The Differences between Ales and Lagers All beers are made as
ales or lagers; ale and lager are the two main branches
(classifications) of the beer family tree and are closely
related branches at that. Ales are the older, distinguished,
traditional brews of the world, predating lagers by thousands of
years, whereas lagers are a relatively modern creation, less
than 200 years old. Yeast makes the beer The branch of the beer
family tree — ale or lager — corresponds to the type of yeast
used to ferment the beer. You have ale yeast and lager yeast,
and these types of yeast, in turn, typically dictate the
temperature at which the beer is fermented. Ales are
traditionally fermented at warmer temperatures (55 to 70 degrees
Fahrenheit, 12 to 21 degrees Celsius), while lagers are
typically fermented at cooler temperatures (38 to 50 degrees
Fahrenheit, 3 to 10 degrees Celsius). The cooler fermentation
and aging temperatures used with lager yeast slow down the yeast
activity and require a longer maturation time. The col