Beer, one of the world’s oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverages, comes in a vast variety of styles and flavours. Understanding the different types of beer can be a daunting task, but once you get the basics, it’s easier to navigate the world of craft beers and international brews.
What Are the Main Types of Beer?
Beer is typically divided into two main categories: Ales and Lagers. All beers fall into one of two broad categories: Ales and Lagers. This classification depends on the type of yeast used during fermentation and the temperature at which the beer is fermented
Ale vs. Lager: The Two Main Categories
Ales (Top fermenting)
- Fermentation Process: Ales are brewed using top-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) at warmer temperatures (60–72°F or 15–22°C). The yeast rises to the top during fermentation, and the process occurs relatively quickly, usually in a few days. Warmer temperatures promote the development of esters and phenols, which create fruity and spicy flavors.
- Flavor Profile: Ales are known for their complex, bold flavours. They often have fruity, spicy, and malty characteristics, with a wide range of tastes, from bitter to sweet. Common ale styles include Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, and Porter.
Lagers (Bottom fermenting)
- Fermentation Process: Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces pastorianus) at cooler temperatures (45–55°F or 7–13°C). The yeast settles at the bottom of the fermentation vessel, and the process takes longer, sometimes weeks or months. The cooler fermentation temperature results in a cleaner, crisper beer, with fewer esters and phenols.
- Flavor Profile: Lagers are generally smooth, crisp, and refreshing. They focus on subtle malt and hop balances, producing a cleaner taste. Popular lager styles include Pilsner, Helles, Bock, and Vienna Lager.
In addition to ales and lagers, there are hybrid styles like Kölsch and Altbier, which combine characteristics of both categories. Speciality beers,s such as Sour Beers and Wheat Beer,s also provide distinct flavours for more adventurous drinkers.
In this guide, we will delve into the main types of beer ales and lagers, their various beer styles, and others like Hybrid styles, speciality beer styles and sour beer style:
10 Styles of Lager of Beer
Lagers are known for their clean, crisp flavours, making them one of the most widely enjoyed beer types. Here’s a detailed guide to 10 larger styles of beer with essential details like colour, taste, alcohol content, and popular examples.
1. Pilsner
Pilsner is a popular type of beer, specifically a pale lager, known for its crisp, refreshing taste, light golden colour, and balanced hop bitterness.
Originating in the Czech Republic, it offers a clean, smooth finish and is often light-bodied with subtle floral or spicy hop notes.
As a widely recognised style of beer, Pilsners come in variations like Czech and German Pilsner, each offering slight differences in flavour intensity.
- Colour: Pale straw to golden
- Taste: Crisp, floral, and herbal hop bitterness balanced by mild malt sweetness
- Alcohol: 4% to 5.5% ABV
- Examples: Pilsner Urquell, Heineken, Stella Artois
2. American Lager
American Lager is a light-bodied style of beer known for its clean, crisp taste and mild flavor. Typically pale and golden, it has a low to moderate hop bitterness and a smooth, refreshing finish.
This style emphasises drinkability, making it popular for casual consumption. American Lagers are often characterised by their light malt sweetness and subtle carbonation, offering a balanced, easy-drinking experience.
- Colour: Pale straw to light gold
- Taste: Light-bodied with mild malt sweetness, low bitterness, and high carbonation
- Alcohol: 4% to 5% ABV
- Examples: Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller Lite
3. Vienna Lager
Vienna Lager is a medium-bodied style of beer with a rich amber colour and smooth, malty flavour. It features a subtle sweetness balanced by a mild hop bitterness, creating a clean, crisp finish.
This lager is known for its toasty malt character and moderate alcohol content, making it both flavorful and easy to drink.
- Colour: Amber to reddish-brown
- Taste: Toasty, malty sweetness with caramel notes and mild hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 5.5% ABV
- Examples: Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Dos Equis Amber
4. Dunkel
Vienna Lager is a medium-bodied style of beer with a rich amber colour and smooth, malty flavor. It features a subtle sweetness balanced by a mild hop bitterness, creating a clean, crisp finish.
This lager is known for its toasty malt character and moderate alcohol content, making it both flavorful and easy to drink.
