These are smooth mellow fresh tasting beers with subtle flavours. Lager yeasts work best at lower temperatures than ale yeasts (less than 20C & typically 8C to 12C). The beer takes longer to ferment. And because it was more stable than ales before the days of modern sanitation, it was allowed to mature for weeks or months before consumption. This was done in cold cellars and it allowed the beer to develop improved flavour. The name "lager" comes from the German word that means "to store".