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Why Lager?
I'd disagree Danno, there are light lagers and light ales, both taste very different, and are different styles. The problem is in the assumption that a lager is light and a ale is heavy. I think a lot of that comes from the way lager yeasts tend to create more of a crisp clean character vs most ale yeasts.
Lager beer is definitely a style, with different brewing techniques, and fermentation methods.
danno, I have to agree with cmanley on this one as well. Lager is definetely a style in and itself. While all beer contains water, malt, hops, and yeast, there are definite differences in how they are fermented, not just the type of yeast that are used. I can't think of a single publication I have read that fails to classify beer as either a lager or an ale.
Also, there are often different types of malts used in brewing lagers or ales. For example, while pilsen malt can be used in ales, it is most commonly used to brew lagers.
You can also vary the flavor of beer by using more than just different malts/grains and different hops or a different type of yeast. Spices, fruits, and honey are just a fewexamples of several other ingredients that can be added to change the flavor.
fermentation method does not make a style. I'll debate this until webby kicks us off. 
if your point that all lagers are "a style", are you saying that light lager = bohemian pilsner = schwartzbier = bock = eisbock? I'd hardly say that is the case. just as ale isn't a style, because IPA doesn't equal CAP, which doesn't equal stout, doesn't equal Belgian Golden Strong, etc...
cmanley, you basically made my point for me by saying "The problem is in the assumption that a lager is light and a ale is heavy". when I said that it was simply an indication of the type of yeast used, that was supposed to imply that the decision had consequences, just as hop choice, grain choice and water choice all influence how the resulting beer will taste. (and norcal, I didn't mean to leave out all the other fun stuff that makes beer interesting. if you need an example, I currently have on tap a hefeweizen that has dried hibiscus flowers in it. it's bright pink, tart, and wonderful...)
maybe i'm over-reacting to your criticisms, but I'm trying to stress the point to everyone, especially newer brewers (and beer drinkers) that lager doesn't just mean Bud or Miller...
danno wrote:
maybe i'm over-reacting to your criticisms, but I'm trying to stress the point to everyone, especially newer brewers (and beer drinkers) that lager doesn't just mean Bud or Miller...
All other discussion aside that is a very good thing to get across.
cmanley, you basically made my point for me by saying "The problem is in the assumption that a lager is light and a ale is heavy"
I think that was what your original point was meant to say, that people are confusing lager with light and ale with heavy, but saying that ale and lager are not two different styles is incorrect. A lager "style" bber has characteristics that in general cannot be obtained with ale yeast. Yes, you can bend the rules a bit, but try to brew a pilsener with an ale yeast and you won't have a final product that meets the definition of a pilsener, the same would go for the other examples you rattled off, and no light lager doesn't=bock=eisbock, etc. Those are each a style of there own, largely defined by the use of a lager yeast and most have a corresponding ale that when made with similar ingredients but ale yeast and process are defined as a new style. For example take; a beer with 90% light base malt, 5% crystal, and 5% cara, and hop it at 30-40 IBU. Brew it with 1056 at 68F and you get an american pale, use american lager yeast at 50F, and you get amber lager, two different styles the defining factor is the yeast and fermentation process.
I agree with you 100% that lagers have a perception of being light (BMC) and ales are what you look for when you think craft or micro brew. New brewers typically aren't making lagers because of the added equipment and techniques, and many do have an incorrect perception of what a lager is. I think we have the same point here, just different ways of getting at it.
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