- Colour: Dark brown
- Taste: Rich, malty flavours of caramel, chocolate, and toasted bread with low bitterness
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 6% ABV
- Examples: Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel, Hofbräu Dunkel
5. Bock
Bock is a strong, malty style of beer traditionally brewed in Germany. Dark amber to brown in color, Bock offers a rich, full-bodied taste with flavours of caramel, toffee, and dark fruits.
It has a smooth mouthfeel, moderate sweetness, and a slightly higher alcohol content, making it a robust yet balanced beer.
- Colour: Dark amber to brown
- Taste: Sweet, malty with caramel, toffee, and toasted flavours; minimal bitterness
- Alcohol: 6% to 7.5% ABV
- Examples: Shiner Bock, Einbecker Ur-Bock
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6. Helles
Helles is a pale, golden style of beer from Germany, known for its soft malt sweetness and mild hop bitterness.
Lighter and less hoppy than Pilsner, Helles is smooth, with a subtle malt character and a crisp, refreshing finish. It’s a versatile and highly drinkable beer with a clean, balanced flavour profile.
- Colour: Pale gold
- Taste: Malt-forward with a slightly sweet, bready flavour; low hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 5.5% ABV
- Examples: Weihenstephaner Helles, Spaten Premium Lager
7. Märzen (Oktoberfest)
Märzen, often associated with Oktoberfest, is a traditional German style of beer. It is amber to copper in colour with a malty, slightly sweet flavour.
Märzen is known for its toasted bread and caramel notes, balanced by a gentle hop bitterness. It has a smooth, medium body and is typically brewed for celebration during the Oktoberfest season.
- Colour: Amber to copper
- Taste: Malty sweetness with a smooth, toasted bread flavour; mild bitterness and a clean finish
- Alcohol: 5% to 6% ABV
- Examples: Paulaner Oktoberfest, Ayinger Märzen
8. Schwarzbier
Schwarzbier is a dark German style of beer with a deep black colour and a surprisingly light, smooth flavour. Despite its appearance, Schwarzbier is not heavy but offers subtle roasted malt flavours with hints of chocolate and coffee.
It has a clean, crisp finish with low hop bitterness, making it highly drinkable.
- Colour: Dark brown to black
- Taste: Smooth with roasted malt flavours, hints of chocolate, coffee, and caramel; light body and mild bitterness
- Alcohol: 4% to 5% ABV
- Examples: Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Einbecker Schwarzbier
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9. Baltic Porter
Baltic Porter is a strong, dark style of beer that originated in the Baltic region. It features a rich malt profile with flavours of chocolate, caramel, and dark fruits, often accompanied by a slight smokiness.
Baltic Porters have a smooth, full body with a higher alcohol content, offering a warming finish.
- Colour: Dark brown to black
- Taste: Rich malt sweetness with flavours of chocolate, dark fruits, and caramel; smooth, with low hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 6.5% to 9.5% ABV
- Examples: Baltika #6 Porter, Zywiec Porter
10. Dortmunder Export
Dortmunder Export is a pale, golden style of beer originating from Dortmund, Germany. It strikes a balance between malt sweetness and hop bitterness, offering a slightly stronger alcohol content than other pale lagers.
With a clean, smooth finish, Dortmunder Export is known for its well-rounded, medium-bodied character.
- Colour: Pale gold
- Taste: Balanced between malty sweetness and hop bitterness, with a slightly stronger flavour than Helles
- Alcohol: 5% to 6% ABV
- Examples: DAB Original, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold
For a deeper dive into beer types and their history, you can explore the comprehensive overview provided by Wikipedia on Beer
10 Styles of Ale of Beer
Ales are top-fermented beers, typically brewed at warmer temperatures, which gives them complex flavours and aromatic characteristics. Here’s a detailed guide to 10 popular ale styles of beer, covering essential details like colour, taste, alcohol content, and popular examples.
1. Pale Ale
Pale Ale is a medium-bodied style of beer known for its balanced malt and hop profile. Typically amber in colour, it features a toasty malt character complemented by a moderate bitterness from hops.
Pale Ales are versatile, offering a mix of fruity, floral, and sometimes citrusy notes, making them approachable for a wide range of beer enthusiasts.
