FOLIO LINE FOLIO LINE M c C l a t c h y - Tr i b u n e

An introduction to the
major types of ales and lagers
Graphics and text by Mark Nowlin/The Seattle Times
This is a beginner’s guide to the such as wheat, pumpkin, honey, spices,
main styles of ales and lagers, and is fruit, smoked malt or chile peppers, the
not meant to be the definitive beer beer is known as a specialty beer.
bible. Specialty, hybrids, cream, The alcohol content of beer is measured
smoked and steamed beers are not in percent by volume (ABV). The low end
shown. Some Belgian beers have is around 2 percent, rising up to a sky-high
been included under the main styles. 25 percent. Most beers have an ABV of 4
to 6 percent.
What is in beer?
The three main ingredients are Color range
water, malt (barley grain that has Chart key
been kiln dried) and hops (a cone- Flavors, taste
or aromas
like fruit grown on vines). From the STYLE
combination of these ingredients and Xxxx xxx
the fermenting yeast used during Type ABV
brewing come the many colors, fla- Xxx xx X.X-X.X%
vors and aromas of beer.
The most common beer styles are Suggested
ales and lagers. When other ingredi- style of glass Alcohol By
for this beer. Volume
ents are used to enhance the flavor

Ales are made with a top-fermenting yeast (yeast that gathers at the surface at the
start of the brewing) at temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees for two to three weeks.
Top-fermenting yeasts produce phenols, which impart spicy undertones, and esters,
which provide fruity flavors and aromas. Ales are usually higher in alcohol than lagers.
The ale family includes pale, amber/red, strong and dark.

PALE DARK
Pronounced Toasted with
hop flavor PALE nutty malt BROWN
flavor and
little hop
R O N J E N K I N S / F O RT W O RT H S TA R - T E L E G R A M / M C T

Alcohol By
Type Volume (AVB) Type ABV
Nonic Pale Ale 4.5-5.5% Mug or English mild 2.5-4.1%
pint American-style 4.5-5.7 pint English-style 3.5-6.0
glass glass
Belgian-style 4.0-6.0 American-style 4.2-6.0
German-style 4.3-5.5
Belgian-style 6.0-10.0

Pronounced Roasted
hop flavor malt taste
IPA with light
PORTER
with caramel
or nutty malt to firm hop

Type ABV Type ABV

Goblet India Pale Ale 5.1-7.6 % Imperial Brown Porter 3.8-5.2%

or Belgian IPA 6.0-12.0 pint Robust 4.8-6.0
chalice glass
Imperial/ 7.5-10.5 Baltic 5.5-9.5
Double IPA

Medium to Roasted taste

high bitterness BITTER with low STOUT
sweetness,
high bitterness
Type ABV Type ABV

Nonic Ordinary 3.0-3.8% Tulip Dry Stout 3.2-5.5%

Lagers are made with a bottom-fermenting yeast (the yeast gathers and sinks to the Special 3.7-4.8 pint Oatmeal Stout 3.3-6.1
pint
bottom during brewing) at cooler temperatures, between 45 and 55 degrees for four to glass glass
Extra Special 3.7-4.8 Sweet Stout 4.5-6.5
six weeks and then stored cold at temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees. Cold storage (chocolate, coffee)
keeps acids and other by-products from forming, producing a clean and crisp taste. The
Imperial Stout 7.8-9.0
lager family includes light, pilsner, amber, bock and dark. Most lagers are less alcoholic
Imperial Russian 8.0-13.0
than ales.

LIGHT PILSNER STRONG SCOTTISH AMBER/RED AMBER/

Very little hop LIGHT Medium to PILSNER Rich malty Medium to
bitterness or high hop flavors & IRISH high hop and RED
flavor bitterness and aromas toasted malt flavors

Type ABV Type ABV Type ABV Type ABV

Becker American Lite 2.9-4.5 % Pilsner Bohemian- or 4.0-5.0 % Thistle Light 2.8-4.0% Tumbler American Amber 4.5-5.7 %
pint Tropical-style 3.8-5.0 glass Czech-style glass Heavy 3.5-4.1 pint Irish Red Ale 4.0-6.5
glass German-style 4.1-5.4 glass
Belgian-style 4.0-6.0 Export 4.0-4.9 Imperial/Double 7.9-10.5
or mug/ American-style 5.0-6.0
American Standard 4.1-4.8 Scotch Ale 6.5-10.0 Red Ale
Seidel
glass American Premium 4.6-5.1
Munich helles 4.5-5.6

Intensely
AMBER BOCK malty with
Sweet to mild AMBER Rich malty flavor BARLEY
BOCK caramel Where’s the Hefeweizen?
malt flavor with
flavor and
WINE
medium hop Wheat ales use malted
bitterness bitter hop wheat in 40-60%
of the recipe, which
Type ABV Type ABV Type ABV
puts them into the WHEAT
Mug/ Octoberfest 5.0-6.5 % Stange Heller bock/Maibock 6.0-8.0% Tulip/ English 8.0–12.0% speciality beer
Seidel Märzen 4.1-6.5 glass Bock 6.3-7.5 snifter American 8.0–12.0 category.
glass or Tom glass
Vienna 4.5-5.7 Doppelbock 6.5-8.0
or a pint Collins These kinds of ales have very low
glass American-style 5.5-8.0 glass Eisbock 9.0-12.0 hop, and a wheaty flavor.

Type ABV
Beer trivia Flavored 4.0-8.0%
DARK Wheat Ale
Q: What country is the world’s No. 1 Malt flavor Sweet nutty OLD
beer producer?
DARK White Ale 4.5-6.0
throughout, malt and ALE Hefeweizen 4.5-6.2
A:: China. The U.S. moderately sweet fruit flavors
Weizenbier 4.3-5.6
is second followed by
Type ABV Type ABV Belgian-style 4.8-5.2
Russia and Brazil,
Tulip American-style dark Weizen Dunkelweizen 4.5-6.0
out of the 169 coun- 4.0-5.5 % Thistle English 6.0-9.0% glass
tries around the world brewing beer pint glass Weizenbock 6.5-9.6
Münchner Dunkel 4.5-5.6 glass Belgian 7.0-11.0
today. Schwarzbier 3.8-5.0

S O U R C E S : “ T H E B R E W E R S A S S O C I AT I O N G U I D E TO A M E R I C A N C R A F T B E E R ,” 2 0 0 9 , B R E W E R S A S S O C I AT I O N ; 2 0 0 8 B J C P S T Y L E G U I D E L I N E S ; WA S H I N G TO N B R E W E R S G U I L D ; S E AT T L E P U B L I C L I B R A RY, R E F E R E N C E L I B R A R I A N S ; S A M U E -
L A DA M S . C O M / W O R L D _ O F _ B E E R . A S P X ; W W W. B E E RT U TO R . C O M ; G R E AT B R E W E R S . C O M ; B E E R A DVO C AT E . C O M ; W W W. B E E R H I S TO RY. C O M ; W W W. G L O B A L M A LT. C O M

WORLD OF BEER
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