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What is a beer style?

"A beer style is an informal agreement between a brewer and a customer, expressed through a name on a label, by which the former gives the latter a rough idea of what they are about…"

A beer style describes a cluster of beers with common features that distinguish them from all others.  These may relate to their ingredients, the methods of brewing, fermenting or conditioning them, their alcoholic strength, or in a few cases, simply the way they are served.  In another sense ….

A beer style is an informal agreement between a brewer and a customer, expressed through a name on a label, by which the former gives the latter a rough idea of what they are about to buy.

Some beer styles evolve quietly for centuries, while others lurch forward from a moment of inspiration or calculation by a particular brewer, which impacts so strongly that others know they need to follow.

Describing beer styles has three main purposes.  It enables competitions to award prizes to the brewers who make the best, provoking others to go one step better.  It aids understanding of the different types of beer found around the world.  Also, it encourages diversity and discourages uniformity in beer brewing.

About the Author

Tim Webb

The lead author and curator of The Beer Styles of Europe and beyond is Tim Webb, co-author of The World Atlas of Beer.

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About this guide
About this guide

There is no correct way to classify or categorise different types of beer.  What we have attempted to do here is to try to bring together the major established beer styles of the world and make some sense of them. Nothing is set in stone and this is a living document.