There are several types of beer, but one fact remains: beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage of choice worldwide. Beer is also the third most consumed drink after water and tea. So after drinking water for survival and tea for the caffeine, the world turns to beer for comfort and enjoyment.
The following list explores the different types of beer that are popular around the globe.
How Many Different Types Of Beer Are There?
There are over one hundred different beer styles in the world. However, they generally fall under two types of beer: a lager or an ale. The rest of the beer styles are all subgroups of either lager or ale.
Ale vs. Lager
The difference between lager and ale comes down to the type of yeast used during fermentation. Lager beers are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures. Conversely, ales use top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures.
Although beer starts as a lager or an ale, the different flavors evolve. Other beer styles can also be categorized by flavor, color, ingredients, country of origin, alcohol content percentage, etc.
Popular Types of Beer From Around the World
1. Ale
Ale is characterized by the type of yeast used during its fermentation process. Ales are fermented at room temperature using top-fermenting yeast. Fermenting in warm temperatures allows for a fermentation time to be relatively short compared to lager beer.
Ales are prepared using malted barley, resulting in the sweet and fruity taste they are known for. To counter the sweetness, drinkers may also find more hints of bitterness that stem from the hops.
Ales also appear darker in color and cloudier and generally have a higher alcohol content than lager beers. Some types of ales include New England India Pale Ale, Imperial or Double IPA, American Wheat, Brown Ale, Scotch Ale, and Sour Ales.
2. Lager
Lager is the most popular type of beer in the world. Many people new to drinking beer start with a lager as it has a lower alcohol content and a taste usually described as light, a little malty, crisp and refreshing. They also have less carbonation than ales and taste less bitter.
There are fewer types of lagers than the many different styles of beer you can find with ales. Some kinds of lager beers include Pilsner, Marzen, Bock, Dunckel, and Vienna lager.
3. Craft Beer
Craft beer is generally made by independent breweries that produce smaller amounts of beer than large breweries. What distinguishes a craft beer from the other beers manufactured in large facilities is often the different ingredients added for their distinct flavor.
Craft beer is like a form of art, just as the name suggests. Craft breweries spend a lot of time focusing on the taste and quality of their beer. Craft breweries still use traditional brewing methods but may add a modern twist to traditional recipes.
Another difference between craft beer and mass-produced beers is the quality of their ingredients. Large breweries often use cheaper ingredients like rice or corn instead of hops to cut costs.
4. IPA Beer
IPA Beer (Indian Pale Ale) is one of the most popular beer styles on the market. IPA flavors depend mainly on the variety of hops used and can vary in taste from bitter to fruity to citrusy and grassy.
There are numerous styles of IPA beer within this category, as around two hundred different hop types are used worldwide.
According to ratebeer.com, some of the world’s best IPAs include AleSmith IPA, Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, Maine Beer Lunch, and Maine Beer Another One.
What’s the Difference Between Craft Beer and IPA Beer?
Like Craft beer, IPA flavors can vary from product to product. Also, craft beer and IPA use more hops than other beers. Because of the different varieties and flavors of IPAs, IPAs are like a drinker’s introduction to craft beer. Like craft beer, IPA beer can be stronger than the average regular beer from large breweries.
The production or output of craft beer is generally restricted so that they can maintain their status as craft breweries. In contrast, IPAs can be mass-produced by large manufacturers.
Some popular types of IPA-style beer include English IPA, New England IPA, The West Coast IPA, Belgian IPA, East Coast IPA, Black IPA, White IPA, and many more.
5. Pilsner
Some people wonder what the difference is between pilsner and lager. As mentioned above, pilsner is a type of lager named after the city of Plzen in the Czech Republic. What makes a beer a pilsner? The story goes that the citizens of Plzen were facing spoilage issues with their lager, having to dump much of it. The solution to the spoiled beer troubles was brought forward by a Bavarian man who added Saaz hops. Adding this type of hop gives pilsner beer a distinct spicy flavor to the drink.
There are also different types of pilsner beer, like Bohemian Pilsner, German Pilsner, and American Pilsner.
6. Porter Beer
Porter beer is from the ale family. Porter was developed in England and named after being popular with porters and other working-class folks. Porter is a style of dark beer that gets its color from the dark malted barley it’s made from and its bittersweet taste from the addition of hops.
With the ability to brew porter beers with adjuncts for additional flavors such as chocolate, coffee, and vanilla, to name a few, this style of beer has attracted the interest of many craft breweries.
Different types of porter beer include English Brown Porter, Baltic Porter, American Porter, Robust Porter, and Smoke Porter.
7. Stout Beer
Like porter, stout is a top-fermented dark beer. Stout beer was actually created when porter beer was becoming popular. As brewers were experimenting more with porter beer ingredients, a stronger beer emerged called Stout Porter. Stout is another word for strong in Ireland, the drink’s country of origin.
Stout Beer vs. Porter Beer
Appearance-wise, stouts are black, and porters are more dark brown in color, but they still look very similar.
Regarding flavor, porters are made with malted barley, whereas stouts are often made with roasted unmalted barley or black malt. This, of course, leads to very different flavors between the two beers.
Porters are usually sweeter, especially since they aren’t using roast flavors. They also incorporate more chocolate, caramel, and vanilla flavors. Stout beer has a bitter espresso-like, roasted, or almost burnt flavor and aroma.
There are several stout beer styles, including Russian Imperial Stout, Milk Stout, Dry Irish Stout, Oatmeal Stout, and Coffee Stout. Guinness is one of the most popular brands of stout beer.
8. Pale Ale
Pale ales are golden to amber color and are brewed using pale malt. The flavor can be described as dry, medium-bodied, and slightly carbonated but with an overall balanced taste. Pale ale is considered the midpoint between light lagers and dark stouts.
Different types of pale ale include American pale ale, Indian pale ale (IPA), English Bitter pale ales, Strong pale ales, and American amber ale or red ale.
9. Wheat Beer
Beer is called a wheat beer when at least fifty percent of the ingredients in the brewing process are wheat. In contrast, other beers may have other grains like barley and rye or adjuncts like rice and corn. Wheat beer is an ale and is made with the top-fermenting process.
Wheat beers are typically lighter in color and have low bitterness. They also tend to have a cloudy look and have slight carbonation.
Popular wheat beer styles include Hefeweizen from Germany, American wheat, Dunkelweizen, and Witbier.
10. Draught Beer
Draught beer is a method of storing and serving beer, not a type or style of beer. Either lagers or ales can be draught beers. Draught beer, also spelled like Draft beer, is served from a keg rather than a bottle or can. Draught beer is generally stored in stainless steel kegs to protect the drink from sunlight and prevents oxygen from getting in, which helps keep the original taste. The fresh taste is unmistakable when served straight from the tap.
Conclusion
This list includes some of the most common types of beer around the world. A cold beer means comfort and relaxation to many people in different cultures. As they like to say in the west, take a load off and grab a cold one.