Beer Style Basics

Sixer Kegs · Beer Style Basics

Ales - There are two types of beer, ales and lagers. Ales are flavorful beers made with top fermenting yeast; these beers absorb some by-products of fermentation, causing a fruity or estery flavor.

Abbey - Belgian ale of monastic tradition; brewed by commercial breweries. See also Single, Dubbel, Tripel, and Quadrupel.

Altbier - classic lager with flavors of ale; predates popular lager production. Alts are light compared to traditional English ales. Some American ambers are Alt style. Düsseldorf Alt: SRM 11-19 IBU 25-48

Amber ale - Modern American style that has largely emerged since 1980. Crafted hop and malt characters with classic traits from pale or bitters. In amber ales, hops and malts mesh almost perfectly—both are evident, but neither dominates. Amber ales have a fuller body than pale ales. Pair it with spicy, garlicy pizza, grilled burgers, roast beef, chili, or stew. Ambers also pair with cheddar, smoked, or dry-aged cheeses. SRM 11-18 IBU 30-40

Amber lager - fully flavored American style; caramel malt flavors are typical, hopping levels vary. SRM 6-14 IBU 18-30 See also Vienna Lager.

American pale ale - more subtle than pale ale. SRM 6-14 IBU 28-40

Barleywine ale - extremely potent ales characterized by caramel malt flavors and bittering hops; some have wine-like flavor profiles, with a hint of sweetness. Vintage dated barleywines may improve with cellaring. SRM 11-22 IBU 40-100

Belgian - recipes dating to monasteries of the middle ages. Some Belgians are bottle conditioned, undergoing a final fermentation in the bottle. Ambers are fruity and moderately strong with a yeasty character; Blondes are lighter and more moderate. Goldens undergo multiple fermentations including bottle conditioning to give an alcoholic punch and fine champagne-like carbonation; cellar for six months to a year to gain roundness. Sharp, sour-toned Reds are aged for years in well-used large wooden tuns. Amber/Red: SRM 11-18 IBU 30-40; Blond/Golden: SRM 3-7 IBU 15-25

Berliner weisse - A rare type of sour–tart wheat beer that originated in Berlin. These beers are fermented with organisms that produce lactic acid, giving this low alcohol brew a refreshing tart lemon flavor.

Biere de garde - strong, bottle-conditioned Flemish to northern France specialty ale; ideal for cellaring and quenching summer thirst.

Black & tan - mix of stout and IPA; malt accent, light alcohol, low hop character.

Blonde ale -

Brown ale - Medium-bodied English style with a slightly sweet caramel–nutty character and gentle fruitiness. Flavor notes range from walnut to hazelnut, to caramel and toffee, and occassionally chocolate and maple. Fruity flavors include dark fruit (plum, black currant), dried fruit (date, prune); honey notes may also be present. English browns emphasize malts; Northern browns are reddish brown; Southern browns are darker and fruitier. Pair it with roquefort cheese, vinaigrette-topped salads, stir-fry cuisine, BBQ ribs, Indian curry, roasted chicken, smoked trout or salmon, or beef stew. For dessert, pair with caramel cake, cheesecake, or American apple pie. SRM 15-55 IBU 15-45

Bock, maibock - strong German style with a malty sweetness; brewed for consumption in the winter or spring. SRM 20-30 IBU 20-30

Cream ale - a hybrid style with crisp characteristics of a light pale lager and the aromatic complexities of an ale; heavily carbonated and hopped. SRM 4-15 IBU 18-25

Cream stout - see Milk Stout.

Dry stout - more bitter and higher alcohol than English sweet stout; an Irish style. SRM 40+ IBU 15-25

Dopplebock - extra strong, rich, and weighty; intense malty sweetness and a note of hop bitterness. Originally brewed and consumed by Paulaner monks as ‘liquid bread’ during lent. SRM 6-25 IBU 16-30

Dortmunder - strong, full German style; created during the industrial revolution when the population needed a hearty and sustaining brew.

