Lager or Ale?

[Majin]

Which does it for you?

Have spent this afternoon knocking back a few bottles of quality ale and am currently enjoying life just fine. For me, ale is the best kind of booze out there. So much flavour, so much depth and diversity. Also gets you very nicely toasted. Lager, on the other hand, I generally find to be quite gash. I can drink it, if I have to, but I would much rather prefer to deal with a bottle of ale than some filthy can of Stella or something equally foul. Like Carling. Seriously the most dire drink of all time.

Anyway, discuss your preferred tipple.

 

[Smudge]

Lager in summer, ale in winter.

 

[GIMH]

Stout

 

[BoyBrumby]

Think ales are far more rewarding taste-wise than lagers; they have beginnings, middles and ends. A good IPA really takes some beating: the hoppy nose, the citrus and sometimes biscuity overtones on the palate and the crisply refreshing bitterness to finish. Marston's Old Empire & Fuller's Bengal Lancer both superior examples of the form.

That said a bad ale is a lot worse than a bad lager. Some pubs just can't keep a decent pint of ale, but few manage to **** up lagers.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, true that. When the lager is **** it's flat, when ale is ****, say hello to the toilet for a few hours the next day

 

[sledger]

Lager for my money.

 

[Athlai]

Whatevers cheaper.

 

[sledger]

Whatevers cheaper.

Yeah, this actually.

 

[Marcuss]

Rattler

 

[sledger]

Just noticed the irrelevant option

 

[_Ed_]

Lager in summer, ale in winter.

Exactly what I was going to say.

I become indecisive in spring and autumn.

 

[Craig]

Stout

RIP to your friends and family

 

[age_master]

Lager.

 

[Noble One]

Hard to go wrong selecting an ale.

 

[ripper868]

Mike Brewer and Colin Meads tbh

 

[Himannv]

Actually depends on what I feel like at the time.

Whiskey > all anyday for me though.

 

[stumpski]

Haven't drunk lager regularly for about 13 years, but can go a cold Grolsch in the garden on a summer day. Fave ales Speckled Hen, Doombar, Summer Perle (almost a lager), Spitfire. Or maybe a Banana Bread when I'm feeling adventurous.

Spirits are more my weakness though ITBT.

 

[_Ed_]

Oh, and witbier always goes down well, whatever the weather.

 

[thierry henry]

Can an NZer educate me on readily available good quality ales here? Because for me, "lager" has always meant "the more expensive, more drinkable stuff with more alcohol" and "ale" has always meant "Lion Red, Speights, and other cheap, low alcohol stuff predominantly consumed by the impoverished". Is there more to it than that?

 

[Zinzan]

^ I'm more of a lager man myself, but from memory Monteith's have some half decent Ales like their 'Celtic'