Ale or lager, what the difference actually is

December 14, 2025

Ale or lager is one of the first questions people ask when they start brewing, and the answer is a lot simpler than the beer aisle makes it look, because it really comes down to which yeast does the fermenting and how warm it likes to be while it works.

It's the yeast

Ale yeast works warmer and faster, and it throws off fruity flavours as it goes, which is where a lot of an ale's character comes from. Lager yeast works cooler and slower, so a lager tastes cleaner and crisper and lets the malt and hops do the talking. The temperature range for each yeast is printed on its packet, and staying inside it matters more than almost anything else you'll do on brew day.

What that means in the glass

Ales cover pale ales, ambers, stouts and the English styles, and they tend to be fuller and fruitier. Lagers cover the crisp golden beers and pilsners, and they tend to be drier and cleaner. Neither one's better than the other, they're just doing different jobs.

The kit can catch you out

Have a look at what yeast is actually under the lid of your kit can before you brew, because plenty of kits sold as a lager style come with a yeast that's happy at ale temperatures. That's fine and it makes a perfectly good beer, but if you want a true lager you'll want a lager yeast like S23 and somewhere cool and steady to ferment it.

Which to brew first

I'd start with an ale. It's far more forgiving of a shed that warms up through the day, so you learn the whole process on it without fighting the weather. Once you've got a couple of batches under your belt and somewhere you can keep a fermenter cool, a lager is the natural next step, and a fermenting fridge with a temperature controller, which we order in, makes it a lot easier.

Shop related products

S23 Saflager Lager Yeast 11.5g. A lager yeast for a cool, clean ferment.
US-05 Safale Ale Yeast 11.5g. A clean, neutral ale yeast.
S-04 Safale Ale Yeast 11.5g. An English ale yeast with a bit more fruit.
Coopers Original Lager 1.7kg. An easy lager style can to start on.

Did you know we also keep heater belts in the shop for keeping a ferment steady through winter, and a hydrometer with its test jar for checking when it's done. They're not on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.