Taking Sides: Ale v. Lager

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does anyone remember the Lager Lads strip in Viz?

― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

hey i just bought a bottle of ale last night. it was called "St. Peter's" and it came in an oval bottle kind of like a whiskey flask. it was organically grown and brewed and tasted quite lovely.

hefty price tag at $5.25 canadian per 500ml bottle.

anyone had it? says on the label it comes from suffolk.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I vote Midori.

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Hmmm... English ale, German lager, Irish stout, Spanish red wine. Num num. Alky heaven.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

St. Peters = danger now. From Suffolk. Not cheap. Lots of it on draught at the Jerusalem Tavern. NB: this is the road to ruin.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Ale in winter, but lager in summer. Ale is too cloying on my palate in the warm times. Oh yes.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I misread this as Avril vs Lager - conclusion? I've been here too long!

― smee (smee), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

You've got to do a thread with that title now, Smee. Go ahn!

oh ale definitely, regardless of the time of year. If I am drinking lager, it means one of three things:

(i) it is Cobra and I'm at an Indian restaurant.

(ii) it is San Miguel

(iii) I am drinking the promo lager at a club (e.g. Troy or Rolling Rock)

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

St Peters is a good one, although a bit on the weak side (i.e. under 5%). It's only 80p round my way, but I live quite near to where it's brewed. It's a 'golden ale' though, and these are much closer in look and taste to lager than they are to normal dark ales. I'm not even sure if there's much real difference between a 'golden ale' and a quality lager.

― andy, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The St Peter's Golden Ale is a Golden Ale (ew horrible term there's no such thing as golden ale really) but they do a whole range of beer from stout to fruit beer.

They may not be especially strong but my word they are the road to ruin.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Correction: *a* road to ruin.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

You can get them in Waitrose, St Peters. I always buy a bottle for a treat when I'm there.

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

There are excellent beers of both types, it all depends on my mood at the time. Lager just gets a bad rap because most swill-beer is lager.

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark I'll buy you a St Peter's the next time I'm over. *non-reply guilt*

― Lara (Lara), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

here in western canada we have a beer called grasshopper that is made by a brewery called big rock. it is a wheat ale but as fizzy and piss-coloured as your average lager. this beer is completely synonymous with this part of the world.

and the weirdest thing about it is somewhere along the line they decided to serve it with a wedge of lemon. the taste of dirty lemon skin and seeds as you toss back a pint is something disgusting but i'm sure i'd miss it if i left.

― fields of salmon (fieldsofsalmon), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

translation into Canadian English: "oh no Canadian vs Export FITE oh no"

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Grasshopper is a crap wheat beer sadly. Im just glad that the LCBO now stock Hacker Pshorr. I don't get the lemon bit either, its not a freaking mexican beer, they taste fine on their own.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

FoS, they do that with Redback lager in Western Australia, the first time I had it I thought I'd discovered a beer with a strange lumpy head, most odd. Didn't make the beer that much better either. But it was about the best I had over there.

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Here in Winnipeg we have Fort Garry Dark, along the lines of Big Rock's Trad or maybe Smithwick's with a little less hop. Very easy to drink in large quantities. No lemon needed.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Where does Bud Light fall in the mix?

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

hopefully onto the ground

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

after enough of them i usually fall on the ground. You know it kills me when I see these Miller Lites and the slogan on the can is " a true lager". Ya ok.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Ale is the preserve of geography teachers, wargamers, and Northerners.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I thats a good description of the Dark as I remeber it. Im allergic to Winnipeg so i spent most of my time near the forks or hiding in skanky bars with underaged natives.

New Brunswick's best beer by a mile is an Ale by the makers of Moosehead called Clancy's. Sadly they don't market it and wont bring it outside the Maritimes and instead push Moosehead and Alpine to the world. Both of which are better then the IPA Keith's which tastes like it came from Hamilton habour and not Halifax.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Well if it is made with bottom-fermenting yeasts, then its a "true lager". Not a good one though.

