Beer style is a term used to differentiate and categorize beers by various factors, including appearance, flavour, ingredients, production method, history, or origin. The term beer style and the structuring of world beers into defined categories is largely based on work done by writer Michael James Jackson in his 1977 book The World Guide To Beer.[1] Fred Eckhardt furthered Jackson's work, publishing The Essentials of Beer Style in 1989.
There is no universally agreed list of beer styles, as different countries and organisations have different sets of criteria. Organisers of beer competitions such as the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Champion Beer of Britain, the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) local homebrewing competitions, the Brewers Association's World Beer Cup, and the Brewing Industry International Awards have categories in which beers are judged. The categories are varied and include processes or ingredients not usually regarded as defining beer styles in themselves, such as cask ale or gluten-free beer.[2][3][4]
Beer terms such as ale or lager cover a wide variety of beer styles, and are better thought of as broad categories of beer styles. A number of ethnic beers, such as chhaang and cauim, are generally not included on beer style groupings.[5]
| Term | Michael Jackson[6] | Roger Protz[7] | Brewers Association[8] | CAMRA[9] | BJCP[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altbier | Altbier[11] | Altbier | German-Style Altbier | Altbier | |
| Amber ale | Amber ale[12] | American-Style Amber/Red Ale | American Amber Ale | ||
| Barley wine | Barley wine[13] | Barley wine | British-Style Barley Wine Ale American-Style Barley Wine Ale |
Barley Wine[14] | English Barleywine American Barleywine |
| Berliner Weisse | Berliner Weisse[15] | Berliner Weisse | Berliner-Style Weisse | Berliner Weisse | |
| Bière de Garde | Bière de Garde[16] | Bière de garde | French-Style Bière de Garde | Bière de Garde | |
| Bitter | Bitter[17] | Bitter | Ordinary Bitter Special or Best Bitter Extra Special Bitter |
Bitter[18] | Ordinary Bitter Best Bitter Strong Bitter |
| Blonde Ale | Golden or Blonde Ale Belgian-Style Blonde Ale |
Blonde Ale | |||
| Bock | Bok, Bock[19] | Bock | Traditional German-Style Bock | Helles Bock/Dunkles Bock | |
| Brown ale | Brown Ale[20][21] | Brown ale | English-Style Brown Ale American-Style Brown Ale |
British Brown Ale American Brown Ale London Brown Ale (Historical) | |
| California Common/Steam Beer | Steam beer[22] | Steam beer | California Common Beer | California Common | |
| Cream Ale | Cream Ale[23] | American-Style Cream Ale | Cream Ale | ||
| Dortmunder Export | Export[24] | Dortmunder Export | Dortmunder/European-Style Export | German Helles Exportbier | |
| Doppelbock | Doppelbock / "Double" bock[25] | Doppelbock | German-Style Doppelbock | Doppelbock | |
| Dunkel | Dunkel/Dunkles[26] | Dunkel | Münchner Dunkel European-Style Dark Lager |
Munich Dunkel | |
| Dunkelweizen | Dunkel Weizen[27] | South German-Style Dunkel Weizen | Dunkles Weissbier | ||
| Eisbock | Eisbock[28] | German-Style Eisbock | Eisbock | ||
| Flanders red ale | Red beers[29] | Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale | Flanders Red Ale | ||
| Golden/Summer ale | English-Style Summer Ale Golden or Blonde Ale |
Golden Ales[30] | British Golden Ale | ||
| Gose | Leipzig-Style Gose Contemporary Gose |
Gose (Historical) | |||
| Gueuze | Gueuze[31] | Gueuze | Belgian-Style Gueuze Lambic | Gueuze | |
| Hefeweizen | Hefeweizen | South German-Style Hefeweizen | |||
| Helles | Hell[32] | Helles | Münchner (Munich)-Style Helles | Munich Helles | |
| India pale ale | India Pale Ale (IPA)[33] | India Pale Ales (IPA) | English-Style India Pale Ale American-Style India Pale Ale Session India Pale Ale Imperial or Double India Pale Ale |
India Pale Ale[34] |
English IPA New England IPA Triple IPA |
| Kölsch | Kolsch[35] | Kölsch | German-Style Kölsch | Kölsch | |
| Lambic | Lambic[36][37] | Lambic | Belgian-Style Lambic Belgian-Style Fruit Lambic |
Lambic Fruit Lambic | |
| Light ale | Light Ale[38] | Light Bitters[39] | |||
| Maibock/Helles bock | Maibock[40] | Maibock | German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock | Helles Bock | |
| Malt liquor | Malt Liquor[41] | American-Style Malt Liquor | |||
| Mild | Mild[42] | Mild ale | English-Style Pale Mild Ale English-Style Dark Mild Ale |
Mild[43] | Dark Mild |
| Oktoberfestbier/Märzenbier | Marzen[44] | Oktoberfest beers | German-Style Maerzen German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesn |
Festbier Märzen | |