- Colour: Golden to amber
- Taste: Balanced malt sweetness with moderate hop bitterness; often floral and fruity
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 6.5% ABV
- Examples: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Bass Pale Ale
2. India Pale Ale (IPA)
India Pale Ale (IPA) is a hop-forward style of beer that stands out for its bold bitterness and intense flavours. With vibrant citrus, pine, and floral aromas, IPAs can range from light to deep amber in color.
The high hop content delivers a strong, bitter finish, often balanced by a malt backbone. Modern variations include both West Coast and New England styles.
- Color: Pale gold to deep amber
- Taste: Bold hop bitterness with flavours of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit; some malt sweetness
- Alcohol: 5.5% to 7.5% ABV
- Examples: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Stone IPA
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3. Brown Ale
Brown Ale is a malty style of beer with a deep amber to brown color. It is known for its nutty, caramel, and toffee flavors, often with subtle chocolate or roasted malt undertones.
Brown Ales are typically smooth and lightly hopped, providing a mild bitterness that complements the rich malt sweetness.
- Color: Amber to dark brown
- Taste: Malty with flavors of caramel, chocolate, and nuts; mild hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 4% to 6% ABV
- Examples: Newcastle Brown Ale, Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale
4. Porter
Porter is a dark, robust style of beer with rich flavors of chocolate, caramel, and roasted malt. It has a smooth, medium body, often featuring subtle notes of coffee or toffee.
While darker than other ales, Porters are typically less bitter than stouts and offer a balanced, drinkable profile with a slightly dry finish.
- Color: Dark brown to black
- Taste: Roasted malt flavors with hints of coffee, chocolate, and caramel; medium-bodied with low to moderate bitterness
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 6.5% ABV
- Examples: Founders Porter, Fuller’s London Porter
5. Stout
Stout is a bold and hearty style of beer, recognised for its dark colour and rich, roasted flavours. Commonly featuring notes of coffee, chocolate, and dark malts, stouts can range from dry to sweet, with varying levels of bitterness.
They are known for their creamy mouthfeel and robust, full-bodied texture, making them perfect for savouring.
- Colour: Jet black
- Taste: Strong roasted malt flavours with notes of coffee, chocolate, and dark fruit; rich, full-bodied with moderate to low sweetness
- Alcohol: 4% to 8% ABV
- Examples: Guinness Draught, Left Hand Milk Stout
6. Belgian Dubbel
Belgian Dubbel is a strong, malty style of beer with a deep amber to brown colour. It features a rich, complex flavour profile with hints of dark fruits like raisins and figs, along with caramel and spices.
This style is typically medium-bodied with a slight sweetness, balanced by a dry, warming finish due to its higher alcohol content.
- Colour: Dark amber to brown
- Taste: Sweet malt flavours with notes of dark fruit, caramel, and spice; smooth with low hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 6% to 8% ABV
- Examples: Chimay Red, Westmalle Dubbel
7. Belgian Tripel
Belgian Tripel is a pale, golden style of beer known for its high alcohol content and complex, fruity flavours. It combines sweet malt notes with spicy, peppery yeast character and subtle hints of citrus or banana. Despite its strength, the Tripel remains light-bodied and effervescent, with a dry, slightly bitter finish.
- Colour: Pale gold to deep yellow
- Taste: Fruity and spicy with a slightly sweet malt profile; dry finish and moderate bitterness
- Alcohol: 7.5% to 10% ABV
- Examples: Chimay Tripel, Westmalle Tripel
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8. Hefeweizen
Hefeweizen is a traditional German wheat beer style of beer, distinguished by its cloudy appearance and light, refreshing taste.
It has a fruity and spicy flavour, often with banana and clove notes derived from the yeast. Hefeweizen is low in bitterness and has a soft, smooth mouthfeel, making it a popular summer beer.
- Colour: Pale straw to golden, often cloudy
- Taste: Fruity and spicy with notes of banana, clove, and wheat; refreshing and lightly sweet
- Alcohol: 4% to 5.5% ABV
- Examples: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Paulaner Hefe-Weißbier
9. Saison
Saison is a farmhouse ale style of beer that originated in Belgium. It is light-bodied, effervescent, and often features fruity, spicy, and earthy flavours.
Saisons are typically dry with a slightly tart finish, and their rustic character comes from the wild yeast strains used during fermentation. This style is known for its refreshing, complex taste.
