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Abbey - This is a rich, full-bodied Belgian Ale that is close to the Trappist style. They sometimes have a wine character due to the high alcohol content and were named after the Belgian Abbeys' (monastery) that they were brewed in. Colors range from deep gold to dark red. Esters, malt, and Phenols are usually dominant.

Altbier - Alt means "old" or traditional in German. This refers to the old way beer was made by an ale yeast and then lagered for a long period after fermentation was complete. These are full-bodied and bitter. Color can be deep amber to brown. Also they are more drier and carbonated than an English Ale.

American Pilsner - These beers are made with adjuncts such as corn and rice, should be highly carbonated and served very cold. Light in color, body, and hops.

Barley Wine - This contains a HIGH alcohol content which at times may taste like wine. Final gravities tend to be high which leaves a residual sweetness. This is balanced by a moderate to high hopping rate. Color can range from dark amber to copper.

Belgian Red - Gets its red color from large quantities of Vienna malt. Is tart, spicy, and acidic comes from a long maturation in oak casks.

Belgian Strong Ale - Similar to Barley Wine in alcohol content. They use fermentable sugars to give it the high alcohol but doesn't have the maltiness associated with dopplebocks. Color can range from deep gold to red.
Biere de Garde/Paris - Moderate body and maltiness. Hop bitterness, flavor, and aroma are usually mild. Brewed like traditional Belgians beers, the colors range form amber to red.

Bitter - These are not as bitter as the name suggests. There are three types of bitters which include ordinary, special, and best. They are more aromatic and spicy than they are bitter but that is due to the hops. Color range from bronze to copper and may have some fruitiness and butterscotch flavor in there profile.

Bock - Bock is a rich malty beer. Can be 6.0% alcohol or more. They are a lager but also can be fermented with an ale yeast and then lagered for a period of time. Color range from deep amber to black.

Brown Ale - You can use a wide range of ingredients in a Brown. American styles have more bitterness, flavor, and aroma than English styles.

Californian Common - A lager fermented at higher lager temperatures OR low ale temperatures and than lagered. This style is also known as a 'steam beer'. Has a medium flavor and body. Well hopped in bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Color range from pale staw to copper.

Canadian Ales/lagers - Similar to U.S. versions but this beer tends to have a higher hop characteristic and is very sensitive to light (sometimes gets that 'SKUNKY' smell).

Cream Ale - An American or Canadian ale is fermented with lager AND ale yeast. Color range from bronze to burnt copper.

Czech Pils - This style started the Lager revolution. Color range from pale straw to deep golden color. Very complex and more malty than American and European styles

Dortmunder Export - This beer has a full bodied and robust character.

Dubbel - A type of Belgian Trappist and Abbey Ale. They are not twice as flavorful as Trappist or Abbeys but they do have a higher alcohol content. The term dubbelrefers to the starting gravities. They can be somewhat sweet tasting. Color range from reddish brown and benefit from a good aging time.

Eis Bock - 'EIS' is German for Ice. So, you basically freeze a Dopplebock removing the excess water which gives you a maltier, sweeter, and more alcoholic beer.

Faro - A Belgian Lambic that is open fermented. This allows the wild yeast to begin the fermentation process and then candy sugar is added to continue the fermentation. It is slightly sweet, lactic, and acidic but with a wine-like character.

Framboise - A lambic or gueuze made with fresh raspberry juice. Should be minimally hopped and can be sour & cloudy.

German Pils - A spin off of the Czech Pils. More paler, effervescent, and hoppier than the Czech version.

Grand Cru - A strong seasonal beer. Higher in alcohol than Belgian ales and pale in color.

Gueuze - This style of beer takes old lambic(2-4 years old) and a young lambic(1/2-1 year old) and are mixed and then fermented again. Then age for one year in the bottle.

Ice Beer - Ales or lagers that are naturally fermented and filtered at very cold conditions. This produces a very clear beer that is then is frozen and the ice is removed just as the Eis Bock.

I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) - When England brewed its beer to send to their troops in India it was of a high alcohol strength and very hoppy. The hops act as a natural preservative while the beer was on its long journey.

Irish Red - Red beers get their color from the addition of roasted malt. This particular style has more sweetness and body than traditional English Pale ales. They are malty, lightly hopped and may have a buttery quality. Can be an ale or a lager but traditionally the are ales.

