Styles of Beer

There are two main types of beer: lagers and ales.  Here are the most common types.

Lagers

Bock - A bock is brewed using malt that has been roasted until it has a dark color and caramelized flavor.

Clearmalt – Clearmalts are brewed in the same manner as regular lagers.  Once the wort has been fermented, it is highly filtered to remove the color and beer flavor.  The resulting liquid is crystal-clear, thus the term “clearmalt.”  The clearmalts’ unique flavoring is then added to create a clear, refreshing product.  An example of a clearmalt is Zima.

Colored Lager – Colored lagers are produced similarly to regular lagers; however, they use malt that gives them the distinctive color reflected in their name.  The color may range from a pale yellow to an amber, red or a brown hue.  An example of a color lager is George Killian’s Irish Red.

Dry Lager – A dry lager is typically brewed longer than its regular lager counterpart.  This causes more of the starches in the wort to convert to fermentable sugars.  Thus, a dry lager has much less starch (sugar) in it, resulting in a less-sweet taste (i.e., “dry”).

Flavored Lager – Flavored lagers are produced in the same manner as regular lagers.  At some point during the brewing or fermenting process, a flavoring such as honey is added to the lager, giving the lager a unique flavor.

Ice Lager – Ice lagers are typically brewed the same was as regular lagers.  However, at some point in the fermentation or aging process, they are frozen.  This creates their distinctive taste.

Lager – A lager is a beer that is made by using a bottom-fermenting yeast and a lower fermenting temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lagers are usually the signature beer of each brewery.  An example of a lager in Coors Original.

Light Lager – A light lager differs from a regular lager in that it has fewer calories.  The calories in a beer come from two sources: 1) the starches (cereal grains and barley), and 2) the alcohol.  To reduce the number of calories, the brewing time is increased.  This allows a greater amount of the starches (carbohydrates) to be converted into fermentable sugars.  Fewer starches mean fewer calories.  Additionally, light beers are blended to have lower alcohol contents.  An example of a light lager is Coors Light.

Malt Liquor – Malt Liquor is brewed using a combination of barley malt and pure starches such as cornstarch or corn syrup to create a large amount of fermentable sugars in the wort.  The wort is then fermented producing a beer with a higher amount of alcohol than a regular lager.

Non-Alcoholic Lager – A non-alcoholic lager is brewed in a manner similar to its regular counterpart; however, the alcohol content is less than 0.5% by volume.  The alcohol is reduced by controlling the fermentation process and/or removing the alcohol.  This produces a lager with all the taste of a regular lager, but without the alcohol.  An example of a non-alcoholic lager is Coors Non-Alcoholic.

Ales

Ale – Ale is a beer made by using a top-fermenting yeast and a higher fermenting temperature of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Belgian and Belgian-Style White Ale – Belgian and Belgian-style white ales are brewed in the tradition of the Belgian ales.  The white hue of the beer is derived from the yeast that remains in the beer.  Ales imported directly from Belgium can officially be called “Belgian Ales.”  These styles of beer, made anywhere outside of Belgium, are called “Belgian-Style Ales.”  An example of a Belgian Ale is Blue Moon Belgian White Ale.

Bitters – Bitters, sometimes preceded with the term “Best,” “Extra Special” (ESB), “Original,” or “Special,” are ales brewed using strong hops, which gives the beer a very hoppy or bitter flavor.  The strong hops are introduced in the brewing stage of the ale.

Colored Ale – Many ales are named for their individual color characteristics, such as amber, brown, pale, red, or chocolate.  The color can be as diverse as a translucent yellow, brownish orange, chestnut brown, or even black.  The color is primarily determined by the color of the malt used in the brewing process.  Each malt has its own unique aroma, taste and color.

Cream Ale – Cream ales usually have a slightly sweet taste and a pale, golden color.  Cream ales may be specially brewed or made by blending an ale with a lager.

Flavored Ale – Flavored ales are named for their distinct flavor characteristic(s). Such as honey, oatmeal, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, apple, blueberry, cherry, peach, or raspberry.  These flavors are added either during the brewing process or during the aging process.

Hefeweizen – Hefeweizen ales use wheat as one of their main cereal grains.  The wheat is used in conjunction with barley and/or other cereal grains.  “Hefe” refers to the white-colored yeast sediment in the beer.  “Weizen” is the German word for wheat; thus the name “Hefeweizen.”

Porter – Porters are made from malts roasted until they are very dark, giving the beer a very bitter flavor and heavy body as well as a very dark color.  The malt, while very dark, doesn’t have the heavy, burnt taste associated with stout ales.

Stout – Stouts are similar to porters.  They also use malt that has been roasted until very dark.  However, stouts use malt that has been roasted until it has a distinctive burnt flavor.  Stouts are very dark, have a thick body, and are bitter and malty.

Domestic vs. Import Beer - Beers brewed outside the United States that are imported for sale in the US are called import beers.  Domestic beers are those brewed within the United States.  The flavors of imports vary based on their brewing tradition, ingredients, and subtle changes in the brewing procedures.  Imports, like domestic beers, fall into the two main types of beer: ales and lagers.