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Mild and bitter for winter.
Pale Ale and belgian ales for summer.
Czech, German or begian lagers good any time but the right ones at the right time.
Becks for art openings (there is apparently some ancient german purity law that states that only becks may supply beer for Art openings, but its free so who cares)

And infact PAs are good anytime.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Moosehead isn't very good. Always reminds me of Heineken, which also tastes like crap. Maybe it's always old and skunky by the time we get it here. I wish you would reconsider your position on Winnipeg, Noodles. I will buy you beer.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

geography teachers, wargamers, and Northerners

erm, no sorry. I have been a Geography *student*.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

I drink cheap beer, because I can't afford the good stuff. I know nothing of ales and lagers. Pabst Blue Ribbon and Brubaker.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Ale is the preserve of geography teachers, wargamers, and Northerners.

-- Dom Passantino

That'll be the John O'Gaunt, The Bobbin and the Three Mariners then.

― Dave B (daveb), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

PABST BLUE RIBBON!

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

heineken? fuck that shit! pabst blue ribbon!

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Heineken do a dark beer which is really nice, unfortunately I've only seen (& drunk) it in the cellar bar of the Hotel Museum in Amsterdam, which is just down the street from the Heineken brewery.

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

and now of course I'm racking my brains to remember what it's called....

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't it just called Heineken Dark?

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

We went to the store on Friday to buy Coronas to take to our friends' house, but I saw one other thing that was so dorky I had to buy it - a bottle of Monty Python's Holy Ail - "Tempered over burning witches." Keep in mind I live in the US. Everyone at friends' house was impressed with my dorkitude. It didn't taste that great, but I'm no beer connisseur.

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

The thought of Heineken Dark is really quite NASTY. I'd always go for ale, it being something with nice nummy tastes, whereas lager is something cold that just slips down well. Strangely I've been having cravings for Budvar recently, but that IS the most acceptable lager sold in Thee Booze Kabin so fneh. Due to illness my BEER in the fridge is going undrunk. Gah.

― starry (Groke), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

haha Nick. My friends and I bought some of that for a Christmas party. It tasted like crap.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Heikneken make a variety of good beers, they just push the shit light-lager on us dumb Americans (or Canadians) and save the good stuff for themselves. Its the same with many other countries - all we get is that country's version of crap american light-lager, e.g. corona, fosters, becks, etc.

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Ale all the way. Fizz is BAD. Though I quite like Bitburger occasionally in the summer.

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Now all I can think of are all those great local beers in NZ. Another reason to return!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I generally like Winnipeg, Im just allergic to it.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I wish I could understand that!

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

dark larger is good but having said this I can't imagine dark heineken tasting like anything other than mouldy piss.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

As soon as I go outside in Winnipeg my allergies go nutz until I hide inside. I do not have allergies normally so I was left to blame Winnipeg.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Always bitter for me, despite not fitting any of Dom's carefully reasoned categories.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I still don't understand the differenence! Can someone explain whithout using the words yeast and fermenting. I != a scientist. Poor Gareth -- he has already tried so hard to explain this to me.

― Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Lager is sort of yellow and ale is sort of brown. Ale tastes nicer.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Tastewise, lagers are "mellower" than ales. Other than that, the flavour has more to do with the style as opposed to whether it is an ale (top fermenting yeast) or lager (bottom fermenting).

The following are some styles of ale: bitters, brown ales, most porters, stouts, pale ales, IPAs, belgian dubbles and tripels, weissens, barely wines.

Some styles of lager are: pilsners, viennas, bock & dopplebocks, and a few baltic porters are lagered

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Noodles, you may have been here when stubble burning was going on. It bugs me, too. Just don't come during the fall!

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I bought some cans of John Smith's the other week and it tasted like a puddle.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

of mudd?

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Baltika 6 is a fine example of a lagered porter.

Don't forget lembics. Beers fermented in open vats in lofts in belgiums. the wind is allowed to blow through and whatever yeasts come along ferment the liquor. The oldest form of brewing.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

does late August count as fall for stubble burning purposes?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Prime season.

― Bryan (Bryan), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:48 (twenty-two years ago)

You can't talk loike that roond 'ere, yooll 'ave them EU buggers doon on us.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

>Don't forget lembics

lambics are just odd. The only one I ever had (a gueze kriek actually) was super-sour and musty and totally unbeerlike. Interesting, but not something I am dieing to try again.

― fletrejet, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Lembics rock. They are strangely sour though. Open fermenting captures lots of lactobacilli which create lacric acid to give that taste. There's some dark lembics which are beautiful.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 4 February 2003 20:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Lager, god I can't drink ale. At my brothers wedding last summer I asked for a pint of beer and they brought ale, I felt so ignorant, I gave it to the guy next to me who likes ale and bought a lager instead.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Ale as in "Ale have a pint please".

