Craft Beer Sampler Tray with different beer styles

Have you ever been to a Brewery or Taphouse and stood in front of the menu board in wonderment or confusion on what you would like to taste? “I’ll have a …… no wait what does ______ taste like”. With a little understanding of the different beer types and styles we can help ourselves overcome that.

Wait a minute, I am confused already, aren’t types and styles the same thing? In this writing we will refer to the type of beer by the process in which it is made and the style as the variations within that type. The idea is to keep it simple right? The purpose being that we can then enjoy the beers that we like and then start to “Journey” further into similar beer styles.

Let’s start with beer types. In today’s ever growing craft beer market beer can become confusing when looking at the big menu board. To keep it simple there are basically 2 types of beers – Ales and Lagers.

Types of Beer

The 2 types of beer are separated by the way that they are made, specifically in the fermentation phase of brewing.

Ales are fermented at a higher temperature using a top fermenting yeast. The combination of the warmer temperature fermenting and the ale yeasts produce beers that can have more sweet and fruity flavors.

Lagers are fermented at colder temperatures using a bottom fermenting yeast. This process takes much longer to complete a beer but leads to a clear crisp beer.

Wait..Wait.. you are forgetting the Stouts and Porters and Wheat Beers.

No, I did not forget. These will fall under the different styles of beer. Remember the type just designates the process in which it is made not the complete profile of the beer.

Styles of Beer

Now let’s break down the different styles that fall under each type of beer. Many of us would never classify a stout of porter as an ale assimilating ales as lighter in color. Think of it the different styles of bread. White, Rye and Pumpernickel bread are all made with grains, but it is the different grains used that make them different in appearance and taste – same with beer.

Starting with the ales, we have the following that fall into that category (I have not listed everything that has come into the craft beer world today but just enough to give the big picture to help you on your Journey.)

Common Ale Styles

English Ales – typically sweet and malty with less bitterness. These can range in color from pale to darker beers.

  • Pale ales -malt forward ales with good mild bitterness (not on a scale of today’s bitter IPA flavor)
  • Brown ales – malt forward beer with nutty flavors
  • Porters – porters came before stouts. Generally, not as heavy or rich as stouts but carry many of the flavors.
  • Stouts – extra roasty flavor and darker in color than a porter, less bitter than porter.
  • English IPA – hoppier ale with English hops

Scottish and Irish Ales – Reddish beers that can be rich in flavor, caramelized in flavor.

  • Scottish Ale – Camael flavor from the brewing process
  • Irish Red – malty flavor but still crisp and smooth

American Ales – these beers cab be more highly hopped for flavor and aroma. In color they can range from very pale to black. Original old-world ales that have adapted an American flavor with the hop additions.

  • Pale Ale – generally a more hoppier version of English Pale Ale
  • Amber Ale
  • Brown Ale- malt forward beer with nutty flavors
  • American IPA – All about the hops and different hop variations
  • Black IPA – not a stout IPA but, similar to a “Schwarzbier. Black and dry but not dominated by the roasted malt as with a Stout
  • American Wheat – made with American ale yeast which does not give it the same clove flavors as a German Whete or Hefeweizen

Belgian Ales – unique brand of ales that are generally more fruity in flavor. This is also where the trend of Sour beer began with the fermentation with wild yeasts.

  • Belgian Ale – golden color, sweet malt, light earthy and spice.
  • Dubbel -Rich and well balanced, darker in color, hints of raisins or dark fruit
  • Tripple – Golden yellow spicy, fruity and subtle sweetness
  • Lambics – Sour beers
  • Saison – floral, fruity in aroma, dry beer with citrus and pepper
  • Witbeir – ultra creamy mouthfeel and hazy- orange and coriander

German Ales – often brewed with extra grains like wheat or rye give these ales a creamy texture and frothy head of foam.

  • Hefeweizen – Hazy golden beer with a smooth mouth feel, hints of banana and cloves.
  • Berliner Weisse – fruitier and not as heavy as a Hefeweizen. Can be more on the sour side
  • Gose – Sour and citrusy
  • Kolsch – soft pale ale – very clear beer

Common Lager Styles

Pilsner – brewed with pilsner malts, generally very pale beer with a soft, crisp taste.

  • Bohemian Pilsner
  • Czech Pilsner
  • German Pilsner

Oktoberfest/Marzen – more malts than a pilsner and have a sweet, caramelized flavor with very little hop aroma. darker in color than a Pilsner.\

Bocks – stronger side of lagers with bolder flavors. generally sweeter.

  • Maibock – a paler, more hopped version of Bock
  • Bock – dark amber in color with robust malt flavors and very light hoppiness.
  • Doppelbock – stronger version of traditional bock – higher in alcohol and sweet
  • Eisbock – made by partially freezing a doppelbock to remove the ice/water for a more concentrated flavor

Mike