Beer Styles

The sheer number of beer brands in Canada may confuse even the best beer mixologist. So if you ever find yourself confused when entering a local bar, you’re not alone. After all, knowing the exact number of beer styles on the planet can be exciting and intimidating.

Fortunately, the Brewers Association has developed a unique way of grouping the many brands into different beer styles. The term beer style groups and categorizes beers by origin, history, flavour, ingredients, and appearance.

And knowing these groups can make you try something new or even spice up your favourite beer cocktail.

Discover Beer Styles

Beer has been around for centuries; most cultures have their unique brew. Thanks to the local ingredient, these brews vary in taste, appearance, and aroma. The sweetness to the degree of bitterness of the beer determines the flavour.

Currently, every brewer has a unique flavour that makes their brand stand out. In fact, Canada alone has over 1,100 brewers with thousands of beers.

Fortunately, these beers are usually grouped into beer styles, making it easy for mixologists to identify what they need for a cocktail. On that note, the world’s most common beer styles include,

• American Amber Ale: This ale gets its name from its amber-to-golden colour derived from crystal malt and caramel.
• American Amber Lager: It’s a medium-roasted lager with a caramel-like or toasty malt character.
• American Barley Wine: Its colour ranges from copper garnet/deep red to amber.
• American Black Ale: This beer borrows its character from the aroma and flavour of dark roasted malt.
• American Brett: The American Brett takes the hue of the added ingredient, including the fruits.
• American Brown Ale: This chocolate-like, caramel-like, and roasted malt is of medium intensity in aroma and flavour.
• American Cream Ale: it’s a pale, mild, light-bodied beer prepared through cold lagering and warm fermentation.
• American Imperial Porter: This beer doesn’t have strongly burnt or roasted barley flavours.

Deciphering Different Types Of Beer

As aforementioned, Canada is home to several beer types. These beers have different tastes and aromas thanks to their unique ingredient, place of origin, and fermentation process.

To make life easier for beer lovers, several beer organizations, including Craft Beer, have come up with a unique way of identifying beers. As such, Craft Beer has classified over 75 types of beers.

Beer Names

Their unique compilation of beer styles helps beer lovers get what they want. Therefore, all you need to know is the beer type. From there, the system can help narrow your search for the beer name.

Craft Beer’s platform features beer types, styles, and names. Therefore, you don’t need to be a specialist to decipher their list.

In fact, with simple details like how a beer looks or tastes, the system can tell you what beer you have in mind. After all, some of us can remember the taste, not the name, while others can remember both. But with this system, you can easily narrow your search even with the alcohol level and colour.

Navigating Beer Styles

With the right system, you can easily navigate the huge list of the world’s unique beers.

Craft Beer has a unique system that can teach you more about the styles. On top of that, it can even suggest the best food and beer pairing for your weekend.

Find A Craft Brewery

Generally, your search for a new beer style shouldn’t stop there; you can go as far as finding the brewer’s location. As such, you could add beer tasting to your list of activities while visiting various provinces. After all, you can learn more about a beer by visiting the brewer. Knowing its origin can give you an idea of its colour and aroma.

Plus, this can be a great opportunity to taste other beers. You may even fall in love with a new style from the same brewer.