What is the difference between ale and lager yeast?

Answer 1

Ale yeast is a top fermenting yeast that performs best in a 58* to 78* F range.
Lager yeast is a bottom fermenting yeast that performs best in a 33* to 50* range.
Always check the manufactures recommend fermentation temperature.
There are some special strains of yeast of each that can handle temperatures outside of this range.