Beer Styles

Beer Styles

Beer comes in a range of styles and types, but what does this actually mean? What makes a lager different to an ale or for that matter a pilsener? Some of the more common varieties are reviewed below.

Lager

Lager beer is characterised by the fact that the wort is fermented by yeast of a bottom fermentation type, (ie. the yeast settles to the bottom of the fermentation vessel) and then stored in refrigerated cellars for maturing and clarification. Lager gets its name from the process German brewers use to mature their beer in oak vats in a cool cellar. Lager – which means “to store”.

Ale

Traditionally, an ale is fermented by yeast of the top fermentation type and has amore pronounced hop flavour. Now days, this term is often applied to some bottom fermented beers with a pronounced hop flavour.

Porter

A top fermented beer, port is heavier and darker than ale, more malty in flavour, with less hop flavour, but sweeter in taste.

Stout

Top fermented, stout is similar to a porter. It has a strong flavour and a sweet taste, and a stronger hop character than porter.

Pilsener

Pilsener is a lager beer, originally from the Pilzen region of the Chech republic.

Old and New Beer

Old beer is a top fermentation English ale type and is the original type of beer first brewed in Australia. It is this process which is old – nothing to do with maturation process. New beer, is a bottom fermented lager type and is the more recent type of brewing process.