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Is ale considered beer?


Leonard Zelig

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I was at a bar the other night, and they were having this trivia game and one of the questions was what are the two most common types of beer. The answer was ale and lager. Well, one guy who apparently got the answer wrong protested very loudly and adamantly that, "Ale is not beer!" If I heard him say it once, I heard it fifteen times. Most of the people in the bar believed that ale is beer and the bartender was pretty apathetic about the whole topic. Everything that I have found online says that ale is beer.

 

I know there are some beer experts on here, so can anybody confirm that ale is or is not beer. And if it is beer, do you have any idea what that guy was talking about?

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Ale is beer....

 

Ale is top fermented usually at warmer temperatures (60-70F) for shorter periods of time

 

Lager is bottom fermented at colder temperatures (48-54F) for longer periods...

 

The funny thing is, is that the word beer can be used to describe hundreds of different types of fermented beverages..So in essence the question was wrong...

 

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The basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries and are commonly categorized into two main types based on the type of yeast used during fermenting — the globally popular lagers, which is brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast, and the regionally distinct ales, brewed with top fermenting yeast. Ales are further categorised into other varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv.) though may range from less than 1% abv., to over 20% abv. in rare cases.

 

 

*From Wikipedia....pretty straight forward

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QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 03:43 PM)
I was at a bar the other night, and they were having this trivia game and one of the questions was what are the two most common types of beer. The answer was ale and lager. Well, one guy who apparently got the answer wrong protested very loudly and adamantly that, "Ale is not beer!" If I heard him say it once, I heard it fifteen times. Most of the people in the bar believed that ale is beer and the bartender was pretty apathetic about the whole topic. Everything that I have found online says that ale is beer.

 

I know there are some beer experts on here, so can anybody confirm that ale is or is not beer. And if it is beer, do you have any idea what that guy was talking about?

 

 

The confusion is pretty simple, he is thinking of them as completely different beverages and not as a subset. The family is beer, which is then made up of many different beverages. You mention the contest was at a bar. I always give my drinking companions, and I consider anyone within voice range a drinking companion, the benefit of the doubt and would never consider them retarded. In fact I would offer to buy him an ale and congratulate him on his higher level thinking skills. Of course it is that compassionate bar behavior that got me elected as "Soxtalk Drinking Buddy of The Year" :headbang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate stupid drunks :angry:

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QUOTE (Texsox @ Mar 18, 2009 -> 11:37 PM)
Of course it is that compassionate bar behavior that got me elected as "Soxtalk Drinking Buddy of The Year" :headbang

 

Actually, the kids voted for you because you were DEFINITELY old enough to buy them beer.

 

 

 

:)

 

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