Stephanie's Types of Beer
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Amber / Red / Brown
A “catch-all” category of ales that has a broad spectrum of attributes, amber or red ales encompass those hard to classify beers with more color than an American pale ale but less than a brown ale (the amber to copper range).
Barley Wine
American Barley Wines are full bodied, fruity, bitter, high in alcohol content, and are usually golden or copper in color. English Barley Wines tend to be less bitter and darker in color. Alcohol By Volume is usually 6% to 12%.
Belgian/Abbey/Trappist
Trappist style beers are made by Trappist Monks in an Abbey. However, an Abbey style beer is not necessarily a Trappist beer. Belgian beers are simply beers that are made in Belgium. Trappist beers are fruity, strong, and have heavy sediment.
Biere de Garde
A French style that is golden, copper, or brown in color. Usually has a malted and light hoppy aroma. These sweet fruity beers are usually corked.
Bitter Ale / ESB
Bitter ales are medium bodied and copper to amber in color. They are bitter in flavor (but not as bitter as the name suggests) and
possess hoppy aromas and flavor.
Black / Schwarzbier
A dark German style beer that is not sweet, low in bitterness, and has roasted malt flavors.
Blonde Cream Ale
A nicely balanced, nitrogen-conditioned (“Dublin-Style”) blonde ale with a smooth texture and crisp finish. This unique process produces a creamy head that is as fascinating to watch form as it is delightful to sip.
Bock / Maibock
Bock is simply a strong beer. They are usually medium to full bodied and brown in color. Maibock is a Bock beer that is made for the month of May. Doppelbock is an extra-strong beer. Hop aroma and flavor is low.
Cider
Fermented apple or pear cider. Sweet in flavor and very carbonated. Ciders are sometimes similar to sweet white wines in appearance and taste.
Dortmunder / Helles
Helles is a German word Helle means light in color. A Helles is a German beer that is medium in body and low in bitterness. A Dortmunder is a beer that is brewed in Dortmund, Germany. Dortmund is known for their export style beers, which usually means they are hoppier and stronger.
India Pale Ale
IPA's are a stronger version of the pale ale. They were originally brewed to be stronger to withstand long journeys. This copper color ale is higher in alcohol content and usually has a hoppy aroma and taste.
Kolsch / Altbier
Kolsch and Altbier are light to medium in body and straw to copper in color. There is usually a light hop flavor and medium bitterness. These types of beers are fermented at warmer temperatures and then lagered at cold temperatures.
Lager
A Lager is any bottom fermenting beer and usually light to medium bodied, and straw to amber in color. Dry lagers are usually highly carbonated and low in bitterness.
Lambic/Kriek/Framboise
These styles of beers are very similar to wine. They should be served in a flute, are high in carbonation, and are fermented with fruit. They are light in body and usually light in appearance.
Light & Non Alcohol
Beers that are usually low in calories or carbohydrates. Non Alcoholic beers usually have a very small percentage of alcohol in them. Light beers from England and Scotland may refer to the color or bitterness and not the calories.
Malt
Malts fall into two broad types: standard malts and speciality malts. Standard malts, which include those used for the bulk of the grist of both lagers and ales, provide extract, flavour, colour, and nutrients for yeast. Speciality malts are used primarily to supply colour and flavour, while sacrificing extract yield.
Oktoberfest/Marzen/Vienna
Seasonal beers that are brewed for the month of October. A Marzen is brewed in March and lagered until October. They are usually copper to brown in color and sweet and malty in flavor.
Pale Ale
The words “Pale Ale” refer to the color of the beer. It is a medium bodied beer that is copper to amber in color. Hop aromas and bitterness should be apparent. American style Pale Ales tend to be bitterer in flavor than the English versions.
Pilsner
Pilsner is a bottom fermenting beer and is kept at lower temperatures while going through the fermentation process. German style pilsners are light to amber in color, medium bodied, have a hoppy aroma to them, and may be sweet. European style pilsners range from light to amber in color and are less bitter and sweet than the German version. The American style pilsners are usually light to golden in color and have a stronger hoppy aroma and flavor to them.
Porter
There is a wide variety of Porters from many different regions. The variety can range from brown to black in color, medium to sharp bitterness, low sweetness to sweet, and light to full bodied. They are lighter than stouts in body and malt flavor.
Rye Ale
Rye ales are one of the newest styles in beer. Rye ales range from light to dark in color. They are medium bodied and may have a fruity or banana aroma to them. Appearance may be clear to cloudy depending on yeast.
Scottish Ale / Old Ale
Old ales are amber to dark in color and have sweet esters due to the long aging process. There is minimal Bitterness and fruity flavors. There are different categories of Scottish Ales and they can range from light to dark in color. The light variety is light in body and amber to brown in color and may have a malty flavor to them. The darker variety is also amber to brown in color, medium bodied, and is stronger than the light version.
Seasonal
Beer, far from being just a drink to ‘neck’ along with a few mates on a weekend, is extremely versatile and lends itself to enjoyment on a variety of occasions. Notably, there are a number of ‘seasonal’ beers that are best enjoyed at the appropriate time of year, as an ideal accompaniment to the weather mood and fare of the season.
Smoked / Rauchbier
Rauchbiers (smoked) are usually full bodied, low in bitterness, and have a subtly smoked taste and aroma to them.
Specialty
Our specialty section includes beers that are made with ingredients that are not necessarily normal for brewers. Ingredients may include fruit, vegetables, chili, steam, honey, herbs, spices, etc.
Stout
A top fermenting dark beer. The many stout varieties include Imperial, Milk, Chocolate, Sweet, Oatmeal, Dry, and Cream. The imperial stout is high in alcohol content, dark to black in color, and is very malty in flavor. Cream and sweet stouts are full bodied and are light in bitterness. Sweet and chocolate flavors are apparent. Oatmeal stouts are medium to full bodied, not bitter, and have a roasted malt flavor. Dry stouts are medium bodied, have a light caramel flavor, and hoppy aroma to them.
Strong Ale
Catch all style category for beers from 7.0 percent alcohol by volume and above, Some may even be as high as 25% abv. Characteristics will greatly vary, some have similarities to Barley-wines and Old Ales. Barrel aging is certainly not out of the question.
Wheat
There are several types of Wheat beers. The most common in the U.S. is the Hefeweizen. Other types of wheat beers are Wits (white) and Weisse (weizen). Hefeweizens are medium bodied beers that are copper in color. Hop flavors and aromas are missing and may have a banana-like taste. Wit beers tend to be bitter and have hop flavors to them. Weisse beers can be bocks, dunkels, Kristall, etc. The flavors, aroma, and body vary depending on the style.
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ENJOY!
..Please Drink Responsibly..