Beer styles

From Pils to stout: origin, flavour and typical figures. 61 terms.

Abbey beer

Beer in the style of monastery beers, often brewed under licence from an abbey but in a secular brewery. Genuine Trappist beers, by contrast, are made in a Trappist abbey under the monks’ supervision and carry the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo.

Alcohol-free beer

Beer with at most 0.5 % ABV counts as alcohol-free in Switzerland and Germany; some countries use a lower limit. Either the alcohol is gently removed from the finished beer, or fermentation is stopped early or special yeasts are used that produce hardly any alcohol. Good alcohol-free beers are full of aroma today.

Altbier

Dark, top-fermented beer from Düsseldorf. “Alt” (old) refers to the old way of brewing with top-fermenting yeast. Copper-coloured, malty and clearly bitter, fermented cool and lagered cold. Typical: 4.3–5.5 % ABV, 25–50 IBU.

Australian sparkling ale

Sparkling, pale ale from Australia with lots of carbonation. It is bottle-conditioned and therefore has yeast sediment. Fruity, lightly malty and firmly bitter; the classic comes from Coopers in Adelaide. Typical: 4.5–6 % ABV, 20–35 IBU.

Baltic porter

Strong, dark beer from the countries around the Baltic Sea. It emerged when English porters and stouts were exported to the Baltic region in the 18th and 19th centuries; later, breweries there brewed their own versions, often bottom-fermented. It tastes of caramel, chocolate, dried fruit and liquorice. Typical: 6.5–9.5 % ABV, 20–40 IBU.

Barley wine

A very strong, malt-rich ale reminiscent of wine or liqueur. English versions taste of toffee, dried fruit and sherry; American versions are much hoppier. Barley wine matures for years and becomes smoother. Typical: 8–12 % ABV, 35–100 IBU.

Belgian blond and strong golden ale

Pale Belgian ales with fruity and spicy yeast aromas. Belgian blond is golden and soft (6–7.5 % ABV). Belgian golden strong ale, such as Duvel, is much stronger but surprisingly dry and sparkling thanks to sugar in the recipe (7.5–10.5 % ABV). Typical: 15–35 IBU.

Bia hơi

Vietnamese fresh beer: a light lager with usually 3 to 4% alcohol, brewed without preservatives, delivered in kegs to small bars every day and drunk the same day. In Hanoi in particular it is part of street life.

Bière de garde

“Beer for keeping” from northern France. Farmers used to brew it in winter and spring and store it until summer, for harvest time. Malt-forward with notes of toast and caramel, as blonde, ambrée or brune. Typical: 6–8.5 % ABV, 18–28 IBU.

Bitter

English pub beer, usually served as real ale straight from the cask with little carbonation. Amber and malty with clear hop bitterness and often low in alcohol. Typical: 3.2–6 % ABV, 25–50 IBU.

Bock

Strong lager that originally came from Einbeck in northern Germany: “Ainpöckisch Bier” became “Bock”. There is pale Maibock, dark bock, the even stronger doppelbock (once the monks’ Lenten beer) and eisbock. In Germany a bock needs an original gravity of at least 16 °P (SG 1.065). Typical: 6–7.5 % ABV, doppelbock 7–10 % ABV.

Bouza

Traditional beer from Egypt and Sudan, brewed from bread and barley. It is cloudy and thick; the way it is made resembles the brewing shown in pictures in the pharaohs’ tombs. Not to be confused with the non-alcoholic boza of Turkey and the Balkans.

Brown ale

Brown, malty ale from England with notes of caramel, nuts and toffee. Northern English versions are light and nutty, American brown ales more strongly hopped. Typical: 4.2–6.2 % ABV, 20–30 IBU.

Busaa

Cloudy, slightly sour beer from East Africa, especially Kenya, brewed from millet, sorghum or maize. Like South African umqombothi, it is often shared from one large vessel.

California common

American style from the gold rush era, also called “steam beer”. It is brewed with lager yeast that ferments warm without cooling, once in shallow open vessels. Amber, malty and toasty, with a woody, minty note from Northern Brewer hops. The Anchor Brewery in San Francisco made the style famous. Typical: 4.5–5.5 % ABV, 30–45 IBU.

Catharina sour

Brazilian beer style from the state of Santa Catarina: a light, refreshing sour beer that is briefly soured with lactic acid bacteria in the kettle (“kettle sour”) and gets lots of fresh fruit, such as passion fruit, guava or mango. Since 2021 it has been listed in the BJCP guidelines as the first Brazilian style. Typical: 4–5.5 % ABV, 2–8 IBU.

