Types of Beer Main (22)

The Types of beer Can be classified by their form of fermentation (lager and ale), by its appearance and its ingredients.

Beer Is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world. It is made from cereal grains, especially barley. The only condition is that the cereal used is capable of producing fermentable sugars, since its starch must undergo a fermentation process with water and yeast.

Beer types

This preparation is aromatized with ingredients such as hops, which may be bitter, aromatic or mixed, or other plants. In addition to this, you can also add other ingredients such as fruits and spices.

This is not a distilled liquor and usually has a bitter taste. Its color will depend on the ingredients used in its elaboration. And its alcoholic graduation is usually between 3% and 9% vol, although in some cases can reach up to about 30% vol.

Classification of beer types

Each country has its own commercial varieties of beer and there are those who even sell the so-called craft beers. Because it is a product that involves so many variables, its classification is quite complex.

And is that beer is not classified by a single criterion, but by a few. However, taking into account the most relevant, an understandable typification can be made.

By its fermentation

One of the key ingredients of beer is yeast. This is the element that allows its fermentation and depending on the process that is used, two types of beers can be obtained.

Therefore, this is usually one of the most common ways to classify this drink. Most beers are made using one of the two species of the Saccharomyces type, commonly known as yeasts, which are no more than sugar-eating fungi and produce both alcohol and carbon dioxide.

There are two basic processes that define two types of beer: low fermentation yeast and high fermentation. The former are known as Lager beers and the latter as Ale.

- Beers Lager

These are beers that contain low fermentation yeast. It is a variety in which the beverage is subjected to a low temperature ripening (between 7 and 13 ° C). For this reason yeasts work more slowly, which means that they must stand longer to reach maturity.

This type of beer should be kept between two and six months. Unlike Ale, the Lager have a lower range of aromas and flavors. They are light, light beers and have lots of gas. They have a moderate alcoholic strength and also tend to have a very refreshing effect.

Within this category we find several types of beers. These are some of them.

  • Pilsen : This is one of the most popular varieties in the world. It is a golden beer, but of a pale and transparent tone. Its alcohol content is moderate, so it is between 4.5 and 5.5%. They are dry and have a good malt character and a characteristic hops aroma. The classic preparation of this variety contains malted barley, yeast, hops and water. Its minimum ripening time is one to two months.
  • Münchner Hell : It is a beer a little darker and less dry than the Pilsen. But these have more body and are less hopped. Alcohol is higher, ranging from 4.5 to 5%. This is a common variety in Munich and southern Germany.
  • Münchner Dunkel : Dark beer that usually has more malt character than pale beers. Its hue can vary between a red brown and a black carbon. Its alcoholic graduation is also higher, from 5 to 5.5%. This is the type of beer that is served almost everywhere when a Dark Lager is ordered.
  • Märzen / Oktoberfest : This is a strong beer, with a good ripening (three months). This variety is usually known by this name only in Germany. In other countries it is known as Vienna style beers or like Amber. This last name is due to its color, which is usually bronze or copper. It has much more body and alcohol than the Golden Lager (between 5 and 6%).
  • Dortmunder Export : This beer, like many of the above, owe their name to their place of origin. Only those made in Dortmunder (Germany) can carry this name. The other beers with characteristics similar to this variety and produced in other cities are only called export. This type of beer is pale golden color, semi-dry and has more body than the Pilsen, but is also less bitter.

- Beers Ale

These are beers that contain yeast from high fermentation. This one is in the stems of the cereals and was discovered in 1852 by Louis Pasteur when it realized investigations on the beer. This variety should act at temperatures ranging from 12 to 24 ° C, which is why they usually have a fast fermentation (7 or 8 days or even less).

It is especially popular in the UK and in central Europe. They are dark, thick, with a body that goes from medium to high, have little gas and have a great variety of floral and fruity aromas, as well as flavors, but much more intense than other varieties. Due to their processing, they are usually of high graduation.

Within this category we find several types of beers. But unlike the Lager, the Ale can be of various styles. Here are some of them.

