bdutts
- Houston, Texas
If I'm interpreting correctly, what you're saying is that the prevalence of ales (and variations thereof) in microbrews is because they're easier to brew, so there's more people making them and experimenting more?
Yeah, I didn't make it clear, but I knew pilsner is a type of lager. As a matter of fact, it seems like about 80% of the lagers on the market are pilsners, or at least it seems that way to me, or perhaps I don't know the names of other styles of lager. I believe a bock is a lager, correct? I haven't had a bock in years....
One other random question for the brewmasters here: why no light (low-cal) ales? Do any exist? If not, why not? I'd think there'd be a market for them.
Ales are easier and quicker to brew. A brewpub can get an ale from fermenter to tap in 7-10 days. Lagers take a lot longer.
I think the reason you see more ales also has to do with the more complex flavors of ales. Lagers, outside of bocks and the heavier lagers, are crisp and clean beers and don't allow for much variation in flavor. Ales are all over the map depending on what yeast and hops you use.
EDIT: Not many, if any, small breweries brew light beers because it's "expensive". They have to brew a normal beer and like pizzaman said, they add water to get it to the right color, flavor and alcohol. Doesn't make any sense for smaller guys to do that. If you're going to have a light beer, just have Amstel Light availabne and people who want it will drink it.
Last edited: