BEER STYLES

1. STANDARD AMERICAN BEER

This category describes everyday American beers that have a wide public appeal. Containing both ales and lagers, the beers of this category are not typically complex, and have smooth, accessible flavors

2. INTERNATIONAL LAGER

International lagers are the premium mass-market lagers produced in most countries in the world. Whether developed from American or European styles, they all tend to have a fairly uniform character and are heavily marketed.

3. CZECH LAGER

Czech lagers are generally divided by gravity class (draft, lager, special) and color (pale, amber, dark). The Czech names for these categories are světlé (pale), polotmavé (amber), and tmavé (dark)

4. PALE MALTY EUROPEAN LAGER

This style category contains malty, pale, Pilsner malt-driven German lagers of vollbier to starkbier strength. While malty, they are still well-attenuated, clean lagers, as are most German beers.

5. PALE BITTER EUROPEAN BEER

This category describes everyday American beers that have a wide public appeal. Containing both ales and lagers, the beers of this category are not typically complex, and have smooth, accessible flavors.

6. AMBER MALTY EUROPEAN LAGER

This category groups amber-colored, German-origin, bottom-fermented lagerbiers that have a malty balance and are vollbier to starkbier in strength.

7. AMBER BITTER EUROPEAN BEER

This category groups amber-colored, evenly balanced to bitter balanced beers of German or Austrian origin.

8. DARK EUROPEAN LAGER

This category contains German vollbier lagers darker than amber-brown color.

9. STRONG EUROPEAN BEER

This category contains more strongly flavored and higher alcohol lagers from Germany and the Baltic region. Most are dark, but some pale versions are known.

10. GERMAN WHEAT BEER

This category contains vollbier- and starkbier-strength German wheat beers without sourness, in light and dark colors.

11. BRITISH BITTER

The family of British bitters grew out of English pale ales as a draught product in the late 1800s. The use of crystal malts in bitters became more widespread after WWI. Traditionally served very fresh under no pressure (gravity or hand pump only) at cellar temperatures (i.e., “real ale”).