One of the best—and admittedly most confusing—elements of craft beer is the seemingly endless list of styles that brewers toss around. For the adventurous, such limitless variety creates an optimism in tasting new brews, as even the most experienced beer drinkers are bound to stumble upon something new eventually. But for everyone else, the giant range of flavors can be intimidating, too often forcing you to take a shot in the dark when ordering something new. Though I can’t touch upon nearly every beer style out there, I’ll do my best to help.
The Basics:
Amber Ale: Really mild and drinkable, the toasty grain malts usually dominate over more intense hop flavors, resulting in a good gateway or session beer.
Recommendation: Ale Asylum Ambergeddon
Pale Ale: All about balance, the best pale ales provide lots of hop and malt flavor while remaining drinkable by avoiding excessive bitterness or booziness. Expect some bright citrus as well as toasty bread notes.
Recommendations: New Glarus Moon Man, Three Floyds Alpha King and Zombie Dust
Wheat Beer:Wheat beers often refer to the German-style Hefe-Weizens, which feature lots of fluffy bread, banana and clove. However, many different takes on the style, like the peppery Belgian Witbier and more hop-forward American Wheat beers are also pretty common.
Recommendations: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Furthermore Fatty Boombalatty
American Lager: There’s not much to say here. The style ranges from poorly executed corn water macrobrews to the warmer, maltier, German inspired-offerings.
Recommendations: New Glarus Totally Naked
IPA: If there is one beer style leading the craft beer revolution it is the India Pale Ale. Hoppy, bitter and crisp, expect lots of grapefruit and some sweet honey malts.
Recommendations: Bell’s Two Hearted, Tyranena Hop Whore
Porter and Oatmeal Stouts:Even though they look thick, intimidating and “like a million calories,” oatmeal stouts and porters can actually be pretty mild-—and don’t worry, the color of a beer has nothing to do with its calorie count. Sweet grains and milk-chocolate flavors come forward, with a bit of roasted coffee and toast.
Recommendations: Vintage Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
More Advanced:
Double IPA: The only difference here is a lot more hops and higher alcohol. Ranging up to 10 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) and over 100 IBUs (international bitterness units), the style caters to the experienced hop heads.
Recommendations: Bell’s Hopslam, Founders Double Trouble
Bock: The bock and its stronger cousin, the doppelbock, are German-style strong lagers. Tons of malt contribute to a rich, boozy, dark fruit flavor profile (think plums, fig, pomegranate, etc).
Recommendations: New Glarus Back 40 Bock, Schneider Aventinus
Scotch Ale:This style is all about creamy, toasty, sugary sweet malt in all of its glory. It’s lower in alcohol, leading to a sessionable ale perfect for a fall night.
Recommendations: Great Dane Blackwatch Scotch Ale, Three Floyd’s Robert the Bruce
Imperial Stout: Easily the most intimidating style, Imperial Stouts are bold, boozy, thick and dark as oil, and absolutely delicious. Many brewers infuse these high-alcohol beers with coffee or cacao nibs to achieve a decadent dessert beer.
Recommendations: Bell’s Expedition Stout, Southern Tier Choklat
Golden Belgian Ale: Incredibly drinkable for the high (sometimes double-digit) alcohol content, golden Belgian Ales tend to be very bubbly and refreshing. Sub-categories include Saisons, Belgian Tripels and the more vaguely named Belgian Blonde ales.
Recommendations: Westmalle Tripel, Goose Island Sofie
Dark Belgian Ale: Many of these consistently rank near the top of the best beers in the world lists, with an astoundingly complex balance of dark fruits, yeast, candied sugars and bread notes. Once again, several subcategories, such as Dubbels and Quadruppels exist.
Recommendations: Rochefort 10, St. Bernardus Abt 12
Sour Ales: These ales are an entirely different kind of Belgian ale. Sours (such as lambics and krieks) are intense, unique and expensive. Don’t be surprised if you pucker your mouth in disgust the first time you try one, since there’s a steep learning curve when it comes to drinking sours. But stick with the style, and you’ll eventually realize why beer geeks obsess over this stuff.
Recommendations: Jolly Pumpkin La Roja, New Glarus Enigma
Niko’s beer column runs every other Thursday. Send questions and comments to ivanovic@wisc.edu.
