Real Ale v Lager

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Paul from Hull
Date: 25 Aug 06 - 09:45 AM

...& a big lump of fatty bacon...

Now you mention it, yes I learnt it as 'glorious'

Dammit, I fancy a pint now...havent had one in bloody ages!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 25 Aug 06 - 09:58 AM

I haven't had one since last night but I'm ready for one now, bloody hungry as well now.

eric

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Paul from Hull
Date: 25 Aug 06 - 10:01 AM

Its a sight longer than that since I've had one..... just circustances really...I'm not trying to steer away from it!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: woodsie
Date: 29 Dec 06 - 11:24 PM

I could do with a drink!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 12:38 AM

G'day all & sundry,



Coopers Sparkling Ale

Tune: The Work of the Weavers (Scots, trad.)         Words: John Dengate

Before they hanged Ned Kelly in the gaol,
To make dead certain that his nerve didn't fail -
He drank a glass of COOPERS SPARKLING ALE
And he laughed in the face of the troopers.
CHORUS: It's Australia's best; we all agree,
        If it wasn't for the Coopers where would we be?
        We'd have to drink the residue of bogus chemistry
        If it wasn't for the brew of the Coopers.

So fill up your tankards my thirsty gents;
It's the only way to spend your dollars and your cents.
And it's made from natural ingredients -
There's health in the brew of the Coopers.
CHORUS:        It's Australia's best; we all agree…

It's throw away your cocoa and your lemonade
And toast the masters of the brewing trade.
They're the pride of the city of Adelaide;
Trust your thirst to the Coopers.
CHORUS:        It's Australia's best; we all agree…

If you want to stay healthy and you want to live,
Take heed of the sensible advice I give -
Steer clear of the chemical preservative
And stick to the brew of the Coopers.
LAST CHORUS
Don't throw away your money in the grocers' shops!
Don't squander your wages on mutton chops!
But save your money for the malt and hops
In the true blue brew of the Coopers.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 12:44 AM

Yeah Bob - good stuff, the Coopers. We might get him to sing it tomorrow night when we're over at his place. We're doing New Years Eve with the Dengates this year, and I'm sure there'll be a lot more than some Coopers being downed ;-)

Happy New Year Bob!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bob Bolton
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 01:07 AM

Err... G'day again,

That post did a runner while I was still formatting the song lyrics!

Anyway, I just felt like dropping in one (musical) suggestion for a request ... well above ... for good ale in Australia. (Actually - bottled Cooper's is often called "Murray* Mud" by us eastern-staters, because of its visible yeast residue but, with careful handling and pouring it's a fine (carefully) poured from the bottle.)

John Dengate's song was published by me in John's 1982 collection of songs and poetry My Shout!, Bush Music Club, Sydney, 1982.

*The Murray is a major Australian river flowing from the Snowy Mountains west and south,through our major irrigation areas, for (~)2590 kilometres until it reaches Lake Alexandrina and then The Great Australian Bight, near Adelaide, South Australia. I think (hope...) Cooper's actually have a cleaner water source than that!

Cooper's is a good drop ... and they put up a nice wort for home brewers. Quite a lot of drinkable home-brew "Cooper's" have I enjoyed!

Regards,

Bob

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: JennyO
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 02:51 AM

G'day Bob again.

Hmm - I didn't think I had the words to that one. I don't have "My Shout" - only "My Shout Again". It's a bit of an unfortunate gap in my collection :-(

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 11:44 AM

In 1954 I was in North Germany, driving with friends from the Rheinpfalz to Belgium. We stopped for lunch at a local gasthaus (I have no idea of the town or gasthaus name), and enjoyed some of their own "bier".

It was billed as "Die Strengste Bier Die Welt" (The strongest beer in the world, for you non-German-speakers.) 17 percent!

It was good stuff, too, to the palate of a young American who, only about ten months before (pre-Germany) would have told you he didn't like beer. I had only begun my education in beer. I was happy, though, that I was not the one who had to drive from that point on!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 11:45 AM

*sigh*...haven't had a Cooper's in years. The importers make business decisions on criteria other than taste.

I get good beer, but I do miss some things.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: number 6
Date: 30 Dec 06 - 11:47 AM

Dave-O ... 17% ... jeeeezuz H. !!! ... at that kick it should be classified as 'hard liquor'

biLL

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: woodsie
Date: 31 Jan 07 - 09:27 PM

Aaagh - I'd love a pint right now!!!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 09:36 AM

No time to read the whole thread (not seen before by me) but you can get real lager too. It's just that most of the rubbish lager in yer average pub isn't real.

