Beer Styles

There are two choices when ordering a beer: ale or lager.  All brews in the multitude that exist today are variations on those two themes.  The brewing process determines the difference.

ALE

Ale yeast ferments at 60°-75°F.  It produces flowery aromas in addition to those provided by the hops and fermentation completes in about a week.  Spent yeast rises to the top of the tank at that point and is skimmed off.  Ales are aged no more than a few weeks at temperatures between 40°-55°F.  They are complex, flavorful beers with a rich aroma.  Ale varieties (with examples) include:

  •  American Wheat: light-bodied, crisp and refreshing, sometimes flavored with fruit or spices (New Belgium Sunshine Wheat).
  • Barley Wine: rich and strong with high alcohol content (Sierra Nevada Bigfoot).
  • Brown Ale: malty and sweet, usually with low hop content (Newcastle).
  • Dry Stout: very dark with a “roasted” flavor and some characteristic bitterness (Guinness).
  • India Pale Ale: pronounced hop character and higher alcohol content (Inversion IPA).
  • Pale Ale: balance of smooth malt flavors with some bright hops (Fat Tire).
  • Porter: dark color, deep malt flavor, and sometimes more pronounced hops (Anchor Porter).
  • Scottish: deep amber with rich malt flavor and minimum hops, occasionally smoky (MacEwan’s Export).
  • Stock Ale: an American style known for its smoothness (Samuel Adams Boston Ale).
  • Sweet Stout: sweeter than Dry Stout, dark in color with deep, roasted malt flavor (Saranac Stout).
  • Wheat: unfiltered German wheat ale also known as Hefeweizen; similar to White ale but with more pronounced citrus and spice flavors (Weihenstephaner).
  • White: spiced Belgian unfiltered wheat beer, slightly hazy and usually flavored (Blue Moon).

LAGER

Lager yeast ferments at about 34°F.  It leaves behind less residual sweetness and flavor and allows aromas of the hops to be prominent.  Lager yeast works slowly, taking about a month, and sinks to the bottom of the tank when sugar is largely consumed and fermentation is complete.  Lagers are aged at lower temperatures, 32°-45°F, and for a much longer time, typically months.  Lagers are clean, refreshing beers with light aroma and flavor.  Lager varieties include:

  •  American Pilsner: pale color, thinner-bodied, most common in the US (Budweiser, Coors, Miller).
  • Bock: rich and dark, often brewed in winter for drinking in spring (Shiner Bock).
  • Bohemian Pilsner: crisp, deep-golden, with pronounced hop flavors (Pilsner Urquell).
  • Lager: a broad category of beers with crisp and balanced flavor (Harp, Stella Artois, Heineken).
  • Light: generally lower in calories and alcohol content (Amstel Light, Bud Light, Miller Light).
  • Marzen/Octoberfest: “March” beer traditionally brewed in spring and conditioned in caves throughout the hot summer months until fall (Samuel Adams Octoberfest).
  • Schwarz: German Lager with an opaque, black color and chocolate or coffee flavor (Kostritzer).
  • Steam: fermented at warmer temperatures giving some qualities of ale (Anchor Steam).

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Bartender’s Guide: Quick Reference Chart to Beer Styles