British style

  • Mild : It is a beer of soft and bitter character. This variety is not usually bottled but in barrel. It is usually dark, light in body and also less dry than bitter. Its alcoholic graduation is moderate (between 3 and 4%).
  • Bitter : Is a beer opposite the Mild. It is much more bitter, but just as they are usually in the barrel.
  • Pale Ale : Its name is because when it was introduced to the market, all the beers were dark. And this was the first one that had an amber or bronze color.
  • Brown Ale : Its name also comes from its tan color, which goes from a soft amber to a strong chestnut. It is a strong beer with a good malt flavor, dry and is usually fruity.
  • Old Ale : This variety usually has a dark color. They also have a lot of body and can be a bit sweet. Many of them have a high alcohol content, between 5 and 8.5%.
  • Barley Wine : This is a type of beer that is more like a barley wine. It is known not only because its alcohol content may be similar to this drink, but also because it was traditional to age it for several months in wooden barrels. Its alcoholic graduation usually ranges from 6 to 12%. It is a dark beer with a lot of body.
  • Scotch Ale : They are usually strong beers, with a tan or even dark brown color. It is a medium-bitter variety, with sweet tones and good body. It is a type of beer very popular in Belgium.
  • Irish Ale : This variety is characterized by having a reddish color, because of its fruit flavors and its malt character.

Belgian style

  • Belgian Ale : It is a type of beer of reddish amber or copper. Its density is medium, they are soft and fruity and its alcohol content is about 5%. This group may also include those made in the style of British Scotch Ale. They are dark and strong beers.
  • Toasted ale : This variety is a mixture of young and old beers. They have an intense, bittersweet flavor and their color is tan brown. Its alcoholic graduation is usually between 5 and 6%.
  • Red ale : This type of beer is usually reddish brown due to the type of malt used to make it. Light in body, but also slightly acidic and very refreshing. This variety is also made with a mixture of old and young beers, but in this case they are matured for over 18 months in wooden vats.
  • Strong golden ale : Is a golden beer with a high alcohol content, about 8%. It is a fruity variety, dry and with a lot of foam.
  • Saison : Is a seasonal beer created for special celebrations. It usually has an orange color and a dense foam. Besides its flavor is fresh, fruity and because they are bubbly they usually appear in bottles of champagne.
  • Trapense : This is the type of beer that is produced in the Trappist Catholic monasteries. There are at least 20 types of beer and each one has different characteristics. However, they also have common features. They usually have a second fermentation in the bottle, are strong, fruity and have an alcoholic rating between 5 and 11%. There are golden and pale, dry and sweet.
  • Regional specialties : There are another series of Belgian beers that do not fall into any of the previous classifications, since they depend on the particular taste of each producer.

German style

  • Altbier : These types of beers ferment in hot, but also undergo a process of cold maturation for several weeks. In its elaboration sometimes a little malted wheat is used. They are soft, bronze or dark amber and have an alcohol content of 4.5 to 5%.
  • Kölsch : They have a process of fermentation and ripening just like the Altbier. But unlike these, they use paler malts. The result of this is a golden beer, with a look similar to the Pilsen. They are very fruity, soft and delicate. Its alcohol content is approximately 5%.

It is worth mentioning that among beers with high fermentation there are also a couple of more popular varieties that are the Dark Ales. In this category enters the Stout and the Porter. The first is a strong and bitter beer, very dark in color, almost black. The second is less bitter and with a lesser degree of alcohol.

Because of its appearance

Beyond their categorization by type of fermentation, the beers are also usually classified by their appearance. The main differentiating element is its color.

These can be blonde, black, amber or red. They may also be translucent or cloudy. This difference may be due to proteins from the cereal grain used. Although this may also depend on the type of filtering or the absence of this process. In the case of black beers, its dark color is due to the use of roasted or burnt malts for processing.

For its ingredients

Although not a usual classification, beer can also be of several types depending on the ingredients with which it is prepared. Barley is the main ingredient in this drink, so it is not usually indicated regularly.

However, there are cases where barley is combined with another cereal such as oats or wheat. If so, the drink produced is termed as oat or wheat beer. The latter are also known as white beers, as they are not usually filtered and have a misty appearance. It has an acidic character, they are refreshing and frothy.

There is also gluten free beer. It is a variety that instead of having barley or wheat, contains some type of cereal or malted pseudo cereal like buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum, corn or rice.

They are carefully prepared to avoid contamination with other components with gluten. This is a type of beer special for celiac people, an allergy to this protein found in barley, rye, wheat and even in oats.


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