Beer Styles Guide

Hop-forward ale with a clean, dry finish. Defined by American hop varieties (Cascade, Centennial, Citra) that give citrus, pine, and floral notes over a light-to-medium malt base. Accessible gateway style into craft beer.

The original pale ale — balanced and malt-forward with earthy, herbal English hops. Less hop-aggressive than American interpretations. Biscuity malt base with gentle bitterness.

Light, crisp, and approachable ale with subtle malt sweetness and gentle hop character. Highly drinkable and often used as an entry-level craft beer. Clean fermentation profile.

The defining style of the modern craft beer movement. IPAs are built around aggressive hop character — bitterness, aroma, and flavor — supported by a clean malt backbone. Originated in Britain, transformed by American craft brewers.

The original American IPA archetype — crystal clear, aggressively bitter, and dry. Built for pronounced bitterness with resinous and citrus hops, minimal residual sweetness, and a clean malt backbone.

Hazy, juicy, and low-bitterness IPA defined by massive tropical and citrus hop aroma. Purposeful cloudiness from suspended yeast and dry-hop oils. Soft, pillowy mouthfeel. One of the most popular styles in craft beer.

All the hop flavor of a full-strength IPA at session-drinking alcohol levels. Hop-forward in aroma and flavor but lighter on the palate — designed for easy drinking across multiple pints.

Intensified version of the IPA with massive hop character and higher alcohol content. Bigger malt body needed to balance the elevated bitterness. Rich, complex, and built for serious hop lovers.

Medium-bodied ale with a balance of caramel malt sweetness and American hop character. The amber hue comes from specialty malts adding toffee, biscuit, and toasted notes alongside citrus or pine hops.

Smooth, malt-driven ale with a distinctive reddish color and notes of toasted grain, caramel, and light toffee. Low hop bitterness lets the malt shine. Very sessionable and approachable.

Malt-forward brown ale with nutty, chocolatey, and biscuity character. Gentle hop bitterness for balance. The original brown ale style from England — understated and very food-friendly.

Similar to English brown ale but hoppier. American hops add citrus and pine notes to the nutty, chocolatey malt base. More balance between malt richness and hop bitterness.

Dark ale with roasted malt character — chocolate, coffee, and toffee notes predominate. Lighter body than stout. One of the oldest craft ale styles, originating in 18th-century London.

Strong, complex porter fermented with lager yeast at cooler temperatures. Rich roasted character with notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and a warming alcohol presence. Very smooth for its strength.

Dry, roasty stout defined by a bitter coffee and dark chocolate finish. Light-to-medium body with creamy nitrogen head. The archetype for the category — made world-famous by Guinness.

Smooth, silky stout brewed with oats for a rich, creamy texture. Less bitter than Irish dry stout with more sweetness and a velvety mouthfeel. Notes of chocolate, coffee, and light sweetness.

Sweet, creamy stout brewed with lactose (milk sugar) that adds body and sweetness without fermenting. Very approachable dark beer with chocolate, vanilla, and caramel notes.

Massive, complex stout with intense roasted malt flavors and high alcohol. Notes of dark chocolate, espresso, dried fruit, and often vanilla or bourbon from aging. Can be cellared for years.

Belgian-origin farmhouse ale defined by spicy, fruity yeast character. Notes of pepper, citrus, and earthiness with a dry, refreshing finish. Complex and aromatic despite the light color.

Hazy, spiced wheat ale with coriander and orange peel. Light-bodied and refreshing with subtle banana and clove notes from Belgian yeast. Perfect summer beer with a cloudy, wheaty appearance.

Strong golden ale from Belgian Trappist brewing tradition. Deceptively strong with elegant fruity yeast esters, spice, and honey malt sweetness. Dangerously drinkable for its strength.

Rich, complex dark Belgian ale with dried fruit, chocolate, and spice. Medium body with a dry finish. Classic Trappist style — complex and contemplative.

Traditional German wheat ale characterized by banana and clove notes from specialized yeast. Naturally hazy with a soft, round mouthfeel and large white foam head.

American take on wheat beer — typically cleaner and less yeast-forward than German Hefeweizen. Refreshing, light-bodied, and often with citrus or light hop character.

Delicate pale ale from Cologne, Germany, fermented with ale yeast then cold-conditioned like a lager. Soft, clean, and crisp with subtle fruit from the yeast and light hop bitterness.

American hybrid style — smooth, clean, and refreshing with mild malt sweetness and very low bitterness. Often uses adjuncts like corn or rice for a light, crisp body.

Very strong ale with rich malt complexity — toffee, caramel, dried fruit, and warming alcohol. American versions are more hop-forward; English versions are sweeter and richer. Excellent for cellaring.

Rich, malt-forward Scottish strong ale with deep caramel, toffee, and toasted grain notes. Low hop bitterness lets the malt shine. Warming and hearty — suited to cold climates.

Traditional Berlin sour wheat beer — low-alcohol, highly tart, and highly refreshing. Often served with a shot of fruit syrup to offset the lactic acidity. One of the lightest and most refreshing sour styles.

Unique German sour wheat beer made with coriander and salt. The salt adds a savoury quality that amplifies the tart, lemony character. Very sessionable and increasingly popular in modern craft beer.

Belgian sour ale aged in oak barrels and blended for complexity. Deep red color with vinous, complex flavors of cherry, plum, caramel, and oak. Wine-like in character — often called the 'Burgundy of Belgium.'

Broad category of American sour ales fermented with wild yeast and bacteria. Huge variety in flavor — from fruity and tart to funky and complex. Often barrel-aged or fruit-conditioned.

Dry, crisp, and hop-forward German lager. Defined by Saaz or German noble hops giving herbal, floral, and spicy notes over a clean, pale malt base. Very high attenuation makes it bone dry.

The original pilsner from Pilsen, Czech Republic. Softer and maltier than German pilsner with a rich, round body and distinctive Saaz hop character. The template for most commercial lagers worldwide.

Light-bodied, highly carbonated lager. Very clean fermentation profile with adjuncts (corn, rice) for lightness. Mild and refreshing — the world's most consumed beer style.

Bavarian pale lager that's the Munich answer to Pilsner. Slightly maltier and softer than German Pils with gentle noble hop presence. Clean, balanced, and endlessly drinkable.

Austrian amber lager with a toasty, bready malt character and clean lager profile. Noble hops provide subtle balance. Smooth and elegant — originally from 19th-century Vienna.

Traditional German autumn lager associated with Oktoberfest. Rich, toasty, and clean with a full body and satisfying malt sweetness. Originally brewed in March (März) and served in October.

Bavarian dark lager with smooth chocolate, toast, and bread crust notes. Clean lager fermentation makes it much lighter than it appears. Surprisingly approachable dark beer.

German 'black beer' — dark as a stout but fermented clean like a lager. Roasted malt flavor without harshness. Very smooth and approachable with coffee and chocolate notes.

Traditional German strong lager with rich malt sweetness and a clean, warming finish. Very low hop character lets the malt dominate — caramel, toast, and dark fruit notes.

Very strong, malt-forward double bock with deep caramel, toffee, dark fruit, and chocolate notes. Originally brewed by monks as 'liquid bread' during Lent. Names traditionally end in -ator.