Me, I stick to real ale if I can get it. Or real cider. Otherwise I usually drink Guinness.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Cluin
Date: 01 Feb 07 - 10:19 AM

http://i15.ebayimg.com/01/i/08/82/90/e9_1.JPG

Are not "real ales" unpasteurized, and therefore somewhat cloudy as opposed to the clear ales the big breweries put out because people don't want to drink cloudy beer? Any unpasteurized real ales I've tasted have been delicious.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: eddie1
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 03:08 AM

A couple of weeks ago, there was chaos here (Reading UK) due to a chemical leak at a large Scottish Courage brewery resulting in seven employees being admitted to hospital and the neighbouring motorway being closed for several hours. The chemical in question was ammonia which goes a long way to explain why their lager tastes like piss.

Having read above about other additives going into beer, would it not be possible for breweries to produce a decent, unadulterated brew. Pubs could then provide on the bar, dishes containing maize, rice, sugar, betaglucanase, propylene glycol alginate and rat droppings together with jugs of urine which drinkers could then add to their personal preference.
This way, we would have a choice of taste instead of having to accept what the large breweries foist on us.

Eddie

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Dave Masterson
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 04:24 AM

In our 'green' and pleasant modern society, it surely can't be long before the big brewers try to tell us the reason they manufacture (they sure don't brew it) pseudo-lager under license in the UK is to 'reduce the carbon footprint' by not having to import it! 'Cos we all know they have our best interests at heart…

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 04:26 AM

A couple of weeks ago, there was chaos here (Reading UK) due to a chemical leak at a large Scottish Courage brewery resulting in seven employees being admitted to hospital and the neighbouring motorway being closed for several hours. The chemical in question was ammonia which goes a long way to explain why their lager tastes like piss.

If it wasn't in poor taste (like Courage beer), I would say it gave them a dose of their own medicine. But I won't :-)

I'm old enough to remember the original Courage brewery in Reading (formerly Symonds, before being gobbled up by Courage and eventually being closed down when they built that monstrous fizz factory on the M4). That Reading ale used to be damn good stuff, and it's what I was weaned on. I used to drink their ales in Hants and Berks, and when I went up to London I was surprised to find the ale tasted worse, not realising at first that the London stuff came from the Southwark brewery (also long gone now). It was before CAMRA was started, and the time I realised there was more to this real ale lark than I had previously thought.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Folkiedave
Date: 02 Feb 07 - 04:32 AM

Are not "real ales" unpasteurized, and therefore somewhat cloudy as opposed to the clear ales the big breweries put out because people don't want to drink cloudy beer? Any unpasteurized real ales I've tasted have been delicious.

Not true - I only normally go to pubs that serve real ale. If the person in charge of the beer is doing their job then there should be no cloudiness whatsoever. This takes a certain modicum of skill.

If the beer arrives in sealed metal dustbins, this does not take any amount of skill.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: GUEST,John Courage
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 09:09 PM

Yes I bought up all the decent brewries Symonds of Reading, Barclay Perkins of Southwark, John Smith Of Tadcaster. Ha ha!!!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: GUEST,Harry Truman
Date: 11 Feb 07 - 09:12 PM

Yes you scotch, french, protestant hybrid. You messed up the irish invention (whiskey) and likewise the Englsh one (beer) Charles Mopps is rolling in his grave!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:13 AM

Well, John Courage, what goes around comes around. I see your ale is now made by a former rival brewery. The ale must have moved about 5 or 6 times now. No wonder it never tastes the same twice.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: GUEST,ib48
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 11:38 AM

Real ale definately,lager gives me terrible heartburn.Love old peculiar.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 11:44 AM

Love to you too, Old Peculiar :-)

Actually the beer's spelt "Old Peculier" - but I agree, it's good stuff! Could do with a pint of that right now. Or even XB would do... OK, Best then...? :-)

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: kendall
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 04:40 PM

Here we see a good example of opinions being put forth as facts. Personally, I couldn't care less how it is brewed,what they put in it or how it gets from the cellar to the bar! It all smacks of snobbery to me.

I drink Heinekens as a rule, but I also like Guinness and Fosters, and the only FACT here is, it doesn't matter a damn what I prefer!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: GUEST,Hearsay
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:16 PM

Well sed Felicity!!!
The only intelligent comment on dis tread!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 06:17 AM

Personally, I couldn't care less how it is brewed,what they put in it or how it gets from the cellar to the bar!