Dubbel - Belgian ale of monastic tradition; brewed by commercial breweries. Dubbels are dark and alcoholic. Dubbel: SRM 14-18 IBU 18-25

Dunkel - dark German style; combines dark roasted malts for dryish chocolate or licorice notes with the round, crisp character of a lager. Dunkelweizen: SRM 10-19 IBU 10-15; Munich dunkel SRM 14-28 IBU 18-28

Dunkelweizen - dark wheat beer; some are bottle conditioned. SRM 10-19 IBU 10-15

Eisbok - made by chilling a Dopplebock until ice is formed, then removing the ice to create a brew with a higher alcohol and flavors. Ice lager: SRM 2-5 IBU 10-22

Farmhouse ale - see saison.

Flemish brown - complex dark beer influenced by: bicarbonate waters causing a frothy texture, yeast and malt mix, blending of aged beers, and bottle aging before release.

Fruit beers - lagers or ales with fruits added for flavor or color. SRM 5-50 IBU 5-70

ESB - extra special bitter - English style with fruity, light–medium body with hop aroma accent. American ESBs may have assertive character. SRM 8-14 IBU 30-55

Golden -

Hefeweizen - German origin. Hefs undergo secondary fermentation, often in the bottle. SRM 3-10 IBU 10-35

India pale ale (IPA) - A "hoppy" style of beer with assertive hop bitterness. Floral hop aroma, hop bitterness on the finish. Originally brewed in England for 19th-Century troops and colonizers to drink on long sea voyages to India. Pair it with bold, spicy foods such as Indian, Cajun, Thai, or Mexican; buffalo-style chicken wings or pepperoni pizza. Also pairs well with pesto, pork chops, beef, Stilton cheese or escargot. For dessert, pair with rich carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. SRM 6-14 IBU 35-65

Irish ale - reddish color; malt accents, slightly sweet palate, low hopping. SRM 11-18 IBU 20-28

Kölsch - from Cologne, Germany; the color of a pilsner with the fruity character of an ale. SRM 4-7 IBU 18-25

Kristall Weizen - filtered prior to bottling; cleaner, more delicate than Hef.

Herb-spiced beer - lagers or ales with herbs or spices added for flavor or color. SRM 5-50 IBU 5-70

Lagers - There are two types of beer: ales and lagers. Lagers are crisp beers made with bottom fermenting yeast; their low temperature fermentation reduces yeast by-products, creating a clean, refreshing beer.

Lambic - small-quanitity brewed using native wild yeasts in open-air fermentation, followed by extended aging in ancient oak barrels; vinous character with refreshing sourness and complexity. Lambics include Geueze, a mix of young and old beers creating a sharp, champagne-like beer; Faro, which includes sugar, caramel, or molasses; and Fruit flavors of kriek (cherry), framboise (raspberry), and others. SRM 6-25 IBU 11-23

Maibock - see Bock.

Mild ale - dark-colored English style; sweet malt flavors, subtle hopping.

Milk stout - A stout that contains lactose, a sugar derived from milk, for sweetness, body, and calories. SRM 40+ IBU 15-25

Münich helles - weightier than a standard Pale lager, but less substantial than Dortmunder export styles. The finest examples come from Münich.

Oatmeal stout - A sweet stout variation using a small amount of oats (instead of roasted malt) to enhance the body and mouthfeel; highly flavorful with a velvety texture and hint of sweetness. SRM 20+ IBU 20-40

Old ale -

Pale ale - An English style of beer born and popularized in the Industrial Age and reintroduced to America the 1980s. Full-bodied, assertive. American pale ales (APAs) are bold, crisp, malty, and hoppy. Hops are citrusy or floral. Pair with hard-aged cheddar, roast beef, prime rib, savory poultry or lamb dishes, and grilled steak or burgers. English pale: SRM 5-14 IBU 20-40; American pale: SRM 6-14 IBU 28-40

Pale lager - generic spin-off of the Pilsner style; varies in quality due to use of non-malt additives such as rice or corn. Personified from Miller to Heineken. Light Lager: SRM 1.5-4 IBU 5-15; Lager: SRM 2-4 IBU 5-14

