Craft Beer Types Explained: A Simple Guide For Oklahoma City Drinkers

You are standing in front of a wall of cans, and roughly forty of them have words on the label you do not recognise. Hazy, gose, dubbel, imperial, wild ale. Somebody nearby seems confident. You are not.

Beer styles are less complicated than the labels suggest. Almost everything comes down to a handful of families, and once you know which family you already enjoy, choosing becomes straightforward. Here is the plain version.

The Only Distinction That Really Matters

Everything divides into two groups based on yeast.

Ales ferment warm and quickly, which produces more fruit and spice character from the yeast itself. Most of the styles people think of as craft beer are ales.

Lagers ferment cold and slowly, which produces a cleaner result where the malt and hops show through without much yeast character.

Lager is not a synonym for light and mass produced. A well made lager is one of the harder things to brew, because there is nowhere to hide a flaw.

IPA, And Why There Are So Many Of Them

India pale ale is the style that made craft beer popular, and it has split into several quite different things.

West coast IPA is clear, bitter and resinous, with pine and grapefruit character. This is the original modern IPA and it has come back into fashion.

Hazy or New England IPA is cloudy, soft and heavily aromatic, tasting of mango, citrus and stone fruit with much less bitterness. If you tried an IPA years ago and found it harsh, this is the one to revisit.

Session IPA keeps the hop character at lower strength. Double or imperial IPA increases both.

If you are unsure where to start with hops, a hazy IPA is the friendliest entry point by a wide margin.

Stouts And Porters

Dark beers intimidate people unnecessarily, largely because colour gets confused with strength.

Both come from roasted malt, which produces coffee, chocolate and caramel character. A standard stout is often no stronger than an IPA and frequently lighter in body than it looks.

Irish dry stout is roasty and dry, and famously easy to drink. Oatmeal and milk stouts are softer and sweeter. Imperial stout is the big one, strong and rich, and worth sharing rather than drinking alone.

If you enjoy black coffee or dark chocolate, this family is more likely to suit you than a hoppy beer is.

Wheat Beers

Brewed with a significant proportion of wheat, which produces a softer body and a hazy appearance.

German hefeweizen carries distinct banana and clove character from the yeast, which surprises people the first time. Belgian witbier is brewed with coriander and orange peel and tastes bright and citrusy.

American wheat beers are cleaner and often fruited.

These are among the best warm weather beers available and a reliable choice for someone who does not usually enjoy beer.

Sours And Wild Ales

The category that divides people most, and the one worth trying properly before deciding.

Kettle sours and fruited sours are tart, bright and often intensely fruity. Berliner weisse and gose are light and refreshing, with gose carrying a slight salinity.

Lambic and other spontaneously fermented beers are complex, funky and closer to wine than to beer in character.

A fruited kettle sour is the sensible starting point. If you enjoy dry cider or sparkling wine, this family will make more sense to you than most.

Belgian Styles And Everything Else

Belgian ales rely on yeast character rather than hops, producing pear, clove and pepper notes at deceptively high strength. Dubbel is dark and fruity, tripel is pale and strong, and saison is dry, peppery and refreshing.

Then there are the styles that resist categories. Barrel aged beers taking character from bourbon or wine barrels. Pastry stouts built around dessert flavours. Cold IPAs, Italian pilsners and whatever appears next.

This is where a shop that actually tastes what it sells becomes useful. Staff at a local wine and spirits shop can usually match you to something new in a sentence, which beats guessing from a label.

How To Choose Without Overthinking It

If you like citrus and tropical fruit, try a hazy IPA. If you like bitter and piney, go west coast.

If you like coffee or chocolate, start with an oatmeal stout.

If you like crisp and clean, a pilsner or a helles lager.

If you like dry cider or champagne, a fruited sour or a saison.

And buy single cans rather than four packs while you are exploring. Finding out you dislike something once is cheaper than finding out four times.

Check the date on the can as well, particularly with hoppy styles. Hop aroma fades within weeks, so a hazy IPA that has been sitting for six months is not the beer the brewer intended. Dark and barrel aged styles hold up far longer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an ale and a lager?

Yeast and fermentation temperature. Ales ferment warm and quickly, producing more fruit and spice character from the yeast. Lagers ferment cold and slowly, producing a cleaner profile where malt and hops show through. Most craft styles are ales.

What is the difference between a hazy IPA and a regular IPA?

Hazy or New England IPA is cloudy, soft and aromatic with tropical fruit character and low bitterness. West coast IPA is clear, notably bitter and resinous with pine and grapefruit notes. Hazy styles are generally easier for newcomers.

Are dark beers stronger than light beers?

Not necessarily. Colour comes from roasted malt rather than alcohol content. Many stouts are no stronger than a standard IPA, and some are lighter in body than their appearance suggests. Imperial versions of any style are the strong ones.

What craft beer should a beginner start with?

Match it to flavours you already enjoy. Citrus and tropical fruit points to a hazy IPA, coffee or chocolate to an oatmeal stout, crisp and clean to a pilsner, and dry cider or sparkling wine to a fruited sour or saison.

Why do sour beers taste sour?

Because bacteria such as lactobacillus are involved in fermentation, producing lactic acid. Kettle sours are made quickly and taste bright and tart, while spontaneously fermented styles such as lambic develop far more complex and funky character over time.