It is all about Ales and Lagers. Really?
Hey Brewventurers! Excuse the redundancy, but we have to start from the beginning. When we talk about beer, we quickly encounter two main families: Ales and Lagers. So, let's understand what they are, what the differences look like, and see that, in the end, it is not only about Ales and Lagers.
When we talk about Ales and Lagers, we’re basically comparing the two most common types of fermentation used worldwide in beer production. "Oh, I didn’t even know beer was fermented." Alright, one step back: beer is indeed a liquid produced by fermenting sugars, mostly derived from malted grains, and flavored with hops. Thus, the basic ingredients of beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast. The fermentation process, and specifically the yeast, is responsible for creating the alcohol in beer.
Yeast is a fungus, a fairly simple unicellular organism. What differentiates Ales from Lagers is exactly the yeast species used. Ales are fermented with the famous Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the same yeast used for bread-making. Lagers, on the other hand, are produced with Saccharomyces pastorianus. In terms of beer, Ale yeast ferments at higher temperatures (64-75ºF or 18-24ºC), with a faster fermentation process (3 to 5 days). Lager yeast ferments at lower temperatures (45-59ºF or 7-15ºC), and the process takes longer (7 to 14 days). These temperature and time ranges can vary by brewer, but that’s the general idea.
Knowing this temperature difference between the two yeasts, could we assume that Ales existed first and that Lagers only appeared with the invention of refrigeration? Yes and no. It’s believed that Ales are more primitive, but there are records of Lager production in Germany around the year 1500, while refrigeration only began to emerge after 1850. Lagers were produced in underground structures, and ice blocks were sometimes used to maintain the temperature required for Lager fermentation. In Brazil, we always say that Germans are stubborn—thankfully, they are! But of course, after refrigeration entered the brewing industry, Lagers flourished, and the process is still considered relatively recent.
From here, we could dive into several different Brewventures. The first might be about the impact of temperature on beer production and the Oktoberfest phenomenon. Another could be about how Budweiser influenced the Lager boom. But these Brewventures are for another time.
As I mentioned at the start, it is not only about Ales and Lagers. In these two types of beers, cultured yeast is used, and specifically added for that purpose. But the first beer was probably obtained by spontaneous fermentation. We haven’t covered the stages of beer production, but at the start of the process, higher temperatures are applied. Therefore, before adding the yeast, the liquid that will become beer needs to be cooled, ideally quickly. In the case of spontaneous fermentation, this quick cooling doesn’t happen. The beer is placed in wide, shallow tanks to increase the contact between the liquid and the air. In this way, microorganisms in the air gradually “infect” the beer as it reaches room temperature. This technique is still used by some brewers today. A classic style that uses it is Lambic, created in Belgium.
Finally, besides Ales, Lagers, and spontaneous fermentation, there are also mixed fermentations. In this case, brewers intentionally combine yeast and bacteria, or different yeasts, to produce beer. I hope you agree with me now that it is not only about Ales and Lagers. Until next time, cheers! 🍻