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

oil have a point plaze.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

There are of course good and bad lambics (is lembic some wacky Flemish spelling or something Ed?) but you shouldn't think all lambics taste like gueuze. Gueuze is certainly an odd drink: it's apparently made from a mix of old and new lambics and has a distinctive sour taste (and one that I love: it's the closest thing the beer world has to rough cider, hooray!).

Fletrejet, you may want to try again with a non-gueuze lambic.

Belgium hooray!

― Tim (Tim), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Lambic pentamaters!!!

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 15:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Two beer threads at the same time, everyone feeling thirsty?

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Martin -- a color-coded definition I can understand!

― Mary (Mary), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

(it may not be entirely true - I am no expert)

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Who needs truth when you can you have eaily understandable definitions? CQ Pres. Bush.

― Mary (Mary), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 19:44 (twenty-two years ago)

'true' Lagers float my boat more often than Ales of any sort
Of course there are exceptions. Newcastle brown for one.

― Millar (Millar), Wednesday, 5 February 2003 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

One thing which sort of makes me wish I was a lager drinker is the fact that the lager is never "off". Whilst I don't envy my friends and colleagues their fizzy chemical horror which is Kronenbourg or Stella, at least they can go to the bar safe in the knowledge that their drink of choice will be *there*. Typical bad experience for me: at the Longwall (a Beffeater unfortunately, but the closest thing approaching a pub to my office) last week I ordered a 6x. 6x was off. I begrudgingly ordered a Tetley. When i went to the bar for a second time Tetley was off too. I was offered John Smiths. I left.

― MarkH (MarkH), Thursday, 6 February 2003 08:54 (twenty-two years ago)

...and there was a row of metal cirles in the bar where the guest ale punps used to be, before Bass or whoever own Beefeater decided that it was not cost-effective or didn't go along with their branding to have them.....

― MarkH (MarkH), Thursday, 6 February 2003 08:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark lager is off loads! The Gambrinas at the Lord John Russell for instance. OK nobody has ever run out of Stella or Carlsberg, granted.

All descriptions of ale make it sound terrific but my palate just can't handle it. It's lager gorgeous lager all the way for me.

― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:03 (twenty-two years ago)

MarkH is OTM - my friends can go into any pub and not give a shite about the booze on offer as they will find themselves satisfied, whereas I have to muse and muse about what's on offer since they usually have badly poured ale on offer, and I settle for a Guiness instead for the consistency aspect.

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

So, we never reached any consensus on this very important issue.
While I enjoy some types of lager, I almost always come out in favor of some type of ale. Lately it's been various stouts, but in the summer and fall I was all about the IPAs.

I hate pilsner beers, I find them repulsive.

― ian, Monday, 2 February 2009 23:22 (sixteen years ago)

I wouldn't put it that strongly, but yeah. I prefer ale over lager 999 times out of 1000.

― WmC, Monday, 2 February 2009 23:35 (sixteen years ago)

there are good and bad beers of every variety, there are some bad pilsners but i've had great pilners and horrible IPAs

― crackers is biters (M@tt He1ges0n), Monday, 2 February 2009 23:48 (sixteen years ago)

hey man i didn't ask you to be equivocal, just choose one and go with it.

― ian, Monday, 2 February 2009 23:52 (sixteen years ago)

the right answer is ale

― Tracy Michael Jordan Catalano (Jordan), Monday, 2 February 2009 23:53 (sixteen years ago)

when it comes to beers i take 'em 8 to 80, blind, crippled, or crazy

― crackers is biters (M@tt He1ges0n), Monday, 2 February 2009 23:54 (sixteen years ago)

Ale.

― Sundar, Monday, 2 February 2009 23:56 (sixteen years ago)

Canadian IPA is really miserable compared to the American variety though.

― Sundar, Monday, 2 February 2009 23:56 (sixteen years ago)

Ale, of course.

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Monday, 2 February 2009 23:58 (sixteen years ago)

Find most lagers too weak and bland but will sometimes drink in warmer weather.

― autosocratic asphyxiation (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 3 February 2009 02:08 (sixteen years ago)

^^^ this is key, when i moved to a warm climate my interest in ales and heavier beers declined. still like a guinness now and then

― velko, Tuesday, 3 February 2009 02:11 (sixteen years ago)

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