- Colour: Pale gold to orange
- Taste: Dry, fruity, and spicy with a light tartness; effervescent and refreshing, with a slightly earthy quality
- Alcohol: 5% to 8% ABV
- Examples: Saison Dupont, Ommegang Hennepin
10. Barleywine
Barleywine is a strong, intense style of beer with a high alcohol content and bold, malty flavor. It often features rich caramel, toffee, and dark fruit notes, with a full-bodied sweetness balanced by significant hop bitterness.
Barleywines can be either American or English in style, with the former being hoppier and the latter more malt-forward.
- Colour: Amber to dark brown
- Taste: Intense malt sweetness with rich flavours of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit; high alcohol content and moderate hop bitterness
- Alcohol: 8% to 12% ABV
- Examples: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine, Fuller’s Vintage Ale
Sour Beer Styles
Sour beers are a diverse style of beer known for their tangy, tart flavours, which result from intentional wild yeast and bacteria fermentation.
This category includes several styles, such as Berliner Weisse, Gose, and Lambic, each offering unique sourness levels and flavour profiles. Sour beers can range from mildly acidic to intensely tart, often featuring fruity, spicy, and funky notes.
They are celebrated for their complexity and refreshing qualities, making them a distinct and intriguing choice for adventurous beer drinkers.
Let us see 5 popular Sour beer styles:
1. Berliner Weisse
Berliner Weisse is a light, tart style of beer originating from Berlin, Germany. Known for its low alcohol content and crisp, sour taste, it often features a refreshing, lemony acidity. Traditionally served with flavoured syrups like raspberry or woodruff to balance the tartness, Berliner Weisse is highly effervescent and perfect for warm weather.
- Colour: Pale straw, often cloudy
- Taste: Light, tart, and refreshing with a mild wheat flavour; often served with flavoured syrups (like raspberry or woodruff) for sweetness
- Alcohol: 3% to 4.5% ABV
- Examples: Berliner Kindl Weisse, 1809 Berliner Weisse
2. Gose
Gose is a sour and salty style of beer that originated in Germany. It has a unique flavour profile, combining tartness from lactic fermentation with a slight saltiness and a hint of coriander spice. Light-bodied and refreshing, Gose offers a distinct balance of sour, salty, and herbal notes, making it a one-of-a-kind drinking experience.
- Colour: Pale straw to light gold
- Taste: Tart, slightly salty with coriander and citrus notes; effervescent and refreshing, making it perfect for warm weather
- Alcohol: 4% to 5% ABV
- Examples: Westbrook Gose, Anderson Valley Gose
3. Lambic
Lambic is a wild, spontaneously fermented style of beer from Belgium. Brewed using wild yeasts and bacteria native to the region, Lambics have a sour, funky flavour often accompanied by notes of fruit and oak.
These beers can be enjoyed straight or blended into other variations like Gueuze or fruit-infused styles, offering a complex and unique drinking experience.
- Colour: Pale gold to amber
- Taste: Complex and wild, often sour from spontaneous fermentation; can be aged with fruits (like cherries or raspberries) for additional flavour
- Alcohol: 4% to 8% ABV
- Examples: Cantillon Kriek, Boon Oude Geuze
4. Flanders Red Ale
Flanders Red Ale is a sour, oak-aged style of beer from Belgium, known for its deep red-brown colour and complex tartness.
It has fruity flavours of cherries, plums, and sometimes balsamic vinegar, balanced by a vinous acidity. Aged in wooden barrels, Flanders Red Ale gains complexity from the combination of malts, sourness, and oak character.
- Colour: Dark amber to reddish-brown
- Taste: Tart and fruity with vinegar-like notes, often aged in oak barrels; offers a complex profile with sweetness from malt and hints of dark fruit
- Alcohol: 4.5% to 6.5% ABV
- Examples: Duchesse De Bourgogne, Rodenbach Grand Cru
5. American Wild Ale
American Wild Ale is a broad style of beer that utilises wild yeast strains, often resulting in funky, sour, or earthy flavours. This style is known for its unpredictability and complexity, as brewers experiment with different fermentation methods and ingredients.
Ranging from mildly tart to intensely sour, American Wild Ales often feature a mix of fruit, spice, and funky, barnyard-like aromas.
