Craft Beer Styles Explained

But yeast is only half the story. Brewing style, hop varieties, malt selection, water profile and technique all shape the final beer - and they’re what turn these two broad families into dozens of distinct styles.

Ales cover a huge spectrum, including India Pale Ales (IPAs), pale ales, stouts, porters and many Belgian styles. Lagers have their own line-up too: German Helles, Czech Pilsner (yes, pilsner is a style of lager), plus Bock and Dunkel, to name a few.

To complicate things further, some brewers tweak fermentation by introducing bacteria and wild yeasts, creating “punky” sour beers and traditional lambics such as Gueuze and Kriek. Then there are slow-aged classics like Flanders Red and Oud Bruin - styles that can take years to make and offer a complexity that rivals fine wines and spirits.

IPA

Crisp. Citrusy. Floral. Tropical. Spicy. Woody. Earthy. Bitter. Not Bitter … do you see a theme? No? You are not alone. IPA is nearly undefinable anymore besides the fact that it is a heavily hopped pale beer typically with higher alcohol.

India Pale Ale has been a staple of the British brewing scene since its introduction in the 18th Century. Originally invented to transport beer to soldiers and colonists in India – hence its name – the use of excess hops, with their antibacterial properties and higher alcohol helped the beer survive the journey but also resulted in a bitter, strong, hoppy taste.

Depending on the hops used, flavours range from fruity and tropical to citrusy and earthy, and expect big flavours when done right. IPA has its own subset of styles, including West Coast IPA, which often has dank, pine notes, and the more tropical New England IPA (NEIPA), both of which have led to a USA-inspired re-imagination of this classic British beer style.

These days you can expect most craft breweries to also produce Imperial IPAs which can also be known as Double IPAs (DIPAs) and even Triple IPAs (TIPAs). These are similar to IPAs, but with the hop and malt profiles – and ABVs – turned up a notch or two. Typically, they’re very hazy and richly textured. And if that sounds like your thing, try a Milkshake IPA – creamy, cloudy, a touch sweet and delicious.

Pale Ale

Typically, a more balanced malt to hop ratio and lower alcohol payload than its IPA cousin, medium-bodied and an easy drinker, pale ale is a hoppy delight. Styles include English Pale Ales with a bit more caramel and a woody, earthy and spicy hop aroma to classic American Pale Ale with its citrus flavours and firm bitterness and lastly onto the current trend of hazy, tropical, citrus lead beers that have a soft mouthfeel and very, very low bitterness.

The hops used in Pale Ales and IPAs play a crucial role in the beer’s flavour profile. Here are some of the hop varieties – and their characteristics – that you may have seen on beer labels:

• Citra – as the name suggests, this hop imparts a burst of citrus zest, with hints of grapefruit and lime. Refreshment guaranteed!
• Cascade – another hop that makes for a beer with real citrus punch and a touch of pine. A big favourite with America’s craft brewing pioneers.
• Amarillo – celebrated for its tropical fruit and orange peel notes. Makes for a bright and very inviting beer.
• Nelson Savin – if you love New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, look out for beers that are hopped with this variety. Lots of passion fruit and grapefruit notes and real zing!
• Chinook – plenty of pine resin notes, bright grapefruit character and a real fresh finish. Popular in pales and IPAs and also used in some porters and stouts.
• Fuggles – this is the hop that gives traditional English ale its classic bitterness.

Sour

To go into depth properly on sours we would need an entire book. In simple terms there are two types to know about: Berliner Weisse, Gose and Fruited Sours. The vast majority of sours you’ll see from craft breweries will be some amalgamation of these. In short, the brewers lower the pH of the beers, acidifying it with lactobacillus bacteria. That’s the same acid in yoghurt that gives that “twang” you know so well.

Once the beer has been acidified and fermented it can be left alone which would resemble a more traditional Berliner Weisse or, as in most cases now, fruit is added, and secondary fermentation begins. This layers a fruity quality and striking colour over the top of the already tart beer. Tart, fruity and very refreshing, they go great with food and are hard to beat on warm day. But they are still “controlled” every step of the way by the brewer and don’t take any longer than a normal ale to produce.

Lambic, Gueuze, Wild Ale. The height of craft brewing art. These beers command the most money and respect because they provide the most complexity and romance in the world of beer. They’re practically a different product to regular beer, like store-bought sliced ham compared to 24-month aged jamon from Spain. Both are both pork (or beer) but that is where any comparison ends.

These craft beers require the brewer to be in a symbiotic relationship with nature and to gently steer the process along the way all the while knowing that mother nature is in charge. Airborne wild yeast and microflora provide a true terroir. That, along with barrel aging, blending and re-fermentation in the bottle one of the most complex beverages on the on the planet.

Saison

French for 'season', saison is a Belgian style ale referred to sometimes as a farmhouse ale. They are difficult to classify as the character can range quite broadly but what you can expect is an extremely dry, thirst quenching beer with high carbonation, a spicy hop aroma and rustic quality hard to put your finger on.

Not all saisons are tart but some can have a bit of acidity to them. Pigeonholing saison to specific flavour attributes is an exercise in frustration but for lovers of saison that elusiveness is the allure.