BEER STYLES

Ale
One of the two main beer styles (Ales and Lagers).  Ales are top-fermented and include, India Pale Ales, Stouts, Bitters, Altbier and Barleywine.  Ales also require less conditioning time than lagers do.

Altbier

A German dry, earthy ale usually assorted with Dussedorf.

Barleywine

A high alcohol by volume ale that originated in Britain.

Belgian Abbey Ale

Typically higher in ABV (6-9%), Belgian Abbey Ales traditionally have a malty character.  More recently, spices have been added to the brewing process for Belgian Abbey Ales.

Dubbel

Dubbels are a Belgian Abbey Style Ale with twice the non-water ingredients.  Typically, these beers are dark brown in colour and have a dark fruit and mild spice flavour and has a dry finish.

Helles Lager

The traditional golden lager of Bavaria (Germany), Helles is the most common style of beer in Munich.

India Pale Ale (IPA)

A pale ale that has a higher alcohol and hop content that was created to stay fresh and drinkable after a long boat voyage from Britain to India.

Kolsch

A pale, delicate ale that originates from the German city of Cologne (Koln).

Lager

One of the two main beer styles (Ales and Lagers).  Lagers are bottom-fermented and include Pilsners and Dobbelbocks.  Ales also require more conditioning time than ales do.

Lambic

These are spontaneously fermented Belgian Wheat Beers using wild years and then aged in wood barrels for up to 3 years.  Lambics can either be served “straight” while they are still young or blended across multiple aged Lambics to create a Geuze after further bottle conditioning.  Lambics may also be refermented with fruit to create a Framboise (raspberries) or Kriek (cherries).  Typically Lambic beers are tart (sour).

Quadrupel

A Quadrupel is a Belgian Abbey Ale with 4 times the non-water ingredients.  This results in a higher ABV (9-14%) and is a strong dark ale with a ripe fruit and spicy flavour.

Pale Ale

A hoppy ale from Britain, these ales were named pale because of how much lighter they were in colour than Porters and Stouts at the time.  Pale Ales are typically amber or copper in colour.  In recent times, there has been a push in North America to make pale ales more hoppy and bitter than traditional ones.

Pilsner

Pilsner is a general term used to describe a blonde lager.

Porter

Porters are a dark ale that obtains its colour from dark or roasted malt.  Porters are the precursor to Stouts and typically have a 4-5% ABV, although that is typically higher in Eastern European Porters (around 7-8% ABV).

Stout

A dark ale that tends to have attributes of roasted malt, cereal and coffee aromas and flavours.

Tripel

A golden ale that has triple the non-water ingredients with an 8-9% ABV.

Wheat Beer (Wiesse)

Wheat beers include any beer in which wheat is added to the mash and are typically light in colour and have citrus aromas and flavours.