- Colour: Varies widely
- Taste: Funky and tart with complex flavours from wild yeast strains; can include fruit additions and barrel ageing, resulting in a diverse range of profiles
- Alcohol: 4% to 8% ABV
- Examples: Russian River Supplication, The Bruery’s Tart of Darkness
These sour beer styles are popular among craft beer enthusiasts for their refreshing and complex flavours. Each style offers a unique drinking experience, perfect for those looking to explore the vibrant world of sour beers.
Hybrid Beers and Speciality Styles
These beers combine characteristics of ales and lagers or incorporate unique ingredients and brewing techniques.
Speciality Beers:
- Speciality beers are brewed with unique ingredients, techniques, or flavourings that set them apart from traditional beer styles. These may include unusual grains, fruits, spices, or even barrel aging with specific wood types.
- They often highlight seasonal ingredients or themes, such as pumpkin beers in the fall or fruity sours in the summer.
- Speciality beers can be a one-time release or part of a brewer’s limited-edition lineup, showcasing the brewer’s creativity and craftsmanship.
Hybrid Beers:
- Hybrid beers combine elements from different beer styles, merging the characteristics of ales and lagers or mixing sour and sweet flavours.
- These beers may utilise various fermentation techniques, such as blending traditional brewing methods with wild yeast strains, resulting in a unique flavour profile that defies categorisation.
- Examples of hybrid beers include sour IPAs, which blend the hoppy bitterness of IPAS with the tartness of sour ales, and lagers fermented at higher temperatures to introduce fruity esters.
Speciality Beer Styles
- Imperial Stouts
- Description: Rich, dark beers with high alcohol content, often featuring flavours of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruits.
- Examples: Founders KBS, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.
- Fruit Beers
- Description: Beers brewed with real fruits or fruit flavors, enhancing the aroma and taste with sweetness or tartness.
- Examples: Lindemans Framboise (Raspberry Lambic), Dogfish Head Aprihop.
- Barrel-Aged Beers
- Description: Beers aged in wooden barrels (often bourbon or wine barrels), imparting unique flavours from the wood and any previous contents.
- Examples: Firestone Walker Parabola, The Bruery’s Black Tuesday.
- Spiced and Herb Beers
- Description: Beers brewed with spices, herbs, or other botanicals adding complexity and unique flavour profiles.
- Examples: Allagash White (with coriander and orange peel), Dogfish Head’s Raison D’Extra (with raisins and spices).
- Saison/Farmhouse Ales
- Description: Rustic, often fruity and spicy beers traditionally brewed in farmhouse settings, typically featuring a dry finish.
- Examples: Saison Dupont, Boulevard Tank 7.
Hybrid Beer Styles
- Sour IPA
- Description: A combination of hoppy IPA and tart sour ale, offering the bitterness of hops alongside a refreshing sourness.
- Examples: Dogfish Head’s SeaQuench Ale, The Bruery’s Frucht series.
- Gose
- Description: A traditional German sour wheat beer that is slightly salty, often brewed with coriander and salt, sometimes featuring fruit.
- Examples: Westbrook Gose, Anderson Valley Gose.
- Lambic
- Description: A Belgian-style beer that is spontaneously fermented, often blended with fruit to create unique flavour profiles.
- Examples: Cantillon Kriek (cherry), Boon Oude Geuze.
- Berliner Weisse
- Description: A low-alcohol, cloudy sour wheat beer from Germany, often served with flavored syrups to balance its tartness.
- Examples: Berliner Kindl Weisse, 1809 Berliner Weisse.
- American Wild Ale
- Description: Beers that incorporate wild yeast strains (like Brettanomyces) and often feature tart or funky flavors; can be brewed with various adjuncts.
- Examples: Russian River Consecration, The Bruery’s Tart of Darkness.
If you’re interested in exploring the different classifications of beer and their origins, check out Beer Styles from CraftBeer.com.
Conclusion
Understanding beer begins with its two main categories: ales, known for bold, fruity flavours, and lagers, which are clean and crisp. Beyond these, hybrid and speciality beers blend styles or use unique ingredients, offering a wide array of flavours. From classic Pilsners to adventurous sour beers, exploring these styles opens up a diverse and exciting world of beer.
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