Poll: Ale or Lager?

Except that a close reading of the history of the various legislations governing what can be called Bourbon makes it plain that it's much more a set of economic protection measures for the Bourbon producers than something designed for consumer protection. Consumer protection may be the cloak with which it was draped during lobbying, but historically it was much more about the Bourbon producers wanting protection for themselves and the processes they believed to be critical for Bourbon production.

 

Yeah- these things each tend to have their own quirks to them, and that one may indeed be a stretch, but there are others that are intrinsically tied to the end product.

The Vera Pizza Napoletana one is interesting because it's all about the ingredients and the process; any place can have a VPN certified pizzeria as long as they meet the right criteria. To me this sort of thing could be applied to beer, but would require that the 'certifiers' endorse the system, naturally.

 

My local has 30 taps, no AAL. When someone wants one, the suggest a Koelsch style beer.

 

I don't give a shit how the poll turns out, I voted for lager. Because lagers are better in every way, even though I love IPAs.

 

Just saw Deschutes post this. Thought I'd add a few flames to the fire

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/blog/2015-06-15/lager-drink-and-ale-experience-what’s-difference

 

Ale all day. Lager smager

 

This article is the sort of drivel which must cause any beer historian (or anyone who cares about where our beers today came from) weep, coming from a respected brewing source just makes things worse.
They aren't the only ones, I picked up a bottle of IPA brewed by Marston's ( a large brewery which was operating in the 19th century) and this was on the back label
"Soldiers serving in India longed for a taste of home but British beers never survived the epic sea journey.So brewers developed super strength India Pale Ale designed to be watered down once it arrived in India.British troops didn't seem to get that message however, choosing to drink it neat instead.And although today's IPAs aren't quite so potent they still retain the distinctive taste that helped to build an Empire"
Words fail me, can't find an actual fact in this.

Brewers, either stick to what you do well (brewing) or at least take advice and check things out before putting your name on stuff like this.

 

Lager. There's tons of really great ales out there, but when you come across that great lager it's just a moment of magic that reminds me there is a still a lot of ways a lager can be fresh, exciting, and a new take on the breed.

 

I did not vote, I do not wish scorn upon me. Look -- when I buy beer, the last thought on my mind is if I am buying an ale or lager. In fact it's not the last thought, it's not a thought. Period. I have too many other things to think about than to decide if what I purchase is an ale or lager and if I'll like it because of such ... I know this is a dickbag answer but it's honest. Both. Neither. All of them. Except Malt Liquor. What is that? Whatever the opposite of malt liquor is, thats what I vote! I drank an Icehouse Edge and it just about ruined my soul.

 

malt liquor
n
1. (Brewing) any alcoholic drink brewed from malt

 

Ale for me.

 

I love Ales, but my heart is with Lagers. They are what got me into craft beer and with many Ale styles I need to be in the mood for that specific style to really want to drink it but with Lagers, hand me one anytime and I will be happy.

 

If I have to pick one type of beer, it would be ales. Fortunately, we don't have to pick just one type.

 

Jack,

although the Crisp makes up less than 25% of our overall sales, it is interesting to note that lager beer represents more than 90% of all beer sold worldwide!

So clearly lager beer is the absolute dominant style of beer globally.

I wonder if ale will ever get to 20% global market share? It has a long way to go!

 

In the two countries that have big ale cultures (top fermented), those beers are about 35% or less of sales. UK and Belgium, the rest is uninspired lagers.

 

A more interesting survey would be %ale vs %lager of your consumption. I really love many ale styles, but in some unique situations you just can't beat a good pilsner.

 

true, although 100 years ago, ale was almost 100% of sales in those countries ;-)

so the global trend has been on lager's side for quite some time - and lager still accounts for 80%+ of sales in the US (but the trend in the US is going the other way)

cheers!

 

Hands down, ale for me with an occasional lager.

 

Shane,

Thanks for the sales data. I take it that Crisp sales are in the vicinity of 1/4 of your sales? If that is the case, I confess that I am a little bit surprised. While lagers are indeed the preferred class of beer for the masses, among beer geeks (e.g., BAs), lagers are not too popular.

The majority of craft beer consumed are by non-beer geeks. For example, there are lots of folks who purchase Sam Adams Boston Lager but those folks are not BA folks; Sam Adams is often derided on BA.

It is always a 'challenge' to understand the broader craft beer market within the echo chamber that is BA.

Cheers!

Jack