A Beginners Guide to the Different Types of Beer

There are many types of beer but this is a beginner's guide so I will list only the most popular. They are ales, lagers, and the heavy beers called stouts. These different types of beers offer a broad range for you palate. There are definitely more classifications but like I said I want to keep it simple. All of these beers have different characteristics which can be affected by temperature and glass shape. As with all my other articles I will talk more about the microbrewery side of this business as those beers are my favorite beverages.

The first beer we are gonna talk about is ale. Usually this beer is a pale yellow color a little on the light side of the spectrum. Ales tend to be crisp and to the point offering a clean body and distinctive taste often accompanied by a subtle fruit flavor. One of my all time favorite ales is Magic Hat #9 brewed with the essence of apricot. Other worthy beers are almost all of the other Magic Hat beers, Flying Dog Tire Bite, and Rouge Dead Guy Ale. IPA's (Indian Pale Ales) are a variation of traditional ales.

Next we move onto lagers. Lagers tend to be mellower and darker in color than their cousins the ales. Often this beer has a little more substance to it, Some of my favorite lagers are Flying Dog Old Scratch, Brooklyn Lager, and Yuengling. A lot of mainstream beers are lagers.

Stouts are heavy beers and the most famous of them all is Guinness. Stouts contain a heavy body and are often opaque. There taste can be bitter and creamy. Some of my all-time favorites are Cafferys, Flying Dog's Road House Porter, and Murphys Red. These beers are fun to drink and often cascade for a minute of two while the settling process goes on after it is poured. Stouts are popular in layered drinks such as Half and Halfs (half Guinness, half Harp) and Black and Tans (half Guiness, half Bass).

By no means is this a complete list, there are literally dozens of off-shoots to the three basic beers I mention. I find most microbreweries are ales and most mainstream beers are lagers. Typically the stouts are imported and best served out of the keg. So next time you purchase a beer pay attention to the full title on the bottle and you will often notice the description in print and if you drink a beer from the keg try to pay attention to some of the characteristics.