What’s the difference between beer, lager and ale?
Quite simply beer is the overall term for all styles of brews. Lager and ale are specific types of beer. Lager is brewed and matured at lower temperatures, using bottom-fermenting yeast, which means it should be stored for longer to let its flavours develop (see below). The word lager actually comes from the German word for stored – lagerung. Best enjoyed chilled Ale is brewed and matured at higher temperatures using top-fermenting yeast. This means it takes a shorter time to mature and should be enjoyed cool (11-12 degrees in my opinion) rather than chilled.