Kellerbier - A fruity Bavarian lager. High in hops, lightly carbonated and easy to drink.

Kolsch - This style has a light to medium bitterness and they can be cloudy. Always blond colored and very refreshing.

Kriek - A lambic or gueuze that has gone under a long second fermentation with cherries in oak.

Lambic - A beer that is fermented with wild yeast. To be traditional it must have 30% wheat. Lightly hopped and somewhat sour. These beers can be flavored with fruit but than it is also known as a Framboise.

Marzen - To be a true Marzen this beer has to be brewed in March and served in late September or early October. Similar to the Vienna style but slightly darker and stronger. Should be smooth and malty but well balanced with Czech or German hops.

Mild Ale - These are low alcohol, medium to light body, with a slight sweetness. Color can be copper to dark brown.

Munich Dunkel - Dunkel in 'German' means dark, so this is a dark lager. Usually malty and somewhat sweet but well balanced by the use of Bavarian hops.

Munich Helles - This is just a pale version of Munich Dunkel. Helles in German means pale.

Okterberfest - An American term for Marzen. Served at festivals in late August (around the time when the German Octoberfest occurs).

Old Ale - A higher alcohol beer. They are close to Barley Wine in strength. This style should age for at least one year before serving. In olden time it was a very expensive brew and was mixed with an English mild to produce porter. This mixture has been called a 'half and half' and a 'black and tan'.

Oud Bruin - Also known as Old Brown. This is a Belgian beer that has a long secondary fermentation period. The secondary fermentation is done in oak casks. This process pick up some sourness but has a wine-like profile. These can be flavored with raspberries or cherries and all have a low hopping rate.

Pale Ale - A full bodied beer with balanced maltiness, bitterness, and fruitiness. They are not pale as the name implies but are not as dark as a stout. Color range from amber to copper.

Porter - This was made by brewing an ale with a roasted and chocolate male. Should have a spicy chocolate profile.

Rauchbier - 'Rauchbier' in German means smoked beer. These beers compliment dinners that have sausages, cheese, or any other smoked foods. They get the smokey flavor by the use of smoked malts. The malts were smoked with either oak or beechwood.

Roggenbier - Also known as Rye Beer. Made from at least 60% malted or roasted rye.

Saison - An earthy ale that is brewed in the French speaking regions of Belgium. Brewed in the winter for spring consumption. They use an ale yeast, it is dry hopped, and then bottled in a corked bottle.

Schwarzbier - This is a black beer lager from Germany. It has a bitter-sweet chocolate flavor and is darker than the dunkel and more alcoholic.

Scottish - There are three subclasses for this style, they are Light, Heavy, and Export(eg.60 shilling, 70 shilling, and 80 shilling).

Scotch Ale - Could be called wee-heavy and is a subclass of the scottish style. They are often dark, rich, and very complex in character and approach Barley Wine strength.

Steam Beer - See Caifornian Common.

Steinbier - A wheat beer brewed in Germany. Steinbier litterally means stone beer and is made by dropping white-hot stones into the brewing kettles filled with wort. This would boil the wort and the sugars would crystallize on the stones. Then the stones were placed in the beer to be fermented. This process would give the beer a smokey, sweet flavor.

Stout - An English ale that is darker and richer than a porter because it is made with roasted barley to give the beer a roasted coffee taste. They can be either sweet, dry, or an imperial.

Trappist - The only beer to be called a trappist has to be produced by Trappist monasteries. They are lightly hopped and very strong(6-10%alcohol). They are estery, phenolic, and have a complex malt character. Candied sugar is often used during the fermentation process.

Tripel - These have trappist origins and are three times the O.G. of a pale ale. They use a generous amount of candied sugar.

Vienna - A malty lager that is brewed in late winter for the harvest in autumn. Very malty, well balanced, and moderately strong.

Wheat/Weizen - Uses wheat along with the 2-row barley. This beer can be redish gold to dark brown. Bavarian styles have more banana and clove esters.

Witbier - A cloudy wheat beer. Use of unmalted wheat, corriander, cumin, bitter, and sweet orange peel are not unusual.

If you notice any problems, or have any suggestion on how I can further improve this site, please feel free to send me an e-mail [12 November 2006].