![what what](https://images.wisegeek.com/three-types-of-beer-in-pilsner-glasses.jpg)
These two have since been determined to be the same yeast, now called by the oldest name given, S. He discovered another lager strain in 1908, which he named Saccharomyces carlsbergensis. Lager yeast, Saccharomyces pastorianus, was first isolated and described in 1904 by the Danish mycologist Emil Christian Hansen while working at the Carlsberg brewery in Denmark. All of those beers you think of as “national” brands - Heineken, Tsing Tao, Sapporo, Kingfisher, Budweiser to name just a few - those are all lagers. They first arose in Bavarian breweries in the late 15th or early 16th century, then eventually spread to the rest of Europe (most famously to Plzeň, the birthplace of pilsner) and eventually to the rest of the world. Lagers are relatively new to the brewing scene. “bottom-fermenting” (lager) yeast, which is generally accurate, but useless to those who have no interest or experience with brewing.
![what what](https://i.imgur.com/3kMV5j7.jpg)
You’ll hear some beer pedants describe the difference as “top-fermenting” (ale) vs. All of the knock-on effects - from different flavors and aromas to decreased fermentation temperatures - arise from this difference. Simply put, lagers use an entirely different type of yeast during fermentation. It’s not color, or flavor, or aroma, or hop/grain/malt varietals or even water hardness that separates a lager from an ale. Ales tend to be fruity-estery, while lagers are clean-tasting and frequently described as “crisp.” But to a brewer, the difference is more fundamental than that. For the average beer drinker, the difference between an ale and a lager comes down to how the beer looks, smells, and tastes.