Maybe you have the same attitude to what you eat. I like to know what I'm eating or drinking, so I prefer to find out as much as I can about 'what they put in it'.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: kendall
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 08:04 AM

Of course not. Apparently I wasn't clear. I don't care if they use two pounds of hops or two and 7/8. Assuming it is fit for humans to begin with, I just don't see what the fuss is. You either like it or you don't, and one opinion is as good as another's.We are not dealing with facts here.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 08:36 AM

Ah, Kendall, the 'fuss' is that advertising and commercial profiteering have foisted some abominable stuff off as beer & ale. It is often the case that folks will get 'used' to the mass-market stuff without realizing what it SHOULD be. Sometimes it is hard (in certain areas) to even find a decent selection to make comparisons.

It is a bit like eating plain white bread (Wonder bread is classic example in USA) and then discovering all the myriad types of preservative free whole-grain treats that can be found with a bit of trouble. Naturally, if price is important and the selection is limited, compromises must be made, but first, you have to KNOW what is available, and these discussions spread the word.

    For those who do care and enjoy the search for 'better', these discussions can help....

If you are happy with Heineken's and Fosters...fine....but you probably prefer them to Budweiser or Iron City- and for good reason. There are similar reasons to look even beyond Heineken..etc....but as you say, it IS a matter of taste...if you don't HAVE any taste, it doesn't matter....*big grin as I dodge behind the door*

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: kendall
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 09:01 AM

Well, I guess I don't have to bother saying that I don't have any taste when it comes to beer.

Now, when it comes to Whiskey, that's another story.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 09:35 AM

Well, some people don't care what goes into their beer and that's fair enough. But that's no reason to criticise others who do take an interest in it, IMO. I'm biased though, because I happen to find ale an interesting subject - although I'd still rather drink it than talk about it... cheers!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 11:08 AM

I agree with Kendall that often there is a snobbery. It is one thing to talk about the style among afficionados, but you can often find an inbred snobbery there. The whole idea of "ale" versus "lager" is an example of that.   Those who denigrate "lager" have a limited education and exposure to the style. They were indoctrinated to believe that "real ale" is the only way to go. in reality, they fall victim to the same sort of media campaign that makes Bud the #1 selling beer across the planet.

You like what you like.   If you are a home brewer you might have interest in the ingredients and the preparation, but if you are simply a consumer it doesn't matter.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 11:45 AM

Well, I agree with what you sat Ron, but the title of the thread is a little misleading, because lager can be 'real ale' too. Most of the beer sold as lager in the UK is not 'real' (in the 'real ale' sense), but some is. And of course there are many examples of what could be called 'real' lager in Germany, Belgium, etc., and in the US.

Real ale drinkers are not (IME) usually motivated by any kind of snobbery, but by the fact that they regard real ale as better quality than the fizzy keg stuff.

That's not to say there aren't some snobs around though, as there is with almost anything else (wine, certain types of food, music, etc., etc....)

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 11:57 AM

The one problem I have is that people on your side of the pond seem to equate beer with lager and not realize that ale is also beer.

To give it a food analogy, it is like saying "chicken". You can serve it broiled or fried, but it is still chicken. You may enjoy it prepared one way or the other and that is perfectly reasonable - but they are both methods of preparing the same bird. Beer is both ale and lager.

"Real" is also a misnomer. It is a style and a method of serving. The "ale" family has stouts, Imperial stouts, pale ale, India pale ale, cream ale, and many other varieties.

Everyone has a favorite. Depending on the time of day and what I might be having with my meal, I may have a different favorite. After mowing the lawn, I love a good lightly-hopped lager. On a cool spring night give me a nice hoppy bock. When the snow if falling, I'm partial to a good stout.

Now I am thirsty again.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:04 PM

The one problem I have is that people on your side of the pond seem to equate beer with lager and not realize that ale is also beer.

Hmmm, interesting that you should think that. I agree that "ale" and "beer" mean the same thing, basically. "Beer" is probably used here in a more generic way than "ale" though - people might call a lager a beer but I don't think they would usually call it an ale

Most people over here think "lager" is a particular type of beer, a pale ("blonde") coloured beer, usually served chilled, and refreshing in hot weather.

People tend to use the term "ale" for bitters, winter beers, stouts, milds, porters, etc.

These terms are not strictly definitions, but I was just trying to explain how they are generally used here.

Hey, I'm thirsty too, now - must be catching! :-)

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:23 PM

I find it very interesting that you would not call an ale a beer!   To me that is like someone saying that Pinot Noir is not a wine!

For beer, the basic difference is the type of yeast that is used and the temperature it is brewed. Of course the taste will be different, but there is no other difference in the product. Except for varieties, you are not adding anything different to a lager or an ale. (Yes, you can add things to either.)

