The IBS Guide to Beer Styles: Beer Styles: An Overview by the Institute for Brewing Studies Last updated 08/00

Overview | Ales | Lagers | Specialties | One-Page Chart

Most ale styles originate with the brewing traditions of England, Ireland and Scotland, but we'll also discuss some from Belgium and Germany. In recent years, small North American brewers have pioneered uniquely North American versions of some styles using domestically grown ingredients. Here, from light to dark, are thumbnail sketches of some of the major ale style categories.

While there are many differences between ales and lagers, the most important distinction is the flavor. Generally, ales have fruity aroma and flavor characteristics, while lagers do not. Often times people describe this difference by saying lagers (which lack fruity flavors) are smoother or crisper in character.

• Wheat ales are primarily very light in color and body. They are made with a portion of malted or unmalted wheat in addition to malted barley. They range from the very light Belgian wit or white beers to cloudy German hefeweizens and darker dunkelweizens.
• Pale ale is a term used to describe a wide variety of beers. Pale ales can range in color from light straw or blonde to a deep amber, depending on their country of origin. Likewise they vary widely in hop character, from the lightly hopped cream ales to super hoppy India Pale Ales. In general, North American craft-brewed pale ales tend to be lighter in color and hoppier than their English counterparts.
• Bitters are a traditional British family of beer styles that have found a niche among North America's craft brewers. These beers are amber to copper in color and range from the lighter and less hoppy ordinary bitters to extra special bitters, which are heavier and have a more pronounced hop bitterness and flavor.
• Amber or red ale is a term used by many of the new North American craft brewers to denote a beer brewed with a higher percentage of caramel malt. These beers are often somewhat sweet or nutty. The hop character ranges from slight to very pronounced.
• German ales are often called altbiers or alts. Alt is the German word for "old" and refers to the style of beers produced prior to the discovery of lager yeasts. In addition to the amber- to copper-colored altbiers still found in Düsseldorf, there is a style known as kölsch, which is a pale German ale from the city of Cologne (Köln in German).
• Brown ales were the earliest of English beers. They are often nutty sweet with a low hop profile. North American craft brewers have developed their own brown ale style that is typically darker in color with a more pronounced hop character.
• Scottish ales are malty sweet ales ranging in color from golden to brown. A darker, richer and more alcoholic version of these ales is known as Scotch ale.
• Belgian ales cover a wide range of unique and special beers. These range from the double and triple Abbey beers to Belgian strong ales and spontaneously fermented lambics that are often flavored by fruit.
• Porters can range from light brown to black and are often characterized by a chocolatelike flavor from the use of dark roasted malts.
• Stouts are the darkest of ale styles and can range from sweet and chocolatey to dry and roasty. In most cases they are heavier bodied and more roasty than porters and were once known as "stout porters".
• Barley wines and strong ales are the most potent of ales and are characterized by a rich, malty flavor, frequently balanced with heavy hop bitterness.

Most lager styles originated in Germany, but today lagers are produced in scores of countries and account for the vast majority of the world's total beer production. The following list, from light to dark, are the major families of lagers.

While there are many differences between ales and lagers, the most important distinction is the flavor. Generally, ales have fruity aroma and flavor characteristics, while lagers do not. Often times people describe this difference by saying lagers (which lack fruity flavors) are smoother or crisper in character.

• American pale lagers are made with rice or corn in addition to barley malt for a lighter color and body. They range from the low-calorie light beers and American premium lagers to the higher alcohol ice beers and malt liquors. In most cases the hop character of these beers is subdued.
• European pale lagers were the inspiration for most of the mass-marketed beers produced in the United States today. These range from the hoppier Pilsener styles to maltier helles and export styles.
• American amber and red lagers are amber to light reddish in color and often display a flavor of caramel with low hop character. Some craft brewers make a hoppier version of this style.
• California common beer is an amber- to copper-colored lager developed during the California Gold Rush. It is a lager beer fermented at warmer temperatures like an ale.
• German Märzen, Oktoberfest and Vienna lagers are amber to reddish in color with a toasty malt character and low to medium hop character.
• Dark lagers can be dark amber to brown in color and are often called "dunkel" after the German word for dark. They often have a caramellike or chocolatelike flavor and are low to medium in hop character.
• Bocks are a traditional family of strong German lagers. They range from the light-colored helles and maibocks to the darker and more potent doppelbocks. All bocks are known for their malty flavor and light hopping.

From early brewing necessities to modern ingenuity, brewers have used a number of ingredients and techniques to make beers that don't fit neatly into the major beer style categories. In many cases, these beers can be either ales or lagers, depending on the brewer's preference.

• Fruit beers have become a staple in many small North American breweries. Many use the American-style wheat ale, golden ale or pale lager as a base, adding fruits that include raspberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, passion fruit, apricots, apples, grapes, strawberries, lemon, orange and peach. More robust fruit beers are sometimes made, pairing styles such as porter and stout with assertive fruits like raspberries and cherries.
• Chili beers are made with chili peppers, technically a fruit, and are produced by a number of commercial breweries. The balance between malt sweetness and pepper flavor varies, but hop bitterness, flavor and aroma are generally low.
• Honey may be added to any beer to add a subtle, but distinctive, character, and brewers often add it to an American-style wheat ale. While the sweetness is generally removed during fermentation, the honey character can often be detected in both the aroma and the flavor of the beer.
• Spiced ales are often derived from the traditional holiday wassails made with nutmeg, cloves and other holiday spices. Other spiced beers may include oregano, basil, coriander, heather, woodruff, ginseng, lemon grass and many other spices.
• Smoke-flavored beers are made with malts that have been smoked over either hardwoods, in the case of traditional German rauchbier and its derivatives, or peat, in the case of some smoked Scottish ales. Smoked porters, which add hardwood or peat smoked malts to a porter, have also become popular. Another smoke-flavored beer, sometimes called stone beer, uses heated stones in the brewing process.