We’re beer snobs.
Well, kind of. Let’s say we used to be beer snobs. When we first opened Pies & Pints in the New River Gorge, we weren’t going to serve big name beer at all.
Mmmmmmm... beer.
That was the plan, anyway. Didn’t work. We had to change our thinking and realize that not everyone wants micro and craft brew. We’ve learned. We sell more Bud Light than anything else.
Still, we have a huge appreciation for (what we humbly consider) the good stuff.
We even carry a craft beer label from right here in the Gorge. The guys at Bridge Brew Works are friends of ours, and we’re loving the stuff they’re creating. Make sure you try a pint the next time you’re in.
The microbrew culture is exploding in West Virginia. Lucky us. Gotta say that, from behind the bar, there’s nothing cooler than seeing people getting turned on to a beer that they’ve never tried (it’s almost as nice as seeing the same thing happen with our pizza).
So we thought it might be nice to offer a little beer 101 for folks that might be curious about trying some new beers. Without further adieu, here’s the lowdown on Ale Vs. Lager.
Simply put, when the yeast ferments from the bottom, it makes lager. When the yeast ferments from the top, it makes ale. Ales ferment at warmer temps, lagers need to be colder. Ales take less time to make, lagers take longer. All beer is either ale or lager.
Lager This is the one that most people are already familiar with. Most big name american beers, like Bud and PBR, are lagers of the pilsner variety. Other types of lager are bocks, double bocks, helles, dunkel, and ambers.
Oh, and malt liquor. We don’t serve any of that. Yet.
Lagers ferment at colder temps than ales, and don’t carry quite as much alcohol. Think clean, sharp, light, and pretty easy going down.
Ales These are the big beers. Big meaning robust, complex, and sometimes very, very dark.
Some of the types of ales you’ll see are ESB (extra special bitter), wheat or whitbier, pale ales, and porters.
Also, the king-daddy of the beer world: stout. Drinking stout is a special experience, which of course give it some colorful nicknames- motor oil, steak-in-a-bottle, the darkness, etc. If you’ve never had a stout, do yourself a favor and order one. Even if you don’t like it, you can say you’ve tried.
So There You Have It
The beginner’s guide to lager vs. ale. When you come into Pies next time, quiz us on which is which. We might have the answers. If not, we definitely have the materials to conduct your own tests.