Types of beer

1. Introduction

Beer is an extremely diverse drink, with a wide variety of styles, types and flavours.  The different types of beer can be distinguished based on:

• The type of raw materials used. (Flavour)
• The type of yeast used for their production.
• The alcohol content.
• The colour.
• The calories.

1.1. Classification according to the type of raw materials used

Beer is traditionally brewed from barley malt, hops, yeast and water.

Part of the barley malt can be replaced with other raw materials that also contain starch or sugars depending on the recipe used, e.g. rice, sugar, corn, wheat, etc.

According to the German law, also known as the “Beer Purity Law”’ (Reinheitsgebot), lager beers (with bottom-fermenting yeast) can only be brewed with malted barley, hops, water and yeast. This law was introduced in 1516 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, by William IV, Duke of Bavaria.

The same law used to be in force in Greece, but recently Greek legislation has been adapted to European standards, so that now other sources of starch and sugars can be used as raw materials, such as sugar, maltose syrup, glucose syrup and wheat malt.

In addition, other ingredients such as fruit are added to some beers, which are typically characterized by their very special taste profile.

In general, beer is produced in many different variations and every brewer is able to brew beer with unique traits.

There is no specific nomenclature based on the raw materials used in each beer. Beers made from a large proportion of wheat malt are highly distinguished and are called wheat beers in Greek and Wheat Weizenbier or Weißbier or white beers internationally. A subcategory is Hefe-Weizen, which means unfiltered wheat beer with yeast sediment in the bottle.

1.2. Classification according to the type of yeast

We distinguish between two main types of beer, Lager and Ale, depending on the type of yeast used and the particular yeasts selected for its preparation.

Lager

Beers in this category are the most widely distributed and most widely consumed.

The type of yeast used for these beers has the property of settling on the bottom after the end of fermentation, which is why they are called bottom-fermented beers.

Lager beers are fermented at lower temperatures, usually 9 -15°C, while the post-fermentation/maturation process takes longer. Beer is matured at low temperatures, as the term “lager” suggests, which means “storage” in German.

These beers have fewer esters and a cleaner taste.

Subcategories:

– Blonde Lager

– Dark Lager

– Pilsner

Ale

The type of yeast used for these beers rises to the surface after the end of fermentation. It also called top-fermented beer. This type of beer is fermented at relatively high temperatures of 15-20 °C, while maturation usually does not take long.

At these temperatures the yeast produces a significant amount of esters and other secondary aromatic products. This way, these beers can be fruity with aromas and flavours reminiscent of apple, pear, pineapple, banana and plum, among others.

Subcategories:

– Red Ale

– Golden Ale

– Weiss

– Stout-Porter

– Trappist

Lambic

A third category could encompass beers produced by natural fermentation, i.e. fermented in open containers with the help of environmental yeasts and without any added yeast. These beers are more like Ales.

Lambic beers are Belgian beers that are fermented by spontaneous fermentation from existing environmental yeasts and without the addition of cultured yeast species, resulting in beers that differ significantly in aroma and taste. Yeast species such as Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus are found in lambics. Moreover, other organisms such as lactobacilli produce acids, which impart a sour taste.

Subcategories of Lambic beers are Kriek made with cherries, Faro with a sweet taste and Framboise made with blackberry.

1.3. Classification according to the alcohol content.

A beer’s alcohol content determines whether it is strong, medium strength or light [1]

• A strong beer has an alcohol content of over 8%
• A medium strength beer has an alcohol content of over 5 – 8%.
• A light beer has an alcohol content of 1.2 –5 %
• A beer with low alcohol content ranges between 0.5 – 1.2%
• Alcohol-free beer is beer with less than 0.5% alcohol.

[1] https://renegadebrewing.com/beer-alcohol-content/

1.4. Classification according to colour

• Colour is the most recognisable trait of beer.
• Colour depends on the malt used as the raw material.
• The colour of the beer is described with various gradations: light blonde, golden, coppery, red, brownish-black, amber.
• By mixing the appropriate malt blends, we determine the final colour of the product.

1.5. Classification according to calorie content.

Light beers with a calorie content 30 % lower than the typical original beer are classified here

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32006R1924&qid=1706700845683

For information purposes only: Under the above legislation, the definitions are:

LOW CALORIFIC VALUE

A claim that a food is low in calorific value, and any claim likely to have the same meaning for the consumer, may only be made where the product contains no more than 40 kcal (170 kJ)/100 g for solid foods or 20 kcal (80 kJ)/100 ml for liquid foods. For table-top sweeteners, the limit of 4 kcal (17 kJ)/serving applies, with equivalent sweetening properties of 6 g of sucrose (about 1 teaspoon of sucrose).

