Amber – These beers are copper or “amber” in color. They can be ales or lagers, and tend to be fuller bodied due to the addition of specialty grains.
Barley Wine – A very alcoholic ale that is full-bodied and often dark.
Bitter – A highly-hopped ale, which gives it a very bitter taste, and hence the name. It is amber to copper in color and has very little carbonation. The bitter is popular in the British pubs.
Bock – This beer is traditionally brewed in the winter for spring consumption. It is believed the name “Bock” derived from the name of the German town of Einbeck, where the beer was first brewed. Others insist the name derives from the German word for goat. It is a heavy, dark lager, sweet and full-bodied, with high alcohol content (about 6%). The Doppelbock is a strong bock, with alcohol contents ranging from 8% – 13%.
Lager – The word “lager” is derived from the German word lagern which means “to store.” Lagers are brewed with a bottom-fermenting yeast that is less vigorous, requires longer periods of time to ferment and ferments at colder temperatures (33¡ – 55¡ F) than the ales. Lager beers tend to be less alcoholic (3.2% – 4%) than ales.
Malt Liquor – Any beer with an alcohol content greater than 5% cannot, according to current law in most states, be labeled as a beer or lager and is thus called a “malt liquor.”
Mead – One of the first fermented beverages ever concocted, mead is essentially yeast-fermented honey water. Fruit, herbs and spices are often added to supplement the taste.
Pale Ale – Copper in color, this beer is the brewer’s best bitter that has been bottled.
Pilsner – A dry, crisp, highly hopped beer with a flowery aroma that originated in the Czechoslovakian town of Pilsen.
Porter – A dark to black ale with a full bodied a medium hopped character. There are many stories surrounding the origin of the name “porter.” One account tells us that when this ale first appeared in 18th century London, it was most popular among the London porters. The barley is well roasted which gives the porter its dark color and chocolaty or bittersweet taste.
Steam Beer – This beer is made with lager yeast, but fermented at ale temperatures. It originated in 19th century California during the Gold Rush days when ice was scarce or very expensive. Rumor has it the name originated because excessive amounts of pressure built up in the kegs, and when they were tapped they let out a loud hissing noise, reminiscent of the old steam locomotives. The name is now a registered tradename of Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco.
Stout – The stronger and more bitter porters became known as “stouts,” purportedly because only the stoutest of porters would partake of this drink.
Wheat beer – Any beer which uses malted wheat is technically a wheat beer. There are two distinctive styles, both originating in Germany. One is the “Berliner Weisse” from Berlin, and the other is the Weizenbier from southern Germany. Both are top-fermented and noticeably hoppy and malty in taste. Bottled wheat beer is often given an extra dose of yeast to induce secondary fermentation. The bottle-conditioned wheat beer is called a hefe-weizen and is usually cloudy and contains sediment.