Ale vs Lager

I would rather have "one great beer over a case of cheap crap" and I still pick lagers... 'cause your setup has nothing to do with ales vs lagers. So much beer hate from you... We get it.

 

Do you think he will eventually go over to the dark side?

Drinking Doppelbocks I mean!

Cheers!

 

Why no poll?

Anyway, ale.

And "buzz" is no different for me.

 

I love the taste of malt and hops. You can taste them much more clearly in lagers without the esters and phenols from yeast getting in the way.

I'll sip and savor any of the bock beer styles or Baltic Porters. (I'll sip and savor a great Pilsner enjoying the interplay of the malt and spicy or floral hops).

 

Yes.But history defines the present. Many Europeans cannot distinguish between Americans and Canadians where again the distinction depends on history rather than actual differences.But it is right that we regognise and respect these.
Changes in language do occur.George Washington would recognise a ship or a pen.So can I ,though both have changed dramatically they still fulfill the same functions.

 

To play along as I think the OP intended, I'd go with ales simply because there are so many more ale yeast strains available and crisp, clean beers can be made with several different strains.

However, I think this question leaves out a lot of variables. What defines an ale vs lager? Is it simply the yeast species? Many people will say that stouts and porters aren't ales or lagers, even if they are brewed with ale yeast or lager yeast. If we say it's the yeast species, is a hefeweizen getting lumped into the ale category even though they frequently use a different subspecies? Is a beer brewed with lager yeast but not lagered still a lager? Or what is a beer brewed with ale yeast but lagered for weeks considered? Kolsch? Cali Common? 100% Brett beers? A very broad rule is that lager yeast produces half the amount of esters as ale yeast, but some ale yeast strains produce esters in low concentrations and some lager yeast strains produce esters in higher concentrations.

 

Lagers.

As for the energy/buzz question, try looking at the ABV and carbs of the beers you're drinking. My guess is that probably has more to do with it than the yeast or brewing process.

 

That's not allowed here on semantics advocate

 

I'd hate to give up either IPAs or Maerzens. On balance, though, I'd probably go with ales.

 

doesn't matter to me which, as long as there was good variety of ale types or lager types.

 

Ale, then I would sneak in some lagers when no one is looking.

 

Trying to force historic differentiations to a single thing is meaningless.

Canada/USA is a different story. We are defined by more than just history.

Canada is a country governed by the Canadian government and they still have a wierd obsession with the Queen of England.
The USA is governed by the US Government.

If you try paying for groceries in the US with money that has the Queen's face on it you will be laughed away . If you try paying for groceries in Canada with cash that doesn't have the visage you will be told to come back with legal tender.

Porters and Ales used to be different families of malt liquor. But the English bastardized the definitions over the centuries to completely remove any semblance of Porter as distinct from Ale.
People may say the defining line is roasted malt. But darker ales have that especially in modern times. Let's go back to 1909. Maclay had a mild with 1% Black Malt. It's still an ale. At which point does it stop being an Ale? 2%, 3%, 5%, 10%? At some point it will be indistinguishable from the definition of a Porter... But when did it magically change beer families.

 

Weedy, can you provide some examples of lager yeast strains available to homebrewers that "produce esters in higher concentrations"? Do you need to ferment at warm temperatures (e.g., 68 degrees F) for this ester production to occur?

Cheers!

 

And yet so much beer love at the same time!

The question was ales vs lagers and why. Whats wrong with preferring a great double bock (lager) over a case of bud lite on a beer forum catering to craft beer enthusiasts? Civil discourse is what makes this forum interesting!

 

The first one that I would point out is Imperial Organic L17 Harvest, which is the equivalent of Wyeast Munich Lager II. It already ferments at slightly higher temperatures (52-62 Degrees F) and I get a lot of red apple from that strain. L13 Global (Wyeast 2124) is another one that can be VERY clean, but ferments well up around 68 degrees with a lot of ester production. I think that one is a little tricky though as I've had a distinctive Iso-amyl-acetate character from it.

 

Ales due to style diversity.

 

Weedy, I brew with WY2124 a lot but only at typical lager fermentation temperatures (e.g., in the 50's). I have read and heard a lot from other homebrewers that they have fermented with WY2124 warm (e.g., 68 degrees F) and their beers have turned out very clean (little to no esters). Would the difference be due to scale (homebrewing volumes vs. commercial) between what they report vs. your comment of "lot of ester production"?

Cheers!

 

I love both, honestly I don't think I could ever choose. And I'm seriously f***ing happy that I will probably never have to.

 

Ales I think and for certain living here, i do love my lagers though.

 

Passion too... so it's all good. Cheers.