Types of Beer

Beer has long been the favorite beverage of many people all across the world, and this reflects in the fact that there are so many different types of beer available to us. Every culture has developed their own technique of brewing beer based on the customs and the preferences of people who reside in a certain geographical area, and most of the time, each type is vastly different from other prevalent types as well.

Different beer styles vary in color, texture, smoothness, flavor, ingredients, alcohol content of beer and recipe. Needless to say, each type also has a unique history and origin story behind it, and this is exactly what endears beer to so many people all around the globe. The method of fermentation and the time devoted to it is what makes all the difference in the various parameters of a specific kind of beer, and these constitute the beer brewing techniques that have evolved over the centuries. Here we will present to you some of the most commonly seen and loved beers that constitute most types of beer lists from all around the world.

Styles of Beer

The various types of beer get their differences during the fermentation process, and they can thus be known as top-fermenting beers or bottom-fermenting beers. Spontaneous fermentation is another method that is rarely seen around the world, but it is found commonly in countries like Belgium. It is generally believed that ales and lagers are the primary types available, but in reality they imply the style in which the beer is brewed. This involves subtle changes in the fermentation process. With that in mind, here are some of the styles of beer that are worth exploring for any beer lover.

Ale
Ale is a top-fermented beer, and its primary ingredient is malted barley that is combined with a form of brewers yeast. Most ales have a very sweet and fruity taste, and this is due to the presence of a large amount of sugar in the fermentation process. In order to lessen the sweetness, hops are added to the beer and this also lends the beer a yellowish color. Most ales are ready to drink within a few weeks of the fermentation process. Some different varieties of ale beer are Scotch ale, Old ale, Burton ale, Mild ale, Pale ale, Brown ale and Belgian ale. You may also like to educate yourself about Lager vs Ale, since these are the two most important types of beer.

Lager
Lager is another immensely popular type of beer, and it is vastly different from ales. The temperature for fermentation is much lower, the time period is longer, and most importantly, the process is known as bottom-fermentation. Most American beers are lagers, and their history is very interesting indeed. They were first fermented in caves during the rule of the Roman Empire, and this lends them their characteristics of extremely light colors, and very high alcohol content. Some beers that fall under the lagers category are Pilsner (which many people claim is the best beer in the world), Pale lager, Dunkel, Dortmunder Export and Marzen.

Lambic
This is a unique beer that is based on the method of spontaneous fermentation, and it is produced only in certain regions of Belgium. Its unique appearance and taste are derived after exposing the beer to certain types of bacteria and wild yeasts that are only found in this particular geographic location. The taste is said to be quite dry and cidery, and the aftertaste can be quite sour as well. This is not a commercially available type of beer, but staunch beer lovers around the world know all about its uniqueness.

Hybrid
Over time, new methods of fermentation and brewing have graced many cultures, and some beers that combine modern methods with conventional ones are known as hybrid beers. These are not sold through mainstream channels, and they are generally found in specific regions only. Some examples are steam beers which make use of a yeast that ferments in warmer temperatures (discovered by German immigrants in California), smoked beers in which the malt has been exposed to smoldering smoke (mostly found in Germany), wood-aged beers that are allowed to mature and ferment in wooden barrels, and different kinds of fruit and vegetable beers and spiced beers as well.

Some other types and brands of beer that fall under these styles of beer are as follows.

• Porter Beer - It is a kind of ale that contains lesser amounts of hops, so it is less sweet and fruity in taste, but darker in color.
• Stout Beer - This is a stronger variation of Porter beer, and it is also darker in color. Stout beer is one of the most widely recognized type of beer around the world.
• Abbey Beer - This is another type that is made in Belgium, and it copies the recipes that monks used in monasteries in ancient times.
• Bock Beer - This is a special kind of German beer that is mostly consumed in colder temperatures due to its warming effects. Stronger variations of this are also known as Dopplebocks.
• Dry Beer - This is a fairly recent type of beer that was first released in Japan in 1987. The fermentation process is allowed to stretch so that the sugars in the beer get absorbed completely, lending the beer a very dry and parching taste.
• Ice Beer - This is another recent type of beer and it is made in Canada in the winter months. The beer is allowed to freeze during fermentation and then the ice crystals are subsequently removed upon maturation.
• IPA - This stands for Indian Pale Ale, and it is brewed in Britain. It is a very strong and heavily brewed beer and it was initially made for the purpose of transportation to India when it was a colony of Great Britain.

This following table will also tell you more about some of the best brands of beer that fall under all these styles from all over the world. As you can see Germany, USA, United Kingdom and some other European countries like Poland, Netherlands and Czech republic are the biggest brewers of beer in the world.