Chestnut beer

Beer brewed with chestnuts as flour, roasted pieces or chestnut honey. The chestnut adds starch and a nutty sweetness and helps the head. Chestnut beers are known from Corsica, such as Pietra, and from Italy, where many small breweries brew one in autumn.

Chicha

Corn beer from the Andes that the Incas already brewed. For chicha de jora, corn kernels are sprouted and dried, much like malting. Chicha is cloudy, slightly sour and usually low in alcohol. Not to be confused with the non-alcoholic chicha morada made from purple corn.

Christmas beer

Seasonal beer for the holidays, often stronger, darker and maltier than the usual beer, sometimes with spices such as cinnamon or cloves. In Denmark and Norway it is called juleøl, in Iceland jólabjór, in France bière de Noël; in Denmark Tuborg’s Christmas beer arrives in the bars on J-Day. In spring Scandinavia follows with Easter beers, such as the Danish påskebryg.

Cream ale

Pale, light and crisp beer from the USA, often brewed with corn or rice. It is top-fermented or fermented with a mix of ale and lager yeast and then lagered cool, so it tastes almost as clean as a lager. Despite the name it contains no cream. Typical: 4.2–5.6 % ABV, 8–20 IBU.

Czech lagers

In Czechia lagers are classified by gravity and colour. “Výčepní”, draught beer, is light and easy to drink (usually 8–10 °P, SG 1.032–1.040), “ležák”, lager, is fuller (11–12 °P, SG 1.044–1.048) and includes Pilsner. By colour there are “světlé” (pale), “polotmavé” (amber) and “tmavé” (dark). They are usually served fresh from the tap with plenty of foam.

Dry lager

Very dry, pale lager with hardly any residual sweetness. A particularly thorough fermentation makes it lean, crisp and clean. The style became popular in Japan in 1987 with Asahi Super Dry. Typical: around 5 % ABV, little bitterness.

Dunkel and Schwarzbier

Dark lagers. Munich Dunkel tastes of bread crust and caramel; Schwarzbier is almost black but light and dry, with subtle roast notes. Typical: 4.4–5.6 % ABV, 18–30 IBU.

Eisbock

Strong bock from which part of the water is removed as ice by freezing. This raises the alcohol content and the flavour. Legend has it that Eisbock was born in Kulmbach when a barrel of bock froze outside in winter.

Export

Strong pale lager from Dortmund, originally brewed for shipping. A little stronger than Helles and Pils, balanced between malt and hops. Typical: OG 1.048–1.057, 4.8–6 % ABV, 20–30 IBU.

Flanders red ale

Tart, reddish-brown beer from West Flanders that matures for a long time in large oak vats called foeders. Lactic acid bacteria and wild yeasts give it a wine-like acidity with notes of cherries and plums. The best-known example is Rodenbach from Roeselare. Typical: 4.6–6.5 % ABV, 10–25 IBU.

Gårdsøl (kveik farmhouse ale)

Farmhouse ale from western Norway, brewed on farms to old family recipes, often with a juniper infusion as brewing water and with the farm’s own kveik yeast. Some versions are boiled only briefly or not at all. It tastes malty and fruity, sometimes of juniper; strength ranges from light to strong.

Gotlandsdricke

Traditional farmhouse ale from the Swedish island of Gotland. It is brewed with smoked malt and juniper branches, lightly hopped and often fermented with baker’s yeast. Many families still brew it for celebrations.

Grodziskie

Polish wheat beer from Grodzisk Wielkopolski, brewed from wheat malt smoked over oak. Pale, very light, distinctly hopped and sparkling, with a clear smoky note. Because of its high carbonation it was also called “Polish champagne”. Typical: 2.5–3.3 % ABV, 20–35 IBU.

Happoshu

Japanese beer-like drink with less malt than beer. Under Japanese law only a drink made with at least 50 percent malt counts as beer, so happoshu was taxed at a lower rate for a long time. There is also the “third category” with even less malt or none at all. Since October 2026 all three have been taxed the same.

Hazy IPA (NEIPA)

Cloudy, juicy IPA from New England in the USA. Many hops are added late and during dry hopping, and oats and wheat make the beer soft and hazy. It tastes of mango, passion fruit and citrus and has only a mild bitterness. Best drunk very fresh. Typical: 6–9 % ABV, 25–60 IBU.