Lagers actually require more care and time to produce, which may be a reason why ale became so popular. Lagers are also less forgiving of mistakes in the brewing process and do not mask the problems as many ales do.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 04:11 PM

Nomenclature needs to reflect more than ambiguous local usage. Ale IS beer...a particular type of beer. It is fine to call Porter or Stout beer, as, like Ale, they are subdivisions....but to call one subdivision by the name of another just invites confusion.

I have no doubt that those who organized CAMRA fully intended to promote 'traditional' Porter & Stout also, but the acronym would not have been so tidy. CAMRABP?CAMPRAB?

Speaking of ales, I have a STRONG Winter ale I have been saving for a day like this...snowed in!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 04:36 PM

I don't think you are understanding what I am trying to explain. It is not ambiguous local usage, unless your pubs only serve one type of beer.

Saying "I'll have an ale" would be like walking into a restaurant I'll have chicken. How would you like it cooked? From what I've heard, your pubs seem to only serve one or two brands, so you might not have much choice.   Here in the U.S. if you ask for an "ale", you would need to qualify it - do you want a bitter, a pale ale, a mild ale, an IPA, a stout, a porter, barley wine, etc.

Your CAMRA actually does promote ALL traditional styles of ale. CAMRA promoted traditional styles of beer and serving. Here in the U.S. we did not have such an organized campaign, but businessmen like Fritz Maytag kept alive such brews as Anchor Steam and help start a "microbrew" revolution.

You actually have more choices available to you in the United States than in any other country in the world. It is not just Bud and Coors. There are more diverse styles being brewed here than you could possibly imagine.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 09:43 PM

uhh..Who are you replying to, Ron? All *I* was saying...trying to agree with you and explicate even more... was that it is good to be accurate in what one calls stuff. I am in the US. Are we missing each other's point?

Anyway, I know about Maytag and Anchor Steam...etc...I even had a bottle of beer (Porter) from the New Albion brewery, usually considered to be the first real micro-brewery to start up after WWII.
When I lived in Kansas, prior to 1977, good beer was 'mostly' imported, and almost NEVER got to Kansas. In the mid-70s though, it began to change, and now, as you say Ron, we have amazing choices!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 10:20 PM

Sorry Bill, maybe I did miss your point. You confused me when you said "it is fine to call Porter or Stout beer, as, like Ale, they are subdivisions". You then made a statment about CAMRA which seemed to suggest the same.   Ale is not exactly a subdivision - porter and stout would be a subdivision of Ale.   I guess an another analogy would be cheese. Cheddar and Swiss are types of cheese, but there are different varieties of cheddar and Swiss as well.

It does get complicated and confusing!

Bill, if you are ever in the NJ area I will take you to Andy's Corner Bar in Leonia, a world famous beer bar that knows how to serve a good pint! First five rounds are on me!!

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: GUEST,Purple Sandpiper
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 05:56 AM

"Why do people who drink real ale walk (or stagger) around thinking they are superior to people who drink lager?

I'm posting this on a folk forum because there seems to be a huge % of real alers in that community."

Maybe Jeff Beck had the idea of starting this thread having seen the Wychwood Brewery 'Lager Boy' advert (bottom right hand side of webpage)???

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: kendall
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 07:59 AM

Last summer I had a discussion with a guy at a festival about Scotch. Somehow, I managed to piss him off, and he exclaimed "I'm an expert on Scotch." However, when I told him that I preferred Speyside to Islay he didn't know the difference, so he got shitty and said "So, you're the expert just because you've been there"!
When someone sticks his neck out it's hard to not step on it.

Now, I'm not saying I know a hell of a lot about whiskey;anymore than I know about beer. I know what I like and it's nothing more than my own opinion.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:25 AM

Well put Kendall! It is all about taste. Too many people respond to what they are told is good and cannot tell the difference.

Many people do feel that they are experts but it seems that they only react to ads. The Wychwood Brewery advert that Purple Sandpiper put up is a good example. I am sure the brewers at Wychwood realize that lager is complex and is not a tasteless brew, but they are serving a market that has been trained to believe that "ale" is superior. So, they come up with a clever campaign that works. The trained seals that are their consumers jump on it. Well done!

In actuality, many ales have less alchol content than lager and the flavors are not as complex as those in a well crafted lager. Many brewers cannot replicate lagers with any consistency so they stick to the easier brewed ales. As a homebrewer, I know that I cannot make a decent lager due to the lack of space for proper lagering. Ales can be easily made and it is why most home brewers stick to that style. You can make some very good beers by sticking to the ale family.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:39 AM

I find it very interesting that you would not call an ale a beer!   To me that is like someone saying that Pinot Noir is not a wine!