REDUCED CALORIFIC VALUE

A claim that a food has reduced calorific value, and any claim likely to have the same meaning for the consumer, may only be made where the calorific value has been reduced by at least 30%, with an indication of the characteristic(s) that reduce the overall calorific value of the food.

2. Types and Trade Names

2.1 Pilsener- Pilsner – Pilsen – Pils

Lager beer with a light yellow to golden colour and a signature bitterness in its taste, brewed only with barley malt and hops in accordance with the German “beer purity law”. The name comes from the city of Plzen in the Czech Republic from 1842.

2.2. Stout – Porter

Stout and Porter beers are dark beers brewed with roasted malts or roasted barley and slowly fermented.

They offer a great variety, such as dry and Imperial Stout or Baltic Porter.

The name Porter first appeared in 1721 to describe a dark beer that was very popular with London porters. That same beer later became known as stout beer, although the word “stout” had been in use since as early as 1677. The history of Stout and Porter runs parallel.

Today there are many different types of Porters and Stouts, each with its own attributes. Porters are generally lighter in colour and lower in alcohol content than Stouts and come in a range of chocolate, coffee and caramel flavours, but without the burnt, roasted qualities usually found in Stouts.

A Stout can be described as “a very dark, roasted, bitter, creamy beer”, while a Porter is described as “a dark beer with a complex and flavourful character and malt flavour”.

One difference between porters and stouts is that porters are made with barley malt to achieve their signature flavours, while stouts often use roasted, unmalted barley. However, there are some exceptions to this rule, as some stouts are produced with barley malt.

2.3. Pale Ale

Pale ale is a warm-fermented beer (ale) using light-coloured malt.

The blonder the malt, the lighter the colour.

2.3.1. Amber Ale

“Amber ale” is a term used in Australia, France and North America to describe pale ales that are brewed with a percentage of crystal malt to produce a beer with an amber colour ranging from light coppery to light brown.

2.3.2. American Pale Ale

American Pale Ales contain about 5% alcohol by volume with high amounts of American Cascade hops. This type closely resembles India Pale Ales (IPAs), although these are stronger and more hoppy. Additionally, they also resemble Amber Ales, although Amber Ales are darker due to the use of crystal malt.

2.3.3. Bière de Garde

Bière de Garde is a pale blonde beer traditionally brewed in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. This beer was brewed on farms in winter and spring, to avoid problems with the yeast due to the higher summer temperatures.

Its name stems from the fact that after bottling, it was kept in cork bottles for a long period of time so that it could be consumed later in the year.

In France, there are several beers of this type but the best known are: Brasserie de Saint-Sylvestre, Trois Monts (8.5%abv), Brasseurs Duyck, Jenlain (6.5%abv) and Brasserie La Choulette, Ambrée (7.5%abv).

Bière de Garde beers are usually sold in champagne-style bottles with cork and wire supports.

2.3.4. Blonde Ale

Blonde ales are very light-coloured. The term “Blonde” for light beers is very popular in Europe and South America, especially in France, Belgium, England, USA, Brazil, although these beers do not have much in common except their colour.

In England, golden or summer ales were developed at the end of the 20th century to compete with pale lagers. A typical golden ale has an appearance and profile similar to that of a pale lager. Its alcohol content is 4% to 5% by volume. Belgian blonde beers are usually brewed with pilsner malt.

2.3.5. Burton Pale Ale

During the second half of the 19th century, the recipe for pale ale began to be used at the Burton-upon-Trent brewery. These beers were considered very high-quality due to the synergy between malt and hops and the chemistry of the local water and, more specifically, due to the presence of gypsum. Burton held absolute dominance in the pale ale business until a chemist, C. W. Vincent, discovered how to replicate the chemical composition of Burton-upon-Trent’s water, enabling any brewery to produce pale ale.

2.3.6. English Bitter

The term first appeared at the beginning of the 19th century as part of the emergence and spread of Pale Ale. Brewers described the beers as “pale ale”, while consumers regarded the same beers as “bitter”. It is believed that consumers used the term “bitter” to differentiate these pale ales from others that had a less pronounced hop aroma. Typically, they are classified as ordinary bitter (up to 4.1% abv), special bitter (between 4.2% and 4.7% abv) and strong bitter (4.8% abv and above).

