Primary to appreciation of beer, is an understanding of beer styles and their unique characteristics. Below we've listed some common styles of beer and a brief description.
Ales
Sweet Stout
Sweet stouts, also referred to as cream stouts, have mild roasted bitter flavor and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Malt sweetness, chocolate, and caramel flavor should dominate the flavor profile and contribute to the aroma. Hops should balance sweetness without contributing apparent flavor or aroma.
English-Style Brown Ale
English brown ales range from deep copper to brown in color. They have a medium body and a dry to sweet maltiness with very little hop flavor or aroma.
British-Style Imperial Stout
Dark copper to very dark brown, English-style imperial stouts typically have high alcohol content. The extremely rich malty flavor (often characterized as toffee-like or caramel-like) and aroma are balanced
with medium hopping and high fruity-ester characteristics.
Brown Porter
Brown porters are mid to dark brown (may have red tint) in color. Low to medium malt sweetness along with medium hop bitterness. This is a light- to medium-bodied beer.
American-Style Amber/Red Ale
American amber/red ales range from light copper to light brown in color. They are characterized by American-variety hops used to produce high hop bitterness, flavor, and medium to high aroma. Amber ales have medium-high to high maltiness with medium to low caramel character. They should have medium to medium-high body.
American-Style India Pale Ale
American-style India pale ales have intense hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content. The style is further characterized by fruity, floral and citrus-like American-variety hop character. India pale ales possess medium maltiness and body.
American-Style Pale Ale
American pale ales range from deep golden to copper in color. American pale ales have medium body and low to medium maltiness.
Belgian-Style Tripel
Tripels are often characterized by a complex, sometimes mild spicy character, but no clove-like flavor. Yeast-generated fruity banana esters are also common, but not necessary. These pale/light-colored ales may finish sweet, though any sweet finish should be light. The beer is characteristically medium bodied with a equalizing hop/malt balance. Alcohol strength and flavor should be perceived as evident. Head retention is dense and mousse like.
Belgian-Dtyle Fruit Lambic
These beers, also known by the names framboise, kriek, etc., are characterized by fruit flavors and aromas. The color reflects the choice of fruit. Sourness is an important part of the flavor profile, though sweetness may compromise the intensity. Versions of this beer made outside of the Brussels area of Belgium cannot be true lambics. These versions are said to be "lambic-style" and may be made to resemble many of the beers of true origin.
South German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier
The aroma and flavor of a Weissbier with yeast is decidedly fruity and phenolic. The phenolic characteristics are often described as clove-or nutmeg like and can be smoky or even vanilla like. Banana like esters are often present. These beers are made with at least 50 percent malted wheat, and hop rates are quite low. Hop flavor and aroma are absent. Weissbier is well attenuated and very highly carbonated, yet its relatively high starting gravity and alcohol content make it a medium- to full-bodied beer. The color is very pale to pale amber. Because yeast is present, the beer will have yeast flavor and a characteristically fuller mouthfeel and may be appropriately very cloudy.
German-Style Kölsch
Kölsch is warm fermented and aged at cold temperatures (German ale or alt-style beer). Kölsch is characterized by a golden to straw color and a slightly dry, subtly sweet softness on the palate, yet crisp. Good, dense head retention is desirable. A light fruitiness may be apparent, but is not necessary for this style. Caramel character should not be evident. The body is light to medium-light. This beer has low hop flavor and aroma with medium bitterness.
Lagers
Traditional German-Style Bock
Traditional bocks are made with all malt and are strong, malty, medium- to full-bodied, bottom-fermented beers with moderate hop bitterness that should increase proportionately with the starting gravity. Hop flavor should be low and hop aroma should be very low. Bocks can range in color from deep copper to dark brown.
German-Style Pilsener
A classic German Pilsener is very light straw or golden in color and well hopped. Hop bitterness is high. Noble-type hop aroma and flavor are moderate and quite obvious. It is a well-attenuated, medium-bodied beer, but a malty residual sweetness can be perceived in aroma and flavor. Its head should be dense and rich.
For a detailed beer style list, visit www.beertown.org/education/styles.html.
