Drink Ales... Not Lagers.

A good friend of mine (Adam) suggested that I start a blog about beer since I drink plenty of craft beer and also brew my own.  Like wine snobs, beer drinkers also have strong opinions about their beer - it just comes with the territory.  You know exactly what I mean, don't you?

In the case that you're just a beginner, you should first know that beer is split into two main categories... Lagers and Ales.

Nearly all beers are made solely of barley, hops, water, and then yeast.  Yeast is the key word here because that is what separates lagers from ales.  Lager yeast and ale yeast are much different.  Their purpose is to ferment the barley from sugar to alcohol.  Ale yeast works best in higher temperatures (around room temperature) while lager yeast works better in lower temperatures (refrigerated) and is a longer process.  Most commercial beers are lagers...

If you've ever watched a football game (I'm not talking soccer, although I'm sure it applies to you too) you've been spoon-fed the word "lager" for decades through major beer commercials.  Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Heineken, Stella Artois, etc... these are ALL lagers.  Nearly every beer you've seen advertised on TV is a lager so why should you know any different?

At some point, you've heard the term "ale."  Let me tell you something... you've been missing out all along because ales are the good stuff.

I have an extreme hatred of the giant corporations that are Budweiser and the semi-recently merged MillerCoors which I'll refer to as BMC.  I'll expand on that hatred some other day but for now it's important to note because it does make me a bit biased.

Lagers have a very distinct taste with the culprit being the lager yeast.  The moment I smell it, that obvious lager yeast smell is the first to reveal itself.  It's nearly overpowering and seems to consume the beer and take over the experience altogether.

Now for ales... Ales yeast still has a significant effect but it stays in the background.  The flavor from the barley and the hops take center stage.  I want variety in my beer and I want those options available to me.  Lagers just don't make the cut when you look at it like this.

Don't get me wrong, I'll drink some specialty lagers from time to time but most lagers out there are coming from giant breweries with the goal of creating a tasteless beer while falsely advertising a flavorful product.  Whether or not you're a beginner beer-drinker, I must urge you to stick with ales if you really want to taste the broad range of flavors craft beer has to offer.

Today's Brewline:  Skip over the lagers and shoot straight for the ales.  You'll thank me later.