Ale versus lager is a yeast-and-temperature distinction. It is not color, not strength, and not a tasting note from this site. Temperature ranges below are cited from the BJCP study guide and the American Homebrewers Association. Named Orlando beers are what those hosts publish, not tonight’s board.

On a tap list, “lager” and “ale” are not flavors. They name which yeast family fermented the beer, and roughly how cold that fermentation ran. Style words (pilsner, IPA, stout) sit on top of that. For how to read name / style / ABV, see How to read a tap list.

Two yeasts

The Beer Judge Certification Program’s Yeast and Fermentation study page states the split in brewing terms: ale yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae; lager yeast is Saccharomyces pastorianus (older names include S. carlsbergensis and S. uvarum). The American Homebrewers Association’s ale vs lager explainer uses the same species names and notes that ale strains are often called top-fermenting and lager strains bottom-fermenting.

The AHA page is also the check against a common error: both ales and lagers can be dark or light, strong or sessionable, hoppy or malty. Color does not tell you the yeast.

Temperature, not folklore

BJCP’s yeast page gives working ranges for beer fermentation:

  • Ale yeast: typically 55 to 75 °F (13 to 24 °C).
  • Lager yeast: typically 46 to 56 °F (8 to 13 °C).
  • Exception named there: California Common lager yeast, 58 to 68 °F (14 to 20 °C).

The AHA page uses nearby ranges (ales about 60 to 78 °F; lagers about 48 to 58 °F) and adds the extra lager step: cold conditioning, often two to three weeks near 32 °F (0 °C). That cold-conditioning step is lagering. It is not the same thing as serving a beer cold on a patio.

The BJCP Style Guidelines are the public catalog of styles built on those yeast families. A German Pils is a lager style; an American IPA is an ale style. A board that only says “IPA” or “pilsner” is using the style word, not reprinting BJCP.

What this does not claim

This site does not publish original tasting notes. BJCP and the AHA describe fermentation by-products (esters, phenols, sulfur) as a function of yeast and temperature. Those are their pages. A taproom chalkboard is not a sensory exam, and this guide will not invent banana, clove, or “crisp” as our own copy.

Florida heat is climate, not a ranking

Central Florida afternoons are hot. Alcohol by volume is still just the number on the board. A lower printed ABV is less alcohol in the glass; that is arithmetic. It is not an argument that lagers are “better in the heat” or that ales are not. Both families include lower-ABV beers and higher-ABV beers.

Hosts already on the brewery list publish examples of both families. They are format citations, not a patio prescription:

  • Deviant Wolfe names Iron Bend as a light American lager at 4.5% ABV, and Nefarious Nebulas as a hefeweizen (an ale style) at 5.5% ABV.
  • Ten10’s brews page lists Subtropic Saint as a Kölsch at 4.8% ABV and First Flight as an IPA at 5.5% ABV. Kölsch is an ale fermented cooler than many ales; the AHA page flags Kölsch as a gray area. Ten10 also lists a Helles Lager at 5.5% ABV on that same page.
  • Ivanhoe Park Brewing names a Golden Pilsner and an American IPA on its homepage. One lager-family word, one ale-family word. Without printing ABV there.

Hourglass states it always has over 40 beers on tap. That list will include whatever they are fermenting this week. Use their site or the Longwood / District boards; do not read this paragraph as inventory.

How to use it on a board

If the style column says pilsner, helles, bock, or “lager,” you are usually looking at lager yeast and a colder fermentation. If it says IPA, pale ale, stout, porter, hefeweizen, or saison, you are usually looking at ale yeast and a warmer fermentation. If it says Kölsch, altbier, or California Common, you are in the overlap the AHA names. Then read the ABV. Then, if the board marks it, check house versus guest. See House beer vs guest taps. If you ferment a batch at home, the same yeast split applies in the bucket; a first kit is on Homebrew starter kit.

Updated 2026-08-31.

Sources

  1. BJCP. Yeast and Fermentation. ale vs lager yeast species and fermentation temperature ranges.
  2. BJCP Style Guidelines. 2021 beer style guidelines landing page.
  3. American Homebrewers Association. What’s the Difference Between Ale and Lager?. yeast species, temperature bands, lagering, and the Kölsch / California Common gray area.
  4. Deviant Wolfe Brewing. Iron Bend (light American lager, 4.5% ABV) and Nefarious Nebulas (hefeweizen, 5.5% ABV) as published on the homepage.
  5. Ten10 Brewing Company. Brews. Subtropic Saint (Kölsch, 4.8%), First Flight (IPA, 5.5%), Helles Lager (5.5%), retrieved 2026-08-31.
  6. Ivanhoe Park Brewing. homepage names Golden Pilsner and American IPA.
  7. Hourglass Brewing. public site: always over 40 beers on tap.
  8. Orlando Tap Works. Breweries. cited rooms for this guide.