Beer Styles
Explore 41 beer styles based on BJCP 2021 guidelines. Understand what makes each style unique.
Showing 41 styles in 9 categories
IPA(6)
American IPA
A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale. The balance is hop-forward, but clean enough to be drinkable. Showcases modern American and New World hop varieties.
Double IPA
An intensely hoppy, fairly strong pale ale with big hop aroma and flavor. Noticeably bitter, but with enough malt presence to support the hop expression.
Hazy IPA
A hoppy, bitter, moderately strong American pale ale with a characteristic soft, smooth body and juicy hop character. Less bitter than classic American IPAs, with a focus on late and dry hop additions.
English IPA
A hoppy, moderately strong, very well-attenuated pale British ale with earthy, floral, and citrusy English hop character.
West Coast IPA
A hop-forward, bitter, and dry IPA with prominent citrus and pine hop character.
Session IPA
A pale, hoppy ale with lower alcohol but intense hop character.
Pale Ale(5)
American Pale Ale
An average-strength, hop-forward, pale American craft beer with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and drinkable.
English Pale Ale
A moderate-strength British ale with good malt and hop balance. A pleasant, easy-drinking, yet distinctly-flavored British style.
British Brown Ale
A malty, brown beer with a caramel and chocolate character. Balanced with mild bitterness.
Scottish Light
A malt-focused, low-alcohol beer with caramel and toffee flavors.
American Amber Ale
An amber, hop-forward beer with caramel malt flavors and moderate bitterness.
Lager(12)
American Lager
A light-bodied, highly-carbonated lager with a clean, neutral flavor profile and low bitterness.
American Light Lager
A lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol version of the American Lager with a clean, neutral flavor.
Czech Pilsner
A refreshing, slightly bitter, rich pale lager with a subtle malt complexity and a smooth, lasting finish.
German Pilsner
A crisp, clean, refreshing beer with subtle malt sweetness, moderate hop bitterness, and a dry finish.
Mexican Lager
A light, refreshing lager with subtle malt sweetness and a clean, crisp finish. Often served with lime.
Euro Pale Lager
A medium-bodied pale lager with subtle malt sweetness and restrained hop character.
Vienna Lager
An amber, rich, toasty lager with a soft, smooth maltiness and moderate bitterness.
Doppelbock
A strong, rich, and very malty German lager with complex melanoidins and minimal hops.
Märzen / Oktoberfest
A smooth, malty German lager with toasted bread and honey flavors.
Schwarzbier
A dark German lager that balances roasted but smooth malt flavors with moderate hop bitterness.
Kölsch
A clean, crisp German ale with subtle fruit and hop character.
Cream Ale
A clean, well-attenuated, American ale that is pale gold and light-bodied.
Stout(5)
Irish Dry Stout
A black beer with a pronounced roasted flavor, often similar to coffee. Dry and bitter finish.
Imperial Stout
A massive, intensely-flavored dark ale with coffee, chocolate, and roasted flavors. High alcohol and full body.
Oatmeal Stout
A dark, roasty stout with a full body and creamy mouthfeel from oatmeal.
Sweet/Milk Stout
A dark ale with sweetness from lactose, giving a creamy, chocolate character.
Foreign Extra Stout
A very dark, moderately strong, roasty stout with tropical fruit and coffee notes.
Porter(2)
Wheat Beer(3)
Hefeweizen
A refreshing German wheat beer with distinctive banana and clove flavors from yeast.
Witbier
A refreshing, spiced Belgian wheat ale with orange peel and coriander notes.
American Wheat Beer
A refreshing wheat-based American ale or lager with minimal esters and a clean finish.
Belgian Ale(4)
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
A dark, complex, very strong Belgian ale with a rich malty sweetness and dark fruit flavors.
Belgian Tripel
A strong, complex, pale Belgian ale with a rounded malt flavor, fruity esters, and spicy phenolics.
Belgian Dubbel
A deep reddish-copper Belgian ale with complex malt flavors, dark fruit, and a touch of spice.
Saison
A refreshing Belgian farmhouse ale with a fruity, spicy, and slightly tart character.
Sour(3)
Berliner Weisse
A very pale, refreshing, low-alcohol German wheat beer with a clean lactic sourness.
Gose
A tart, lightly sour German wheat beer with a distinctive salty and citrusy character.
Flanders Red Ale
A complex, sour, red wine-like Belgian ale with malty sweetness and fruity complexity.
About Beer Style Guidelines
Our style database is based on the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines (Beer Judge Certification Program), which is the most widely used standard for categorizing beer styles in the craft beer community.
Each style includes key metrics like:
- ABV (Alcohol By Volume) - The percentage of alcohol
- IBU (International Bitterness Units) - A measure of bitterness from hops
- SRM (Standard Reference Method) - A measure of beer color
- OG/FG (Original/Final Gravity) - Measures of sugar content before and after fermentation