Pilsner - A classic lager style that emerged from the Czech Republic in 1841. Medium to medium-full body; characterized by high carbonation and tangy Czech hops, giving floral aromas and a crisp, bitter finish. Popular pils include Coors, Budweiser, and Miller, which include corn or rice to produce a light body and delicate flavor for ultimate drinkability. Great Pils are technically difficult to make and relatively expensive to produce. Freshness is cricical to product quality in pilsners; the best pils is made close to where it is consumed. Pair it with mild cheese (gouda, havarti, muenster, provolone, white cheddar), grilled or broiled meats and vegetables, chicken or fish, or Mexican, Thai, or Chinese cuisine. SRM 3-6 IBU 20-40

Porter - roasted barley gives malty, smoky flavor; hops in craft-brewed porters can be more notable. Typically flavored with dark berry fruits or coffee. SRM 20-35 IBU 20-40

Quadrupel - Belgian ale of monastic tradition; brewed by commercial breweries. Quad is dark and the most alcoholic of the Abbey ales.

Rauchbier - Barley was originally dried over fires fueled by Bavarian beech trees; pungent malt imparts an assertive smoky aroma and flavor.

Red ale - see amber ale.

Russian imperial stout - An extra strong English style of stout; originally brewed to meet the needs of the Russian Imperial Court and to withstand export to Russia and the Baltic states. Burnt cocoa and dried fruit flavors are typical. SRM 20+ IBU 50-80

Saison - from the Belgian province of Hainuat. Secondary bottle fermentation creates lively carbonation; refreshing citrus and fruity hop notes.

Scottish - full-bodied and malty with a sweet caramel malt character created by incomplete fermentation. SRM 8-17 IBU 9-20; Strong: SRM 8-21 IBU 30-65

Schwarzbier - full-bodied German style black beer; classically feature a bitter chocolate or roasted malt note and a rounded character. Popular in Japan.

Singel - Belgian ale of monastic tradition; brewed by commercial breweries. Singel is light and tart, and has the lowest alcohol of the Abbey ales.

Stout - Light alcohol and dry flavor, with toast or coffee-like taste. Popularized in Ireland’s Guinness. Stout: SRM 40+ IBU 30-60; Irish Dry: SRM 40+ IBU 30-40

Strong ale - old ales, stock ales, or winter warmers; higher alcohol version of pale. Bottle-conditioned strong ales; some cellared attain Sherry-like notes. English/Scottish Strong: SRM 8-21 IBU 30-65

Trappist - strong, bottle-conditioned, complex, fully flavored beers; often improve with years of cellaring. There are just seven Trappist abbey breweries in the world (six in Belgium - Achel, Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, and Westvletern; one in Holland - Koningshoeven). Connoisseurs treat Trappist ales as the holy grail of beer. Westvletern is the only trappist brewery that does not export.

Tripel - Belgian ale of monastic tradition; brewed by commercial breweries. Trippel is light to blond with a syrupy, alcoholic mouthfeel. Trippel: SRM 3.5-7 IBU 20-25

Vienna lager, Fest Marzen, Oktoberfest - 19th Century Austrian style; malty toasted character and hint of sweetness. Marzen implies the bier was brewed in March and has been lagered for many months. SRM 8-12 IBU 22-28

Wheat ale - Inspired by German weizen (wheat) tradition; wheat ales were popular before Prohibition. American wheat ales are typically 2/3 wheat and 1/3 barley, have a stronger hopped accent, and are drier than German weizens. Wheat beers make a great base for fruit (cherry, raspberry, apricot) and are great summer-drinking beers. Classic German weizens have flavors of clove, nutmeg, nut, banana, and other fruit; American wheats typically lack the clove and spicy flavors of the German weizen yeast. Pair it with bratwurst, grilled, or smoked meat; BBQ ribs; grilled fish; roasted vegegatables; or marinated pork chops. The clove accents of German weizens go well with potato salad; American wheat ales go well with tangy, vinegar-based salad dressings. SRM 2-10 IBU 10-35

Weizen - see Wheat beer.

Weizen bock - Bavarian style winter wheat beer; high alcoholic strength, combining the character of Hefs and Dopplebocks.

Witbier - Belgian style, with unmalted wheat in the mash; flavored with Curacao orange peel and coriander. White beer has some sedimentation. SRM 2-4 IBU 10-17

Winter ale - spiced sipping beers; ward off a winter’s chill.