Types of beers

In the commercial and craft beer world, you will come across many types of beers. The beers will have different tastes, alcohol levels, and aromas. But part of understanding beer requires you to know how to talk about it.

Generally speaking, there are two types of beers. Those are lagers and ales. The differentiators between the two types of beer are the type of yeast and the fermentation process.

Ale

Ale is the oldest beer style; it has sub-categories like brown or pale ales. It uses a warm-temperature fermentation over a short period. This is why it’s an accessible type for home brewers.

To make the beer, the brewer introduces a top-fermenting yeast that ferments on the top of the brew, hence the name. The fermentation process turns the barley and malt mixture into a beer.

Some ales you will come across include;

• Amber Ale is an American happy, medium-body craft beer that came into being in the 1980s.
• Cream Ale is a highly carbonated cream ale with low bitterness and hop. It’s a crisp and refreshing drink.
• India Pale Ale (IPA) is a high alcohol content beer with strong hop bitterness and piney and floral flavors. There are other categories like New England, American, and Imperial IPAs. 

Lager

Lagers are more recent than ales. They ferment over a long time at low temperatures. Lagers use a bottom-fermenting yeast that sinks to the fermenting tank’s bottom to work.

The lagers you may come across include;

• Oktoberfest is a light, golden color beer with a clean, bread taste.
• Pilsner beers are hoppy lagers with a dry, slightly bitter flavor. They are a popular summer beer due to their light golden color, clear body, and crisp finish.
• American lagers are another popular summer beer. They are highly carbonated beers with a refreshing, crisp taste.

Stormhouse Brewing has a range of local craft beers for your tasting pleasure; come in. There are more variations of the main types of beers. We’d love it if you came in and explored them with us.