Er... sorry, but I didn't say that at all. I said:

Hmmm, interesting that you should think that. I agree that "ale" and "beer" mean the same thing, basically. "Beer" is probably used here in a more generic way than "ale" though - people might call a lager a beer but I don't think they would usually call it an ale

Most people over here think "lager" is a particular type of beer, a pale ("blonde") coloured beer, usually served chilled, and refreshing in hot weather.

People tend to use the term "ale" for bitters, winter beers, stouts, milds, porters, etc.

These terms are not strictly definitions, but I was just trying to explain how they are generally used here.

So, on the basis of what I said above, you could call an ale a beer, but you might not call any beer an ale. The term 'beer' is generic, as I said, and could conceiveably be used for any type of beer including lager, stout, porter, mild, bitter, or any other kind of ale.

Over here in the UK, I've never heard people use the term 'ale' when referring to lager, for example, so 'ale' is slightly less generic a term than 'beer', as far as modern day usage is concerned in the UK.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:43 AM

"So, on the basis of what I said above, you could call an ale a beer, but you might not call any beer an ale. The term 'beer' is generic, as I said, and could conceiveably be used for any type of beer including lager, stout, porter, mild, bitter, or any other kind of ale."

You COULD call any ale OR lager a beer, but you might not call any beer an ale or a lager.

Beer, ale and lager are all generic terms - ale and lager are types of beer and there are many types of ales and lagers.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:45 AM

Saying "I'll have an ale" would be like walking into a restaurant I'll have chicken. How would you like it cooked? From what I've heard, your pubs seem to only serve one or two brands, so you might not have much choice.   Here in the U.S. if you ask for an "ale", you would need to qualify it - do you want a bitter, a pale ale, a mild ale, an IPA, a stout, a porter, barley wine, etc.

I've never known anyone here in the UK walk into a pub and order "an ale" - as you say, that would be pretty pointless.

It would be the same as you describe for the US - you would have to be more specific and say "a pint of bitter" or whatever. Some pubs may only stock one type of bitter so that would work. But if the pub stocks more than one bitter, you'd have to be more specific and say for example "a pint of Adnams bitter" or "a pint of Wherry" or whatever.

I think we're saying the same thing here?

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:50 AM

Lagers actually require more care and time to produce, which may be a reason why ale became so popular. Lagers are also less forgiving of mistakes in the brewing process and do not mask the problems as many ales do.

True lager requires more time, yes. I understand the term 'lager' comes from the German word for 'to store', implying it's beer that's been stored for longer before being served.

But the stuff sold here in the UK as 'lager' is just cheap keg beer, artificially carbonated and made quickly from cheap ingredients and sold at premium prices. Many of the so-called 'lagers' here are inferior in quality to the equivalent strength bitters, but cost more, because they tend to be more heavily advertised.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Scrump
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:52 AM

You COULD call any ale OR lager a beer, but you might not call any beer an ale or a lager.

Beer, ale and lager are all generic terms - ale and lager are types of beer and there are many types of ales and lagers.

Agreed, Ron - we are saying the same thing :-)

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:54 AM

We MIGHT be saying the same think.   

Am I correct to assume that your pubs bascially have one "brand" of beer available? If I walk into a pub and ask for a pint I would be given whatever ale is available? In that case, the type of ale would be dependent on the brewer.

Bars in the U.S. usually have multiple taps, as well as bottles, available. If you walk into a U.S. bar and ask for a beer the bartender will ask "what kind?" Check out this website - andy's corner bar

This place is a local treasure.   It started out decades ago as a corner bar - formica tops, locals, standard commerical beers.   A number of years ago the owner decided to try a few "different" brands. The idea took off and now the bar is a mecca for good beer sampling. Tiny place, but great beer with knowledgeable personnel that knows how to serve.

While Andy's has more than the normal amount of beers available, most U.S. bars will have several choices available.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:55 AM

"But the stuff sold here in the UK as 'lager' is just cheap keg beer, artificially carbonated and made quickly from cheap ingredients and sold at premium prices."

Then the U.K. is getting screwed.   

That would be like serving Velvetta and saying that is what cheese is supposed to taste like.

Subject: RE: Real Ale v Lager
From: Captain Ginger
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 09:57 AM

Most pubs have several brands. Clubs often have a narrower selection - one keg beer and one lager - but pubs generally have at least three lagers and two bitters.