Hi, this is our Beer Style page.
I hope it is helpful in your brewing adventures.I'm sure we missed some
,but hey,we're only human.Well sit back,relax,and have a homebrew.
Abbey:
This is a rich,full-bodied Belgian Ale that was coppied from the Trappist
style.They sometimes have a vinous character due to the high alcohol
content and were named after the Belgian Abbeys'(monastery) that they were
made in.Yes Monks drank beer.Colors range from deep gold to dark red.Esters,
malt, and Phenols are useually dominant.
Altbier:
Also known as Dusseldorfer.Altbier means "old" or traditional in German.
This refers to the old way beer was made by an ale yeast and then lagered
for a long period after fermentation was complete.Theese are full-bodied and
bitter. Color can be deep amber to brown.Also they are more drier and
carbonated than an English Ale.
American Pilsner:
This can also be called Premium Lager.They use adjuncts such as corn and
rice, should be highly carbonated and served ice-cold.Light in color and
hops.
Barley Wine:
Also known as a wine in beer clothing.This has a HIGH alcohol content
which at times may taste like sherry.Final gravities tend to be high which
leaves a residual sweetness.This is balanced by a high hopping rate.Color is
useually dark amber to copper.If let sit Barley Wine will reach its full
maturity in about 1 year.
Belgian Red:
Gets its red color from large quantities of Vienna malt.Is tart, spicy,and acidic comes
from a long maturation in oak casks.
Belgian Strong Ale:
Similar to Barley Wine in alcohol strenght.They use fermentable sugars
to give it the high alcohol but doesn't have the maltiness associated with
dopplebocks.Colr can be deep gold to red.
Biere de Garde/Paris:
Moderate body and maltiness.Hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma are
usually mild.Brewed in the same tradition as the Belgians.Color is amber to
red.
Bitter:
These are not as bitter as the name states.There are three subclasses
which include ordinary,special,and best(E.S.B. and strong).They are more
aromatic and spicy than they are bitter.Color can be bronze to copper and may
have some fruitiness and butterscotch flavor in there profile.
Bock:
Bock is a rich malty beer.Can be 6.5% alcohol or more.These were also
drunk by monks.They are a lager but can be fermented with an ale yeast and
then lagered for a period of time.Color can be deep amber to black.
Brown ALe:
You can use a wide range of ingrediants in a Brown.American styles have
more bitterness, flavor, and aroma than English styles.
Californian Common:
A lager fermented at either high lager temps. or low ale temps and than
lagered.This is also called steam beer.Has a medium flavor and body.Well
hopped in bitterness, flavor, and aroma.High carbonation levels.Color is
pale staw to copper.
Canadian Ales/lagers:
Similar to U.S. versions but they have a higher hop characteristic.
Cream Ale:
An American or Canadian ale that is lagered after fermentation is
complete.They can also be blended with a lager to produce a smooth clean
flavor.Color can be bronze to burnt copper.
Czech Pils:
Started the Lager revolution.Pale straw to deep golden color.More complex
and malty than American and European styles
Dortmunder Export:
Has a full bodied and robust character.
Dubbel:
A subclass of Belgian Trappist and Abbey.They are not twice as strong as
Trappist or Abbeys but they do have a higher alcohol content.The term dubbel
refers to the starting gravities.They can be somewhat sweet.Color can be reddish brown
and benefit fromg a good aging time.
Eis Bock:
German for Ice Bock.You freeze a Dopplebock removeing the excess water
which gives you a maltier, sweeter,more alcoholic beer.
Faro:
A Belgian Lambic that is spontaneously fermented with wild yeast and then
candy sugar is added to restart fermemtation.It is slightly sweet,lactic, and
acidic but with a winelike character.
Framboise:
A lambic or gueuze with fresh raspberry juice.Should be minimally hopped.
Sour & cloudy.
German Pils:
A spin off of the Czech Pils.More paler,effervescent,andhoppier than the
Original.
Grand Cru:
A strong seasonal beer.Higher in alcohol than Belgians and pale in color.
Gueuze:
old lambic(2-4 years old)and a young lambic(1/2-1 year old)are mixed
and then fermented again.Then age for one year in the bottle.
Ice Beer:
lager that ferments at very cold conditions.This produces a very clean
and smooth beer.Then the beer is frozen and the ice is removed just as the
Eis Bock.
