supposed to sink lower after fermenting or float higher??

 

[Screwtop]

Lager, which comes from the German 'lagern' (to store), is beer which is pasteurised and stored for longer periods in the casks and eventually bottled.

And I thought my post was confusing!

And you missed the little gem above :lol: Oh Mai Dog!

 

[chemacky]

Sink lower. The number reading should be heading down towards 1.000 as the beer ferments.

 

[fasty73]

OK, my first batch I bottled only read 1016 but I didn't take a reading when I first brewed it. It seems like such a waste to take a sample and measure it. Is it such a sin to put the hydrometer in the fermenter?? Even if you steralize it??

 

[np1962]

OK, my first batch I bottled only read 1016 but I didn't take a reading when I first brewed it. It seems like such a waste to take a sample and measure it. Is it such a sin to put the hydrometer in the fermenter?? Even if you steralize it??

Next weeks topic.. "Why are my bottles exploding" by fasty73

 

[Lecterfan]

It's a good feeling to produce beer faster than you consume as it builds up the stocks and then allows the beer to mature and condition before cracking it.

I agree...I am in no way financially ready to step up to kegs, although I would dearly love to. But seriously fasty, put some time and effort into building a stockpile, have a bit of discipline about tasting and keeping track of changes in taste between say 2 weeks and 6 months (in my K+k and even extract/partial efforts I used to wait until 12 months with some beers but most of mine seem to peak at 3 months and be good until 6, by then they can maybe mellow and get more complex but they don't necassarily improve, i.e. the maltiness may become more pronoucned and the bittering hops are well integrated but might have lost some aroma/intital hop flavour...but if they tasted rubbish at 3months they rarely got significantly better).

Edit: although building the stockpile eventually can have a dramatic cumulative effect on your waistline, and considering your other thread it might not be a great idea to have TOO much beer lying around tee hee

 

[fasty73]

Next weeks topic.. "Why are my bottles exploding" by fasty73

hahahahahaha!!! Thats funny..... I hope!!!!