Helles

Munich lager created in 1894 as an answer to Pilsner. Golden, soft and malty with only a gentle hop character. Typical: OG 1.044–1.048, 4.7–5.4 % ABV, 16–22 IBU.

Irish red ale

Reddish, malty ale from Ireland with notes of caramel and toast and a dry, lightly roasted finish. The colour comes from a small amount of roasted barley. Typical: 3.8–5 % ABV, 18–28 IBU.

Italian grape ale

Italian style in which grape must or grapes are fermented along with the wort. Depending on the grape variety the beer tastes of white wine, red wine or berries, often with a fine acidity and little bitterness. It combines Italy’s wine culture with craft beer. Typical: usually 6–9 % ABV, 10–30 IBU.

Jopenbier

Heavy, almost black beer from Gdańsk, so thick and sweet that it was regarded more as medicine or a seasoning. It was shipped across the Baltic as far as the Netherlands and brewed until the First World War.

Kaimiškas (Lithuanian farmhouse ale)

Umbrella term for the farmhouse ales of northern Lithuania, for example around Biržai and Pasvalys. Some are brewed without boiling the wort, often with house yeasts passed down for generations. They are usually soft, malty and slightly sweet.

Koduõlu

Estonian home ale, especially from the western islands such as Saaremaa. It is flavoured with juniper and bog myrtle, the wort is not boiled, and the beer has only its natural carbonation.

Kölsch

Pale, top-fermented beer from Cologne, fermented cool and lagered cold, so it is almost as clean as a lager. Lightly fruity, lean and crisp. Under the 1986 Kölsch Convention only beer from the Cologne region may carry the name. It is served in a slim 0.2-litre glass called a Stange. Typical: OG 1.044–1.050, 4.4–5.2 % ABV, 18–30 IBU.

Lager

Umbrella term for bottom-fermented beers that ferment cool and are then stored cold for a few weeks. It includes Pils, Helles, Export, Märzen, bock and Schwarzbier. Lagers taste clean and smooth because the cool fermentation produces few fruity aromas. Lager is the most widely drunk type of beer in the world.

Lambic and gueuze

Belgian beers from the area around Brussels that ferment spontaneously: the wort cools in open vessels and is inoculated by wild yeasts and bacteria from the air. The beer then matures for up to three years in wooden casks. Gueuze is a blend of young and old lambic, kriek a lambic with sour cherries.

Light lager

Very pale, light lagers with little bitterness that are drunk ice-cold. Many are brewed with rice or corn, which makes them particularly lean. They include American light lager and many mass-market beers from the Americas and Asia. Typical: 2.8–5.3 % ABV, 8–18 IBU.

Märzen and Festbier

Amber, malt-forward lager. The name dates from the time when brewing in Bavaria was only allowed from autumn to spring: beer brewed in March was stored in cellars until autumn. Today’s Oktoberfest beer (Festbier) is paler. Typical: OG 1.053–1.061, 5.6–6.3 % ABV, 18–25 IBU.

Mild

English pub beer, usually dark, gently hopped and low in alcohol. Malty with notes of caramel, chocolate or nuts, served from the cask with little carbonation. For a long time mild was England’s most popular beer; today it has become rare. Typical: 3–3.8 % ABV, 10–25 IBU.

New Zealand pilsner

Pale lager with New Zealand hops such as Nelson Sauvin, Motueka or Riwaka. Instead of the spicy notes of European pilsners it brings aromas of gooseberry, lime, passion fruit and white wine. Typical: 4.5–5.8 % ABV, 25–45 IBU.

Oud bruin

“Old brown” from East Flanders, for example from the area around Oudenaarde. Maltier and less sour than Flanders red ale, with aromas of caramel, dried fruit and a mild acidity. Young and aged beer are often blended. Typical: 4–8 % ABV, 20–25 IBU.

Pale ale and IPA

Top-fermented, hop-forward beers from England. India pale ale (IPA) emerged in the 19th century as a heavily hopped export beer that survived the long sea voyage to India well. American versions with hops such as Cascade show citrus, grapefruit and pine aromas. Typical: pale ale 4.5–6.2 % ABV and 30–50 IBU, IPA 5.5–7.5 % ABV and 40–70 IBU.