I.P.A.:
I heard two stories about the origination of an I.P.A. We all know that
I.P.A. stands for India Pale Ale.The first story is that when England brewed
beer to send to their troops in India it was of a high alcohol strenght and
very hoppy. These act as a preservative and help preserve the beer on its
long journey.The other was a ship was forced to land at Londons "India Dock"
that had a cargo of,you guessed it,beer.Henced the name India Pale Ale.
Irish Red:
This gets its' color from the use of roasted barley.Has more sweetness
and body than English Pale.They are malty,lightly hopped and may have a
buttery quality.Can be an ale or a lager but traditionaly the are ales.
Kellerbier:
A fruity Bavarian lager.High is hops and lightly carbonated.Similar to
homebrew lagers.
Kolsch:
Has medium bitterness.Can be cloudy.Slightly Lactic.Always blond colored.
Kriek:
A lambic or gueuze that has gone under a long second fermentation with
cherries in oak.
Lambic:
A beer that is fermented with wild yeast.To be traditional it must have
30% wheat.Lightly hopped ans sour.Can be flavored with fruit but than it is
called a Framboise.
Marzen:
To be labled a tru Marzen it has to be brewed in March and served in late
September or early October.Similar to Vienna but slightly darker and stronger.
Should be smooth and malty but well balanced with Czech or German hops.
Mild Ale:
These are low alcohol,medium to light body,witha slight sweetness.Color
can be copper to dark brown.
Munich Dunkel:
Dunkel means dark.So this is a dark lager.Usually malty and somewhat
sweet but well balanced by the use of Bavarian holps.
Munich Helles:
This is just a pale version of Munich Dunkel.Helles in German means pale.
Okterberfest:
An American term for Marzen.Served at festivals in october.
Old Ale:
A higher strenghth beer.They are close to Barley Wine strength.This also
should sit for at least one year before serving.In olden time it was a very expensive
brew and was mixed with an English mild to produce porter.Today we know this
mixing as being called a black and tan.
Oud Bruin:
Also known as Old Brown.This is a Belgian that has a long secondary
fermentation That is done in casks.This process pick up some sourness but
has a winelike profile.Theese can be flavored with raspberries or cherries
and all have a low hopping rate.
Pale Ale:
A full bodied beer with balanced maltiness,bitterness, and fruitiness.
They are not pale as the name implies but are not as dark as say a stout.Color
can be amber to copper.
Porter:
This was made by blending an old ale with a mild or brown ale.Should have
a spicy chocolate profile.
Rauchbier:
A German smoked beer.Theese go great with Sausages,cheese,or any other smoked food.
They get the smokey flavor by the use of smoked malts.The malts were smoked
with either oak or beechwood.
Roggenbier:
Also known as Rye Beer.Made from at least 60% malted or roasted rye.
Saison:
An earthy ale that is brewed in the French speaking region of Belgium.
Brewed in the winter for spring consumption.They use an ale yeast,dry hopped
and then bottled in a corked bottle.
Schwarzbier:
This is a black beer lager from Germany.Has a bitter sweet chocolate
flavor.Darker than the dunkel and more aggressive.Surprisinly some of the
best comes out of Japan.
Scottish:
There are three subclasses for this.Light,Heavy,and export(eg.60 shilling
70 shilling, and 80 shilling).Low hopping rates are used.
Scotch Ale:
Could be called wee-heavy and is a subclass of scottish.They are often
dark,rich,and complex in character and approach Barley Wine strenght.
Steam Beer:
See Caifornian Common
Steinbier:
A wheat beer brewed in Germany. Steinbier litterally means stone beer and
is made by dropping very hot stones into a cask filled with wort. This would
boil the wort and the sugars would crystallize on the stones. Then the stones
were placed in the beer to be fermented. This process would give the beer a
smokey,sweet flavor.
Stout:
An English ale that is darker than a porter. Made with roasted barley to
give the beer a roasted coffee taste. They can be either sweet,dry,or an
imperial.
Trappist:
The only beer to be called a trappist has to be produced by Trappist
monasteries.They are lightly hopped and very strong(6-10%alcohol).They
are estery,phenolic,and have a complex malt character.Candi sugar is often
used.
Tripel:
These have trappist origins and are three times the O.G. of a pale ale.
They use a generous amount of candi sugar.
Vienna:
A malty lager that is brewed in late winter for the harvest in autumn.
Very malty,well balanced,and moderately strong.
Wheat/Weizen:
Uses wheat along with the 2-row.Can be redish gold to dark brown.Bavarian
styles have more banana and clove esters.
Witbier:
A cloudy wheat beer.Use of unmalted wheat,corriander,cumin,bitter,and sweet
orange peel are not unusual.