Lager and draught are words that are associated with beer, the most popular and highly consumed alcoholic beverage around the world. While lager is a type of beer, the other being ale, draught beer is not a type of beer as many people think. There are people who think that draught beer is a special type of beer which is incorrect. This article takes a closer look at the two terms in a bid to remove all confusion from the minds of beer lovers across the globe.
Lager
All beers produced around the world can be basically classified into two main types, the lager and the ale. Lager refers to beers that are bottom fermented with yeast settling at the bottom rather than floating at the top as is the case with ales. Lager is also the beer that requires cold temperatures for fermentation and takes months before it is ready to be consumed. It is this period when it is stored that it becomes a lager beer. Lagern is a German word that refers to the act of being stored. Most lager beer is pale or golden in color though there are lager beers available that are dark in color. Of all the beer produced around the world, more than 90% is a lager beer.
Draught Beer
Draught is a word that is used to refer to beer that is kept and stored in large containers called casks having a capacity of 5 gallons or more. There is another word draft that is used to designate this beer that reflects the historical fact of pulling a hand pump to dispense ale beer from large casks in ancient times. As draft beer is a product that cannot be kept at home and can be enjoyed only in places where it is kept and served, people have to go out to drink draft beer. However, some manufacturers market their bottled beer as draft beer as they cold filter the beer rather than pasteurizing it at high temperatures before packaging. This is done to lure customers into thinking that the beer they are drinking is coming straight out of a keg.
What is the difference between Lager and Draught?
• Draft beer foams much more than lager beer.
• Draft beer can be lager beer or ale beer as it is not a type of beer but rather beer that is stored and served from large kegs and casks.
• Draft beer can be enjoyed only in pubs and other places where it is served and not at home, whereas lager beer is available in cans and bottles and can be enjoyed anywhere.
• Draft beer is more flavorful than lager beer.
• Draft beer is less expensive than lager beer.
• Draft beer is not pasteurized, whereas lager beer is pasteurized before it is bottled.
• Draft beer has to be kept at low temperatures all the time as it has not been pasteurized.