Beer Styles

American Red Ale: American Red Ale, also called American Amber Ale, is a richly flavored, sweet, hoppy beer popular on the West Coast of the United States, and especially in the Pacific Northwest. It usually features a reddish or orange color and a sweet malt flavor from the use of caramel malts, and a strong hop character often including grassy notes from dry hopping.

Belgian Brown Ale: This classic style from Flanders Belgium combines malty sweetness with a sourness gained from several months of maturation (usually in metal tanks). The most complex examples have a secondary fermentation in the bottle.

Black IPA (Cascadian Dark Ale): American-style India Black Ale has medium high to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content, balanced with a medium body. The style is further characterized by a moderate degree of caramel malt character and medium to strong dark roasted malt flavor and aroma. High astringency and high degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent. Fruity, floral and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute to aroma and flavor.

ESB (Extra Special Bitter): Characterized by medium to strong hop aroma, bitterness (30-55 IBU), and a richer maltiness than special bitter. The combination of both the stronger malt (4.8%-5.8% ABV) and the higher hop value make ESBs the most complex and full-flavored bitter style

Farmhouse Ale: Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness.

Imperial india Pale Ale (IPA): Take an India Pale Ale and feed it steroids, ergo the term Double IPA. Although open to the same interpretation as its sister styles, you should expect something robust, malty, alcoholic and with a hop profile that might rip your tongue out

Kolsch is clear with a bright, straw-yellow hue, has a prominent but not extreme hoppiness, and is less bitter than the standard German pale lager.

Pale Ale: Traditionally golden to copper in color, pale ales have low to medium maltiness, with English hop varieties providing flavor and bitterness. Pale ales are not really "pale". The term was originally used to distinguish these ales from porters and stouts. They tend to have a bit more assertive flavors than most beers in the "Bitters" category.

Oatmeal stout was originally an English seasonal variant of sweet stout that is usually less sweet than the original, and relies on oatmeal for body and complexity rather than lactose for body and sweetness. As a general rule, pale, caramel and dark roasted malts and grains are used along with between 5 and 10 percent of oatmeal to enhance fullness of body and complexity of flavor. The ale is brown to black in color.

Rauchbier (smoked): German (Bamberg): The malt for these beers is kilned over a fire and absorbs the dark, husky aromas associated with beechwood, peat, alder, or oak. These beers are full-bodied with plenty of smoky aroma and are amber to dark copper in color. Still, they are balanced, with an average alcohol and bitterness of 4.5% ABV and 20-30 IBU respectively.