What difference between beer and lager?
As previously said, beer is a generic term. The two main types are Ale and Lager. The only distinction between the two is the yeast. It has nothing to do with the flavor, color, or alochol content. Ales are fermented with top fermenting yeast Lagers are fermented with bottom fermenting yeast, and in order to technically be called a lager, they need to be stored at cooler temperatures for a longer period of time compared to ales.
In a real and practical sense there is no difference. {Beer} Both lagers and ales may be light of full bodied, light or opaque in hue, contain lower or higher alcohol concentration, be bitter or malty. So then what makes them different? It is the way that they are brewed and the general taste profile that ales are fruity (in beer terms) and lagers are cleaner. Technically, the yeast has little to do with differences ales or lagers. Both ales and lager styles are brewed with top and bottom fermenting yeasts. We can make brews with identical grist bills, hops, and mashing schedule and then ferment each with different yeast strains. The only times we will have an appreciable difference is when the fermentation temperature is high enough for the yeast to produce fruity esters. It does get more technical but for now this will due. For example, lager yeast tends to develop diacetyl at higher threshold levels and thus needs a lagering phase to reduce it.
