The difference between a lager and an ale

"So, what ales do you have on draft?"

The first time this question was posed to me, I blubbered like an idiot; I had just started bartending and I didn't even know what an ale was. Well, I knew it was a type of beer, but what makes a beer an ale or a lager...that I did not know. I looked it up, and now I know. And you can too! A quick excerpt:

Ales include everything with ale in the name (pale ale, amber ale, etc.), porters, stouts, Belgian specialty beers, wheat beers and many German specialty beers. They generally have a more robust taste, are more complex and are best consumed cool (50F or a bit warmer) rather than cold.

Lagers include pilseners, bocks and dopplebocks, Maerzens/Oktoberfests, Dortmunders and a few other styles found mostly in Germany. They are best consumed at a cooler temperature than lagers, although anything served at less than 38F will lose most of its flavor.