To be even slightly more technical, ale yeasts are generally referred to as top fermenting yeasts. They ferment at warmer temperatures usually around 68/70 F and have a lot of "froth" to them and hence rise to the top when undergoing fermentation. Lagers are known as bottom fermenting yeasts. They ferment at much lower temperatures, in the low 50s F and are slower to ferment which keeps them to the bottom and yields a different characteristic to the beer.
A steam beer is generally a lager strain of yeast brewed made to brew at ale temperatures. If you really want to get into your knowledge of Saccharomyces then Belgium is definitely the place to go. They do amazing things with yeast there. The various ales produced by the Abbey's there cultivate their own wild yeasts in their own caves and have basically farmed their own little ecosystem for hundreds of years producing very characteristic strains that don't exist anywhere else. Then you get some of the very odd one like the sour wild ales from Flanders. Weird stuff. Ale yeast and Lager yeast used to be considered two different species but I've read that that view has been revised. I don't know enough about it to understand that bit though, so if you want to know more you'll have to do some research. Cheers, Judah On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 3:45 PM, Gruss Gott<[email protected]> wrote: > >> Judah wrote: >> on using their "steam" yeast loses it for me. A "steam" beer (for >> those playing at home) is a hybrid between a lager yeast and an ale >> yeast. It ferments at an in between temperature and has something in >> between the characteristics of a lager and an ale. All told, well, I >> find it middling. >> > > Holy shit dude. You just taught me more about beer than I knew existed. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Want to reach the ColdFusion community with something they want? Let them know on the House of Fusion mailing lists Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:302995 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