| Old ale | Old (Ale)[45] | Old ale | Old Ale | Old Ale[46] | Old Ale |
| Oud bruin | Brown Beers[21] | Oud bruin | Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale | Oud Bruin | |
| Pale ale | Pale Ale[47] | Pale ale | Classic English-Style Pale Ale American-Style Pale Ale American-Style Strong Pale Ale Belgian-Style Pale Ale Australian-Style Pale Ale International-Style Pale Ale |
Pale Ale[34] | American Pale Ale Belgian Pale Ale |
| Pilsener/Pilsner/Pils | Pilsener/Pilsner/Pils[48] | Pilsner | German-Style Pilsener Bohemian-Style Pilsener American-Style Pilsener International-Style Pilsener |
American Lager International Pale Lager Czech Pale Lager Czech Premium Pale Lager German Pils | |
| Porter | Porter[49] | Porter | Brown Porter Robust Porter American-Style Imperial Porter Smoke Porter Baltic-Style Porter |
Porter[50] | Baltic Porter English Porter American Porter Pre-Prohibition Porter (Historical) |
| Red ale | Irish-Style Red Ale American-Style Amber/Red Ale Double Red Ale Imperial Red Ale |
Irish Red Ale | |||
| Roggenbier | German-Style Rye Ale | Roggenbier (Historical) | |||
| Saison | Saison[51] | Saison | Classic French & Belgian-Style Saison Specialty Saison |
Saison | |
| Scotch ale | Scotch Ale[52] | Scotch ale | Scotch Ale | Scottish Beers[53] | Wee Heavy |
| Stout | Sweet Stout[54] Dry Stout[54] Imperial Stout[54] |
Stout | Sweet Stout or Cream Stout Oatmeal Stout British-Style Imperial Stout Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout Export-Style Stout American-Style Stout American-Style Imperial Stout |
Stout[50] | Irish Stout Irish Extra Stout Sweet Stout Oatmeal Stout Tropical Stout Foreign Extra Stout American Stout Imperial Stout |
| Schwarzbier | Schwarzbier[55] | German-Style Schwarzbier | Schwarzbier | ||
| Vienna lager | Vienna[56] | Vienna-Style Lager | Vienna Lager | ||
| Witbier | Witbier[57] | Belgian-Style Witbier | Witbier | ||
| Weissbier | Weisse/Weissbier, Weizenbier[27] | South German-Style Kristal Weizen German-Style Leichtes Weizen South German-Style Bernsteinfarbenes Weizen |
Weissbier | ||
| Weizenbock | Weizenbock[27] | South German-Style Weizenbock | Weizenbock |
| Term | Brewers Association[8] | BJCP[10] |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit beer |
American-Style Fruit Beer |
Fruit Beer |
| Herb and spiced beer |
Chili Pepper Beer |
Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer |
| Honey beer | Specialty Honey Beer | Alternative sugar beer |
| Rye Beer | Rye Beer | Alternative grain beer |
| Smoked beer | Smoke Beer | Classic Style Smoked Beer Specialty Smoked Beer |
| Vegetable beer |
Field Beer |
Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer |
| Wild beer |
Brett Beer |
Brett Beer |
| Wood-aged beer | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer Wood- and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber Beer Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer |
Wood-Aged Beer Specialty Wood-Aged Beer |
|
Main article: Beer and breweries by region |
An alternative approach is to categorize beers by the country or region from which they originated. Both the Brewers Association and the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) group their beer styles in this way. Beers that originated in a particular country or region may be subsequently produced in other countries, e.g. British style ales are now brewed in North America.
| Country or Region | Brewers Association[8] | BJCP[10] |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | British Origin Ale Styles | British Bitter Brown British Beer Scottish Ale Dark British Beer Strong British Ale |
| Ireland | Irish Origin Ale Styles | Irish Beer |
| North America | North American Origin Ale Styles North American Origin Lager Styles |
Standard American Beer Pale American Ale Amber and Brown American Ale American Porter and Stout Strong American Ale American Wild Ale |
| Belgium | Belgian and French Origin Ale Styles | Belgian Ale Strong Belgian Ale |
| Czech Republic | Czech Lager | |
| France | Belgian and French Origin Ale Styles | |
| Germany | German Origin Ale Styles European-Germanic Origin Lager Styles |
German Wheat Beer |
| Europe | Pale Malty European Lager Pale Bitter European Lager Amber Malty European Lager Amber Bitter European Lager Dark European Lager Strong European Beer European Sour Ale | |
| Other | Other Origin Ale Styles Other Origin Lager Styles |
International Lager Pale Commonwealth Beer |
A number of ethnic beers or other fermented drinks based on cereals are generally not included on beer style groupings.[5] They are included here for completeness.
