Whenever I tell anyone about my love for beer I'm confronted with one of two questions:
"What's your favourite beer" or "What's the difference between an Ale and a Lager"
Lets start with the answer to the latter question.
Why don't I start by narrowing things down to the two basic categories of beer, Ales and lagers. The difference between these two categories has nothing to do with alcohol content, bitterness or even colour. The difference appears in the brewing process itself.
The brewing process reveals three main differences that make Ales and Lagers quite different; The fermentation of the yeast, The temperature used within the fermentation process and the addition of a few ingredients.
1) The fermentation of the Yeast.
Ales are brewed with what's called "top fermenting" strains of yeast. Essentially this means the yeast rises and is therefore fermented at the top of the brewing tank.
Lagers are brewed in quite literally the opposite way with "bottom fermenting" strains of yeast. This is where the yeast sinks to the bottom of the tank and is fermented from there.
2) The temperature used during the fermentation process.
Ale yeast ferments at a high temperature, around 75 degrees farenheit or 24 degrees celcius. lagers ferment at a cooler temperature, around 50 degrees farenheit or 10 degrees celcius and therefore ales mature a lot faster than lagers. A mixture of the cooler temperature and longer storing process sees lagers having a more crisp and mild taste compared to Ales.
3) Additional ingredients.
Ales contain more hops and malts which highlights the taste and bitterness more compared to lagers.
Now onto my favourite beer (currently)
A difficult question and one I find very hard to answer as it can change on a weekly or even daily basis. Ale is my preferred style and right now I'm really digging Nicholson's Pale Ale, pictured below! Brewed in the United Kingdom, it's extremely smooth, has a slight bread-like flavour and clean finish to it. cheers!
