Craft beer is renowned for its diversity of flavors, styles, and production techniques.
For both novices and connoisseurs, understanding the basic types of beer helps you navigate the rich world of craft beer and appreciate the craftsmanship of brewers. In this guide, we’ll take a detailed look at the main styles of craft beer, including popular and rarer varieties, revealing their characteristics and flavor profiles.
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IPA (India Pale Ale)
IPA is one of the most popular and recognizable styles of craft beer. It is distinguished by a pronounced hop flavor and aroma, often with high bitterness. Originally developed in England for long-distance sea voyages, IPA has become a symbol of the American craft revolution.
Main types:
West Coast IPA – clear, dry, with pronounced bitterness and aromas of pine, citrus, and resin.
New England IPA (NEIPA) — cloudy, “juicy”, soft and fruity, with aromas of mango, pineapple, orange.
Double/Imperial IPA (DIPA) — strong (from 7.5% ABV), rich, with a powerful hop profile.
Session IPA — a light version of IPA (up to 5% ABV), retaining hop expressiveness.
Black IPA — dark IPA with notes of roasted malt, combining coffee and hop accents.
Taste: Citrus, pine, tropical fruits, spices, often with high bitterness.
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Pale Ale (light ale)
A softer, more balanced style compared to IPA, moderate hop profile and malt.
Main types:
American Pale Ale (APA) — with citrus and pine hop notes, balanced malt flavor.
English Pale Ale/Bitter — earthy, less hoppy, with caramel sweetness.
Taste: Citrus, caramel, herbs, flowers. Moderate bitterness.
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Lagers
Lagers are fermented at low temperatures using low yeast, which gives them a clean, refreshing taste.
Main types:
Pilsner — light, crisp, with soft hop bitterness and floral notes.
Helles — German lager with a maltier, less bitter profile.
Dark Lager/Dunkel/Schwarzbier — dark lager with caramel and toasted tones.
Vienna Lager — amber, balanced between malt and hops.
Taste: Clean, light, malt-hop balance. From refreshing to rich.
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Stout
Dark, strong beer with roasted malt notes. Often associated with coffee, chocolate and a creamy texture.
Main types:
Dry Stout – a classic dry stout (like Guinness), with a vegetable bitterness.
Milk Stout – contains lactose, which gives sweetness and creaminess.
Imperial Stout – strong and rich, with a rich bouquet: from dark chocolate to dark fruits.
Oatmeal Stout – with the addition of oats, which gives silkiness.
Taste: Roasted coffee, chocolate, caramel, cream, sometimes a low-alcohol “punch”.
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Porter
Porters are related to stouts, but are often less strong and not as burnt. They have a soft, chocolate-caramel profile.
Main types:
Robast Porter – rich flavor, bitterness and roasted malt.
Baltic Porter – strong, lager fermentation, smooth and often sweet.
Taste: Coffee, caramel, nuts, dark chocolate.
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Wheat beer
Beer with a low wheat content, often with a slight haze and a soft body.
Main types:
Hefeweizen (German) – banana, cloves, fruity-spicy profile.
Witbier (Belgian) – with the addition of orange zest and coriander.
American wheat ale – less spicy, with a light hop note.
Taste: Citrus, spice, banana, bread, sometimes a slight sourness.
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Sour (sour beer)
Sours are sour, refreshing, often fruity. It is a mistake to get sourness from wild fermentation or adding a culture.
Main types:
Berliner Weisse – light, sour, often served this way.
Gose – a salty-sour beer with coriander and sea salt.
Lambic/Geuze/Kriek/Framboise – spontaneously fermented, often with fruit and aged in barrels.
Taste: Sour, fruity, refreshing, with hints of fermentation.
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Amber Ale
An intermediate style between light and dark. Expressive malt flavor, but with the presence of hops.
Main types:
American Amber Ale – caramel, bread, light citrus bitterness.
Irish Red Ale — soft, with an emphasis on malt sweetness.
Taste: Caramel, burnt sugar, bready notes, moderate bitterness.
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Belgian Ale
Their flavor and aroma structures are known, regardless of yeast strain.
Main types:
Dubbel — dark, fruity and spicy, with caramel notes.
Tripel — light, spicy, with fruits and a light aftertaste.
Quadrupel — very strong beer with a rich, sweet, wine profile.
Saison — “farmhouse beer”, dry, refreshing, fruity and spicy.
Belgian Golden Strong Ale — austere, with a light body, often deceptively soft.
Taste: Complex — spices, fruits, yeast, wine notes.
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Brown Ale
Sweet, malty flavors, often with nutty or caramel accents. Characterized by softness and moderate bitterness , with tones of baked bread.
American Brown Ale is hoppier and denser, with chocolate-caramel notes.
Taste: Nuts, caramel, chocolate, sometimes light smoke.
Craft beer is a whole world of flavors, aromas, and cultural traditions.
Whether it’s a light and crisp lager, a fruity and spicy Belgian ale, or a rich stout with coffee aromas, each style opens up a new facet of the brewing art. By exploring a variety of styles, you not only expand your taste horizons, but also learn to appreciate the craft that goes into each bottle or glass.