Styles

ABBEY ALE:  Usually an unfiltered wheat beer that has a full aroma.

 

ALE: Ales are beers with a “flowery” aroma of apples, pears, pineapples, grass, hay, plums, or prunes. These aromas are just one key characteristic of ales.  This is because of the top-fermenting yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae and the by-product of it fermentation is esters, which add the aromas to ale beers.  The yeast used in ales is top-fermented yeast that is a fast working yeast that thrives at temperatures between 60-70 degrees F.  Ales come in many styles, flavors, and colors.  Ale can either be a pale golden color, like a pale ale, or almost black like stout.  This is determined from the malts used during the brewing process.

 

ALT OR ALTBEIR: Ales range from copper to bronze in color and sweet carmel to fruity bitterness in flavor.  Should be served around 50 degrees F. 

 

AMERICAN LIGHT LAGER: Style of major American beers.  Very light, smooth and mild, like Bud and Miller.  Should be served at 45 degrees F.

 

BARLEYWINE: Strong, full-bodied dark ale with malt sweetness, distinct hop bitterness and high alcohol.  Best if served at room temperature. 

 

BERLINER WEISSE: Acidic, refreshing, light-bodied style of Wheat Beer made in Berlin.  Low in alcohol.  Served in a champagne flute, and lightly chilled to 45 –50 degrees F.

 

BIERE de GARDE: Style made in France, especially the northwest.  Broadly of the ale type.  Medium to strong in alcohol.  Fruity.  Serve at 50 – 55 degrees F. 

 

BLONDE OR GOLDEN ALE: The color is usually lighter than pale ales.  Most commonly associated with a lager but it still holds a flowery aroma and a light crisp taste.

 

BOCK: The bock tends to have a malty sweet taste.  This beer is full bodied and is typically very dark.  Traditionally, served in stoneware mug and it should not be served at a temperature less than 48 degrees F. 

 

BROWN ALE: This beer is moderately dark.  Often it is considered a porter but holds less alcohol content.  Lightly hopped, sweet and full-bodied.  Should be served at 55 degrees F.

 

CREAM ALE: A very mild, sweetish, golden style of ale made in the United States.  Served at 45 –50 degrees F.

 

DIAT PILS: Made for diabetics, which is unusual in nature, the fermentation eats up the carbohydrates, but in the process creates alcohol.  This procedure makes for a strong, very dry beer.   

 

DOPPELBOCK: “Double” Bock potent lager most popular in cooler months.  Very rich.  Should be served at 50 degrees F.   

 

EISBOCK: A rich dessert beer that averages 11% alcohol.

 

EXPORT: A pale lager that is dryer than a munich type but less hoppy than a pilsner but stronger than both.  This beer should be served around 48 degrees F.

 

FARO: A sweeter type of Lambic beer.  Should be served at or around cellar temperature.

 

FRAMBOISE: A raspberry Lambic beer, should be served chilled in champagne flutes.

 

IMPERIAL “RUSSIAN” STOUT: Strong, rich, with a fruit and black currant flavor.  Should be served at room temperature.

 

INDIA PALE ALE: High in hops and moderately malty.  The hops brings out some of the bitter qualities in an India pale ale.  It has a dry, assertive, fruity, flowery, and distinctly alcoholic.  It ranges from a pale to a deep copper.  Should be served at or around 55 degrees F. 

 

KOLSCH: Delicate, dry, lightly fruity golden ale, made in the Cologne area of Germany.  Should be served in a Collins glass at 48 degrees F.

 

LAGER: Lager beer is a brew that is cleaner, drier, and lighter then ale beers.  Lagers use a bottom fermenting yeast that is slower fermenting then the yeast used in ales.  The yeast used in lager beers is called Saccharomyces Carlbergensis.  This yeast works slowly at freezing temperatures.  It produces a beer that has little aromas compared to ale beers.   

 

LAMBIC: Reminiscent of a Chardonnay.  Spontaneously fermenting beer from Belgium.  Should be served at cellar temperature.

 

MARZEN: Amber in color and semi-dry.  Served at 48 degrees F.

 

OKTOBERFEST: Typically, this is a seasonal beer.  This style of beer is associated with the German holiday so often it relates typical German beers.  These types of beers are considered to have an  amber to a copper color.  Often, very heavy and full bodied.

 

PALE ALE: Named to distinguish them from porters.  From mildly to distinctly bitter, with some malt-based sweetness.  Dry and hoppy taste, amber to a copper brown in color.  Served at 55 degrees F.

 

PILSNER: German pilsners tend to be lighter than those from Czechoslovakia and very dry.  They are usually a golden colored dry beer.  Pilsners tend to have a flowery aroma and a dry finish.  Should be served at 48 degrees F.

 

PORTER:  These beers are well hopped and heavily malted with black or chocolate malt, which adds to the dark color.  They range from bitter to mild and malty sweet.  However, they are drier than stouts – between a stout and ale.  Serve at 55 degrees F.

 

SCOTCH ALE: Very strong, hints of caramel and chocolate.  Should be served at 55 degrees F.

 

STEAMED BEER: An amber beer fermented at relatively high temperatures and indigenous to San Francisco from around the turn of the century.  The name comes from the barrels erupting during fermentation.  Should be served at 45 degrees F.

 

STOUT: This is an extra-dark, top-fermenting brew.  This beer can be sweetish and has a very strong taste.  A stout can be considered an extra dark porter.  Should be served at room temperature. 

 

WEIZEN: German for “white” or “wheat” these are wheat beers, and if the word “hefe” appears on the label, it contains yeast.  Should be served lightly chilled.