How many times have you stared at those foamy pints of gorgeous, gold-colored alcoholic beverages and wondered, what is the difference between beer and ale?
You’re in luck, my slightly inebriated friend. For today, we will divulge the secret behind this most perplexing of questions.
On the face of it, there appear to be not much difference between beers and ales. After all, both are usually made from just grains and water, and are the by-products of the yeast fermentation process. However, a closer inspection reveals an entirely different story.
Before we delve into the subject, it would perhaps be wise to take a step back and do a little clarification first. You see, the term beer’ is technically the common noun for this class of alcoholic beverage as a whole.
Ales and lagers are the two major subgroups of beer, which can be further classified, among others, into porters, stouts and bitters (ale) and pilsners, bocks and darks (lager).
However, sometime between the late 19th century and early 20th century, the term lager somehow gave way to beer, a shift that remain stuck to this day. So the original question should have been – what is the difference between lager and ale?
Essentially, it has all to do with the type of yeast and fermentation temperatures.
A top-fermenting process using a yeast species called saccharomyces cerevisiae at normal room temperature produces ales. This will yield the lighter-colored ale that the snobbier amongst us have always claimed to prefer.
Meanwhile, lagers are produced by utilizing the yeast species saccharomyces pastorianus in a bottom fermentation process under a considerably lower temperature. The result is lager, also known variously as beer, cold one, brewski, and even Britney (those crazy Irish).
It is worth mentioning that a few centuries ago, the difference between ales and lager were significantly more pronounced. At the time, ales were brewed using barley or wheat instead of hops, which only became a farming staple less than two centuries ago.
However we look at it, there is no denying that beers and ales have evolved into one of the most crucial elements of modern civilization. For many of us, a cold can, mug, pint or bottle of beer is the highlight of our day, bringing us unconditional comfort and joy.
If you love beer, a visit to BeerFest is a must. You get to drink loads of beer of various brands, in the company of fellow beer lovers. Just pay the entrance fee and you can drink beer to your heart’s delight! However, to ensure you enjoy yourself and don’t end up doing something you will regret after all that beer, here is a quick beer festival survival guide to help you.
1. An empty stomach won’t help you enjoy more brews. Eat a meal before you start the beer binge or your enjoyment will last only a few beer rounds. However, don’t eat any spicy foods as they will only destroy your ability to properly taste a mug of beer.
2. Hydrate yourself! Drink lots of water, your day at the beer festival will be very long and hot!
3. Take your time. You have come to the beer festival to enjoy yourself and your beer. Pace yourself and enjoy as many types and mugs of beer as possible. Don’t drink uncontrollably, relax and just taste the beer and either dump it or take your time to drink it. The festival lasts for hours. No one’s racing – just relax and enjoy your day!
4. Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Shoes matter a lot as seating is limited. You will spend lots of time moving from one beer booth to the next, so wear comfortable shoes.
5. Bring cash. Cash is important to buy some things with so many beer vendors and food to try. Though some vendors accept credit cards and the festival might have ATMs, it’s more convenient if you carry some cash.
6. Take notes. You never know; you may find some beer you like and no matter how strong your memory is, you won’t remember the names after all the beers, so carry some way of remembering. I like to take cell phone photos of the bottle to help me, but you may prefer the old-fashioned pen and paper method.
7. “If lost please send to.” If you traveled from out of town, it’s also a good idea to write down the name and address of your hotel or sleep accommodations. That way at the end of the night, you know where to have the taxi deliver you. Large amounts of beer can sometimes affect the memory.
8. Take lots of photos. Last, but not least, a camera is a must at any beer festival. You get to see many crazy things worth clicking to remember. Share your pics with others to give them an idea of how great a beer festival actually is!
If you have ever seen wine tasters at work, you will notice that they do not actually drink the stuff. After swilling it around their mouths for a few seconds, they spit it out. What a waste that is. They should take a leaf out of beer tasters books and actually drink what they are tasting. If you are lucky enough to get to some of the world’s largest beer festivals, you will see what I mean.
In fact, anybody caught spitting the beer out would probably be escorted to the door, and rightly so. Beer festivals are a wonderful invention. You get the opportunity to join up with loads of other people who share your tastes. You can try a whole variety of different beers while enjoying the entertainment. The entertainment usually includes the live bands that festival organizers recruit. It also includes other festival attendees who have slightly over-sampled and might be unintentionally putting on a show by making fools of themselves.
There are famous and great beer festivals all over the world. Here are a few of the better known ones:
- The Great British Beer Festival, London (United Kingdom)
- Pilsner Fest, Pilsen (Czech Republic)
- The New England Beer Festival, Auckland (New Zealand)
- The Great American Beer Festival, Denver (USA)
- Quindao International Beer Festival, Shandong Province (China)
- Belgian Beer Weekend, Brussels (Belgium)
- National Winter Ales Festival, Manchester (United Kingdom)
- Mondial del la Biere, Montreal (Canada)
- Biermeile Berliner, Berlin (Germany)
- Wasen Cannstatt, Stuttgart (Germany)
- Great World Beer Festival, United Nations of Beer, New York (USA)
The largest of all beer festivals by a long shot though is the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. After a few beers, people have been known to get a little befuddled. Clearly the originators of Oktoberfest did, bless them, because most of the festival takes place in September. Oktoberfest is not really about sampling beer. It is all about having fun drinking it. If you get the opportunity to visit this festival, grab it with both hands. It is an unforgettable, fun-filled experience.
Every year, Canadians get a great chance to try out a range of beers at our Edmonton Beer Festival. We are on a smaller scale than Munich, but definitely worth a visit. In 2013, festival-goers could choose from over 200 beers and we hope to add more this year. How many of those could you get through in 2 days?
If you are traveling to a beer festival, don’t forget to carry at all times a piece of paper with the address of your accommodation written on it. In a strange place, remembering where you are living temporarily after a “few” drinks can be tricky.
