Beer styles explained: ale vs lager, IPA, stout, porter, wheat beer, sour, pilsner

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Beer menus can look like a foreign language: IPA, pils, porter, gose, hefeweizen. The good news is that a few basic ideas explain most of the names. This guide covers the main families and what to expect in the glass.

Ale vs lager: it is about the yeast

Nearly every beer is either an ale or a lager, and the difference starts with the yeast and the fermentation temperature, not with colour or strength.

Ales are fermented with ale yeast at warmer temperatures. They are often described as top-fermenting. Warmer fermentation tends to produce fruity, spicy flavours, so ales often taste fuller and more expressive.
Lagers are fermented with lager yeast at cooler temperatures, then usually conditioned cold for a period (the word comes from the German for "storage"). The result is typically cleaner and crisper, letting malt and hops show through.

A lager can be dark and an ale can be pale, so do not judge by colour.

Pilsner

The pale, golden lager most of the world drinks traces its roots to pilsner, first brewed in the Bohemian city of Plzeň (Pilsen) in the nineteenth century. A good pilsner is clear and crisp, with a soft bready malt flavour and a clean, floral or herbal hop bitterness. Czech-style pilsners tend to be a little fuller and softer; German-style "pils" tends to be drier and more bitter.

Pale ale and IPA

Pale ale is an ale with a balance of malt and hops, often with a noticeable but not overpowering bitterness.
IPA (India Pale Ale) is a stronger, hoppier pale ale. Modern IPAs come in several styles:
West Coast IPA: clear, dry and firmly bitter, with pine and citrus notes.
Hazy or New England IPA: cloudy, soft and juicy, with tropical fruit aromas and less bitterness.
Double or imperial IPA: more of everything, including alcohol.
IPAs are often stronger than everyday lagers, so check the ABV on the label or menu.

Stout and porter

Both are dark ales whose colour and roasted flavour come from roasted malts, giving notes of coffee, chocolate and toast.

Porter became popular in eighteenth-century London. Stronger versions were called "stout porter", which was eventually shortened to stout.
Today the line between them is blurry and depends on the brewery. As a loose guide, porters often lean towards chocolate and caramel, while stouts lean towards drier, roastier coffee notes.
Sub-styles include dry stout, oatmeal stout (silky), milk stout (with lactose, slightly sweet) and imperial stout, which can be very strong.

Dark does not mean heavy or strong; some dry stouts are lighter in alcohol than many pale lagers.

Wheat beer

Wheat beers use a large share of wheat alongside barley, which gives a soft, hazy body.

German hefeweizen: cloudy, with a distinctive yeast character of banana and clove.
Belgian witbier: often spiced with coriander and orange peel; light and refreshing.
American wheat: usually a cleaner, simpler style without the banana and clove.

Sour beer

Sour beers get their tartness from bacteria such as lactobacillus and sometimes wild yeasts.

Berliner weisse: light, low in alcohol and sharply tart.
Gose: tart, brewed with salt and coriander.
Lambic and gueuze: Belgian beers fermented spontaneously and often aged for years; complex, dry and funky.
Fruited sours: tart beers with fruit added, which have become very popular.

If you think you dislike beer, a sour can be a surprise; it often tastes closer to a dry cider or tart wine.

Reading a label

ABV tells you the strength. It varies widely between styles and even within a style.
IBU, if listed, is a rough measure of bitterness, though perceived bitterness also depends on malt sweetness.
Words like "imperial", "double" and "barrel-aged" usually mean a stronger beer.

Which style did you start with, and which surprised you? Ask about a style you have seen on a menu, or share a favourite, in the comments.