2.3.7. Irish Red Ale

Irish red ale, red ale, or Irish ale is a name used by brewers in Ireland.

In the United States, this name describes a dark amber ale or red beer that is a lager with added caramel colour.

2.3.8. India Pale Ale (IPA)

India Pale Ale or IPA is a type of pale ale developed in England, to be exported to India.

2.3.9. Strong Pale Ale

Strong pale ales are ales produced using pale malts and have an alcohol content starting at 5% by volume, usually a little higher at 7 or 8%, a number that can go up to 12%.

2.3.10. American Strong Ale

American strong ale is a wide category in America and includes beers with an alcohol content of 7% or more by volume. Beers in this category can also be described as double India Pale Ales, or barley wine beers or old ale, depending on the style.

2.3.11. Strong Ale

Strong Ale can mainly be found in Britain. It is a pale ale with an alcohol content of over 5% by volume.

2.3.12. Scotch Ale

Scotch ale is Edinburgh’s version of Burton Ale: dark, bittersweet, often with a slight metallic taste, and generally strong.

2.3.13. Mild Ale

Mild ale tastes like malt. It is dark, with an alcohol content of 3% to 3.6% by volume. However, there are mild ales with less than 3% or exceeding 6%.

2.3.14. Cask-Conditioned Ale

It can usually be found in Britain where ale is consumed more widely than anywhere else in the world.

Cask-conditioned ale is unfiltered and consumed in casks in pubs. Ales are also widely produced and consumed in Belgium, Germany and France.

2.4. Weiss – Weissbier – Witbier – Weizen

“White” beers are also called “wheat beers” because they are produced with a high percentage of wheat malt in addition to barley malt. They belong to the broader Ale category, are highly aromatic, produced with top-fermenting yeasts and are usually unfiltered. There exist types of Weiss beer that are dark (Dunkelweiss) or filtered (Kristallweissbier).

2.5. Monastery-Brewed

2.5.1. Trappiste

Strong top-fermented beers brewed only in twelve monasteries that are members of the International Trappist Association and brew and sell their own beer:  Five in Belgium, two in the Netherlands and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France and Spain

• La Trappe – La Trappe Trappist® beer at Koningshoeven Abbey, the Netherlands
• Chimay – Chimay Trappist® beer, at Scourmont Abbey, Belgium
• Rochefort – Rochefort Trappist® beer, at Our Lady of Saint-Remy Abbey, Rochefort, Belgium
• Westmalle – Westmalle Tripel, Dubbel and Extra Trappist® beer, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Abbey, Westmalle, Belgium
• Westvleteren – Trappist® Westvleteren beer, at Sint-Sixtus Abbey, Westvleteren, Belgium
• Zundert – Zundert Trappist® beer, at Maria Toevlucht Abbey, the Netherlands
• Stift Engelszell – Trappist® beer at Stift Engelszell Abbey, Austria
• Mont des Cats – Mont des Cats-Trappist® beer, at abbey French Flander, France
• Cardeña – Cerveza Cardeña Trappist® beer, at St. Peter of Cardeña, Spain
• Mount St. Bernard – Trappist® beer at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, UK
• Orval – Orval Trappist® beer, at Orval Abbey, Belgium
• Tre Fontane – 3 Trappist beers, at Tre Fontane, Italy

2.5.2. Abbey

Beers either produced in monasteries, other than Trappiste beers, or produced in collaboration with monasteries, some of which date back to the first millennium AD.

2.6. Bock – Bockbier

Strong beer with Lager-type bottom-fermenting yeast, strong malty taste, dark brown or black colour and 6-7% alcohol content.

2.7. Dortmunder

It is a pale lager and is produced in Dortmunder, Germany.

2.8. Dunkel

Its name comes from the German word meaning “dark”. Dunkels are dark beers, brown or reddish-brown, not too bitter with a strong, malty taste.

2.9. Fruit Beers

All beers with fruit as a dominant element in their aroma and taste.

2.10. Radler

Lager beer mixed with lemon juice.

2.11. Alt

German word meaning traditional or old. It is a type of beer usually brewed in Dusseldorf and some other cities in northern Germany. It is an ale with a dark copper colour.