I'm sure it's lager that is top-fermented.
Anyway, My Mum (yes i've mentioned her before) had a spell of winemaking and I remembered the instruction book she had said Beer was Ale with hops in it. A quick check in wikipaedia confirms that that was the case at one time. Not saying that Ale didn't have a bitter flavouring, but other herbs, like Rue or Tansy were used.