Beer lovers please fill me in...?

Question

What is the MAIN differences between lagers, stouts, and ales. I know a little but about how beer is made so you don't have to dumb it up for me, and also I don't want it to be too technical just a broad description of what is used to make each type and how each is made.

Answer 1

All stouts are ales.

Ales are made with top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures
and have a quicker ferment time than lagers. They are generally not aged as long as a lager (there are exceptions).

Lagers are made with bottom fermenting yeast at cooler (generally 42-50 degrees) and may take up to a month to ferment.
Lagers are then aged (lager is the German word meaning "to store") at a cool temps to develop their signature taste and smoothness.

A stout's signature is the use of roasted barley in the mash which gives it it's dark color and roasted flavor.

Bocks are a dark lager that get their color from the use of chocolate malt (which also attributes to it's sweet taste)

Also: another difference between ales and lagers is the type of barley that is used. Ales generally use a style of barley that lends itself to what is known as an "infusion" or one-step mash while lagers generally use a type of barley that requires what is known as a "step mash" - (different temps)

There are many different styles of both ales and lagers, each with their own characteristics.

I've been (and still am) a home-brewer for 15 years,
hope this helps.

Answer 2

Ales and lagers are generally named so because of how they are brewed and what types of yeast is used (although there are exceptions to this). Ales are fermented at room temperature, and lagers are fermented at cold temperatures (about 35 to 40 degrees F, if I remember correctly.) Stouts are generally ales, but what makes a Stout a Stout is the ingredients (roasted barley and a lot of hops). Guinness, which most people are familiar with, is actually unusual in Stouts because they intentionally make it more sour, kind of like their signature or something. Another misconception about Stouts is that they are higher in alcohol content. Generally they are in same range as other beers, some as low as 3%. It is the roasted barley and dark malts that give it the dark color and flavor. I could go into more detail, but these are the basics. I hope this helps!

Answer 3

Lagers and ales describe two types of yeast used to make the beer. Typically lagers are lighter in flavor and ales are stronger in flavor, but this is not always true. Stout is a style of ale which has a strong roasted and complex flavor and very dark in color. There are many other styles of ale as well, here are a few popular ones: Porter, Brown Ale, Bitter, Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Golden Ale, Belgian bruin, Hefeweizen
Here are some different styles of lager:
Pilsner, Bock, Dopplebock, Schwartzbier, Steam Ale, Oktoberfest (Martzen)

The first beers thousands of years ago were ales, since then we have developed the lager yeast which is able to ferment at much lower temperatures.

Answer 4

I'm not a super expert either, but I will tell you that a stout is made with roasted hops and is much thicker and darker than a lager or an ale. Think guiness.

An ale is between a lager and a stout...at least it's not too light and not too dark. Think Sam Adams. Lager is the lightest of the three. Think budweiser.

Answer 5

All beer is either a lager or ale (stout being an ale). Ales use bottom fermenting yeast and are brewed at higher temps than lagers (which use top fermenting yeast).

Answer 6

search it on google, I don't know the differnece, I just drink the stuff. Wine i could help you with tho.

Answer 7

I have no idea, but if you need a taste tester--I'm your man!

Answer 8

http://www.brewerkz.com/beer_bible.htm

The answers to all your questions - enjoy