The craft brewing industry has exploded in popularity in the past few years, with new products bursting onto the scene each year.  While it may seem like there are a dizzying number of beer styles out there, an understanding of a handful of key types will stand you in great stead, as there’s a lot of overlap between the different varieties.

In this article we’ll take you through some of the most popular styles of beer – you’ll be talking like a pro in no time, and become every beer lover’s favourite gift giver!

Lager

Lager is a typical starting point for beer drinkers, drunk by many all over the world.  Lagers are bottom-fermented at a lower temperature than ale, giving it a crisp and clean taste that has less of the bolder flavours of an ale.

Here’s what we recommend: Camden Town Hells Lager

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Blond

Blonde ale, also known as golden ale, originated from brewers trying to lure commercial lager drinkers towards the world of craft beer. It’s a smooth, easy drinker that has a balanced taste without too many dominating malt or hoppy flavours – perfect for those looking for something a little more flavourful than a traditional lager.

Here’s what we recommend: Brugse Zot Blond Beer

Brugse Zot Blond Beer

£3.00

Attention Belgian beer lovers! This incredibly flavourful golden blond beer has a rich foam with fruity banana and spicy notes and the palate is complex with balance of citrus and bitterness. Have you tried this beer yet?

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Pale Ale

Pale Ales are an English style ale made with pale malt. They date back to 1703 where beers made from malts were dried with high carbon coke, resulting in a lighter colour than most beers at the time. This brewing process gives it a hoppy flavour, characterised by citrus notes and caramel sweetness.

Here’s what we recommend: Mikkeller Side Eyes Pale Ale

Private: Mikkeller Side Eyes Pale Ale

£2.80

A crisp and clean pale ale. Soft but full mouthfeel and nose with hints of citrus, mandarin and tropical fruits. Easy drinking, light-bodied with a slight hoppiness.

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IPA

IPA’s, short for India Pale Ale, is the stronger, hoppier cousin of Pale Ale, boasting bold citrus or fruity flavours (depending on the hops).  Legend has it that sailors added extra hops to the ale to help it survive the journey to India – resulting in the hoppy flavour and higher alcohol content. Go steady!

Here’s what we recommend: Mikkeller Evergreen Session IPA

Mikkeller Evergreen Session IPA

£2.80

This hazy Session IPA is fresh, crisp and light. Bright tropical aromas with stone fruit flavour and a delicate bitterness. Pair with spicy tacos with fresh jalapenos and citrus. Lip-smacking!

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Bitter/Classic Brown Ale

An English classic, Brown ale is known for its comforting malty overtones, often with notes of caramel, chocolate and bread. Brown ales are actually tipped by brewers and beer experts as one of the most food friendly styles of beer as the malt and toasty flavours pair well with a wide variety of food.

Here’s what we recommend: Anspach Hobday Ordinary Bitter

Private: Anspach & Hobday Ordinary Bitter Beer

£2.40

The original session beer, Anspach & Hobday Ordinary Bitters forms a cornerstone of English drinking culture. Perfectly balanced between malt sweetness and hop bitterness. Delicate hop aromas of pine, spice and dark fruits are followed by a smooth, full bodied palate with notes of biscuit and caramel. Pick up a bottle or 6 of this delicious classic beer for the modern beer drinker.

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English Trappist

Put simply, Trappist beer is beer that has been brewed by monks within the walls of a monastery. Niche, right!?  Of the 170 Trappist monasteries in the world, just 12 produce beer, but between them they brew some of the most famous and exceptional beers ever made.

Here’s what we recommend: Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale

Private: Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale

£2.85

Tynt Meadow is mahogany-coloured, with a subtle, warm red hue, and a lasting beige head. It’s aroma carries hints of dark chocolate, liquorice, and rich fruit flavours. The beer is full-bodied, gently balancing the taste of dark chocolate, pepper, and fig. Tynt Meadow is named after the field in which the monks first settled in 1835. It’s English history in a bottle!

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Dubble

Put simply, Trappist beer is beer that has been brewed by monks within the walls of a monastery. Niche, right!?  Of the 170 Trappist If you’re a fan of a malty tasting beer, you’ll be sure to love a Belgian style Dubbel. One of the more popular beer styles to emerge from the aforementioned Trappist, it’s a fairly strong ale (6-8% ABV) with a deep colour that imparts chocolate, dark fruit and caramelized flavours.

Here’s what we recommend: Chimay Red Dubbel Beer

Chimay Dubbel Red Label Beer

£3.00 – £64.00

Attention Malty beer lovers – This dubbel beer has wonderful orange peel, apricot, peach and fruit notes while the palate has gorgeous sweet malty, biscuit-like flavours with refreshing minerality and smooth bitterness. This Belgian Trappist beer is somewhere in between an aromatic wheat beer and malt barley beer!

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Porter

Often labelled interchangeably with a stout, a Porter is actually the weaker version of the two. Porter is made with malted barley and a generous helping of hops, resulting in a dark medium-bodied beer with a perfect balance of malty sweetness and bitter hoppiness.

Here’s what we recommend: Anspach Hobday Imperial Baltic Porter

Private: Anspach & Hobday Imperial Baltic Porter

£4.50

Limited Edition. This is a serious Porter beer! Calling all lovers of dark beer, this has aromas of chocolate and roasted coffee dominate the nose, along with notes of herbs & spice. The palate is smooth and chocolatey, with a touch of sweetness balanced by a gentle bitterness. Anspach & Hobday have really nailed it with this Imperial Porter and at such a great value, it deserves a try. Brewed only for their birthday, when the beer is gone… it’s truly gone…

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