Cockney On Line Beer Up until Henry VIII, the monastries were responsible for large scale brewing. Beer was also produced in copious amounts in the kitchens of private homes, where the fireplace provided warmth and comfort away from the cold and draughts. Ales are the oldest category of malt beverages. Like red wines, they are fermented at warmer temperatures, extracting full flavour from the malt.
Ales range in colour from golden to black.
Lager is a lighter, more refreshing drink than beer which has a fuller body and is available is in a variety of flavours. Lager is yellowish in colour. A number of differences exist between the manufacture of lager and beer. Lager fermentation, like wine, takes place at cooler temperatures than beer, usually between 41 and 48 degrees fahrenheit and storage can be less than 32 degrees fahrenheit. Some of the biggest commercial brewers originated from London and Essex in the 1700s, namely Whitbread, Charrington, Courage, Truman and Ind. These brewers quickly became wealthy and powerful due to the development of a beer called Porter that needed large vats.