Country	Brands of Beer
Australia	Boags Carlton Cascade Cooper's Courage Draught Crown Emu Bitter Fosters Hahn James Squire Melbourne Bitter Power's Redback Reschs Swan Lager Tooheys Victoria Bitter XXXX
Belgium	Alken Maes Chimay Corsendonk Duvel Hoegaarden Jupiler Kwak Leffe StellaArtois Westmalle Double/Triple Trappist
Canada	Labatt Molson Moosehead Keith's Sleeman's UpperCanada Unibroue Garrison Propeller BigRock Lakeport Okanagan Spring NorthernBreweries
China	Haizhu(Macau) Harbin Huiquan Jianyang Jilin Tsingtaobeer Xinjiang Yanjing L Yinpu Zhujiang
Czech Republic	Bernard Branik Budweiser Diapivo Eggenberg Ferdinand Gambrinus Holba Konrad Krusovice Litovel Lobkowicz Pernstejn PilsnerUrquell Platan Primator Primus Radegast Regent Rychtar Samson Starobrno Staropramen Svijany Velkopopovicky Kozel Vratislav Zlatopramen Zubr
Denmark	Albani Carlsberg Tuborg
Finland	CXX (Olvi) Hartwall Karjala (Hartwall) Karhu (Sinebrychoff) Koff (Sinebrychoff) Kommodori (Pirkanmaan Uusi Panimo) Laivuri (Pirkanmaan Uusi Panimo) Lapin Kulta (Hartwall) Legenda (Hartwall) Nikolai (Sinebrychoff) Olvi Urho (Hartwall) Sandels (Olvi)
France	1664 from Kronebourgbreweries 33 Export Adelscott Desperados Fischer George Killian's Jenlain Kriska Kronenbourg, Mützig Pelforth Schutz Jubilator Semeuse Valstar
Germany	Adelshoffen Allgäuer Brauhaus Alsfelder Astra Augustiner Bräu Ayinger Becker's Beck's Berliner Kind l Binding Bitburger Brinkhoffs Bölkstoff Clausthaler DAB Diebels Dinkelacker Dom Kölsch Dortmunder Kronen Duckstein Duessel Alt Eku Erdinger Farny Flensburger Frankenheimer Franziskaner Gaffel Kölsch Gießener Gilden-Koelsch Haake-Beck Härle Hacker-Pschorr Hansa HasenBräu Henninger Holsten Jever Julius Echter Karlsberg Karlsquell Kölsch Köstrizer Krombacher Licher Löwenbrau Maisel Meckatzer Memminger Moninger Oettinger Petermannchen (from Schwerin) Paulaner Radeberger Ratsherrn Rheingold Riegele Roling Rothaus Sanwald Weizenbier Schlappeseppel Schneider Schöfferhofer Schwaben Brau Spaten St. Pauli Girl Tucher Veltins Warsteiner Weihenstephaner Weltenburger Kloster
India	Kingfisher Thunderbolt Haywards
Ireland	Guinness Harp Kilkenny Smithwicks
Italy	Peroniand Nastro Azzruro Peroni Splugen
Japan	Asahi Kirin Orion Sapporo
Mexico	Bohemia Carta Blanca Corona Dos Equis Estrella Indio Leon Modelo Montejo Noche Buena Pacifico Sol Superior Tecate Victoria
Netherlands	Amstel Brewery Bavaria Brewery Brouwerij DeMolen Dommelsch Dutch Gold Grolsch Brewery Heineken Pilsener Heineken PremiumLight Hengelo Bier Hertog Jan Jopen Oranjeboom Stichting Noordhollandse Alternatieve Bierbrouwers Trappistbeer
New Zealand	D B Export Gold Lion Speight's Steinlager Taranaki
Philippines	Beerna Beer Colt 45 Red Horse San Miguel
Poland	Amber Barbakan from Krakow Bosman Dojlidy made by Bizon E B beer Braniewo Pils Piwo Bractwa Kurkowego Poznanski Porter Lech Warka Tyskie Królewskie Żywiecbeer Brok Okocim Piast
Portugal	Sagres Ultra-Bock
Puerto Rico	Cerveza India Medalla
Singapore	Tiger
South Africa	Carling Black Label Castle Lager Hansa Pilsener Lion Lager
Sweden	Pripps Blå Falcon Norrlands Guld (Spendrups) Åbro Fagerhult (Banco)
Switzerland	Cardinal Feldschlosschen Hurlimann Samichlaus (SantaClaus) St. Galler Klosterbräu Warteck
Thailand	Singha Chang
United Kingdom	Adnams Banks's Bass Belhaven Boddingtons Carling Courage Fullers Greenall's Greene King Harveys John Smith's Marstons Mc Ewens Newcastle Brown Ale Ringwood Brewery St Austell Breweries Shepherd Neame Stone Suttons Tennants Tetley Theakstons Youngs
USA	Abita Anchor Anderson Valley Anheuser-Busch Bad Frog Ballantine Bigfoot BillyBeer Blatz Bridgeport Capital Brewery Celis Coors Dixie Grain Belt Hudepohl Keystone Little Kings Cream Ale Live Oak Lone Star Mac Tarnahan's
Venezuela	Cerveza Bock Cerveza Cardenal Cerveza Frya CervezaNacional Cerveza Zulia Polar

Apart from these types, there are many more like Oud bruin, Muncher, Malt liquor, Lite, Light Ale, Kristall, Kolsch, Honey beer, Hefe, Gueze, Faro, Eisbock, Biere de Garde, Alt beer and Sorghum beer that are worth exploring. The best types can be found in many different countries all around the world, and it will take many years of research to learn the history and origin of each and every type. In the meantime, the types mentioned here should suffice.