Pils (Pilsner)

Pale, clear lager with pronounced hop bitterness and a floral hop aroma, first brewed in 1842 in Pilsen (Bohemia). Czech Pilsner is fuller, German Pils leaner and more bitter. Typical: OG 1.044–1.050, 4.4–5.2 % ABV, 25–40 IBU.

Porter and stout

Dark, top-fermented beers made with roasted malt. Porter appeared in 18th-century London and was the beer of the porters who carried goods. Stout was originally a particularly strong porter. Irish stout is dry and light, milk stout sweeter and imperial stout very strong. Typical: 4–6 % ABV and 20–45 IBU, imperial stout even above 10 % ABV.

Radler and shandy

A mix of beer and lemonade, usually half and half. In Germany and Austria it is called Radler, in Switzerland and France panaché, in Spain clara and in England shandy.

Rauchbier (smoked beer)

Lager from Bamberg made with malt kilned over a beechwood fire. It tastes clearly of smoke and bacon. In the past a lot of malt was dried over open fires, so many old beers tasted somewhat smoky.

Sahti

Ancient Finnish farmhouse ale made from barley and often rye, brewed with juniper and hardly any hops. The wort is usually not boiled but filtered through a kuurna, a wooden trough lined with juniper branches. It is traditionally fermented with baker’s yeast. Sahti is cloudy and sweetish, tastes of banana, bread and juniper and has hardly any carbonation. It is protected as a traditional speciality in the EU. Typical: often around 8 % ABV.

Saison

Belgian farmhouse ale from Wallonia, once brewed in winter for the farm workers in summer. Dry, sparkling, fruity and spicy with peppery yeast aromas. Typical: 5–7 % ABV, 20–35 IBU.

Shilling ales

Old Scottish naming: ales were named after their price per barrel in shillings, i.e. 60/-, 70/- or 80/- (said “sixty shilling”). The higher the number, the stronger the beer. The names are still used today.

Sour beer (Berliner Weisse and Gose)

Beers with a refreshing acidity from lactic acid bacteria. Berliner Weisse is light (around 3 % ABV) and is often drunk with syrup; Gose from Goslar and Leipzig contains coriander and salt. Sour beers need their own tubes and equipment so the bacteria do not get into other beers.

Spezialbier (Spez)

In Switzerland a pale lager with a little more original gravity and alcohol than the regular lager, usually around 5–5.5 % ABV, and a slightly fuller taste. In a restaurant you simply order a “Spez”.

Trappist beer (dubbel and tripel)

Beer from monasteries of the Trappist order. Only beers brewed at the abbey under the supervision of the monks may carry the “Authentic Trappist Product” logo; the income supports the monastery and charitable causes. Well-known styles are the dark, malty dubbel (6–7.5 % ABV) and the pale, strong tripel (7.5–9.5 % ABV).

Umqombothi

Traditional beer of the Xhosa in South Africa, made from maize malt, maize meal and sorghum. It is brewed over several days, ferments openly and is cloudy, creamy and slightly sour, with little alcohol, usually below 3 % ABV. It is drunk together from a large clay pot, especially at celebrations and ceremonies for the ancestors.

Vienna lager

Amber, malt-forward lager first brewed by Anton Dreher in 1841 in Schwechat near Vienna. Vienna malt gives it a reddish colour and a lightly toasted flavour. The style became rare in Europe but lives on in Mexico, for example in Negra Modelo. Typical: 4.7–5.5 % ABV, 18–30 IBU.

Wheat beer (Weissbier)

Top-fermented beer with at least 50 % wheat malt. The yeast gives banana and clove aromas. Hefeweizen is naturally cloudy, Kristallweizen filtered and Dunkelweizen darker and maltier. Highly carbonated with hardly any bitterness. Typical: 4.3–5.6 % ABV, 8–15 IBU.

Witbier

Belgian white beer brewed with unmalted wheat, coriander and orange peel. Pale, cloudy, refreshing and lightly spicy. By the late 1950s the style had almost disappeared; it was revived in Hoegaarden in 1966. Typical: 4.5–5.5 % ABV, 8–20 IBU.

Zwickl and Kellerbier

Unfiltered, naturally cloudy lagers with low carbonation, fresh and yeasty. The name Zwickl comes from the sampling tap (Zwickel) on the lagering tank, which the brewmaster uses to draw samples. Kellerbier (cellar beer) comes from Franconia and was once served straight from the cask in the beer cellar. Typical: 4.7–5.4 % ABV, 20–35 IBU.

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