Yes, and kinda mostly yes. In some circles, even among brewers and even in some brewing literature I’ve encountered, the ale/lager distinction uses the terms a

Yes, and kinda mostly yes. In some circles, even among brewers and even in some brewing literature I’ve encountered, the ale/lager distinction uses the terms ale/beer (where “beer” is the term specifically for lager). And the introduction of hops may not have necessarily made this specific terminology distinction, but it did contrast what we now commonly call beer from earlier (gruit) ales which were brewed with any number of different herbs. Hops, like those other herbs, were added for their preservative qualities. But hops are now generally considered an essential ingredient in beer, ale or lager, and most people would find unhopped beer brewed with other herbs rather odd (at the very least).