Styles Part II - Ales

This article first appeared in The Docket, the official newspaper of Case Western Reserve University School of Law. 

Now that you have a basic understanding of the main two types of beer (ale and lager), let us start exploring each style’s subcategories in greater detail. This week we’ll look at ales. If you’re new to craft beer I would recommend starting with styles towards the top of the list before delving further down. In some cases it took me many months before I could even palate some of the beers towards the bottom of the list. But everyone is different; do some experimenting and see what you like!

Wheat beer: Wheat beers are typically light and refreshing, with very little hop bitterness and crisp notes of citrus in both the nose and flavor. The strains of Belgian yeast used in most wheat beers also lend notes of banana and at times even faint suggestions of bubblegum to the taste. Blue Moon is a well known an example of wheat beer, but I would recommend you try Great Lakes Holy Moses, Spaten Franziskaner, or Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier.

Brown ale: Heavier and darker than wheat beers, brown ales are of English origin and range in flavor from hints of dark fruit to earthy and nutty. Some American versions also include suggestions of coffee. Brown ales are another good brew for newcomers to the craft beer scene because hop bitterness remains largely in the background. Newcastle Brown Ale is probably the most famous brown ale, but I would also recommend Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown or Bell’s Best Brown.

Stout: Stouts are some of the darkest beers available and rely on large doses of malt for the majority of their body and flavor. Hops play a varying role in stouts, but typically serve as a bittering agent to provide balance to the sweeter malt flavors. You will find most stouts to have roasty characters, with suggestions of coffee and dark chocolate playing prominent roles. Guinness is a good stout to begin with, but I also recommend trying Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout, Rogue Chocolate Stout, and Sierra Nevada Stout.

Pale Ale: The first of the truly hop forward beers on this list. Most pale ales range in aroma from earthy to sweet and slightly floral. Malt provides a backbone of sweetness to their flavors, but hops play a much more prominent role, lending hints of citrus to the taste and creating a characteristically bitter finish. I find new craft beer drinkers sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the hop bitterness of pale ales and India pale ales. With time and experience your palate will adjust and you will come to appreciate the complexities of these styles. Popular pale ales include Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Great Lakes Burning River.

Russian Imperial Stout: While similar in some respects to normal stouts, RIS’s are packed with much more flavor, complexity, and alcohol (the average RIS is in the 8-9% abv range). Aromas and flavors of espresso, mocha, dark chocolate, vanilla, dark fruit and many others are all possibilities for beers of the RIS family. Due to their complexity and variety of flavors, RIS’s tend to be one of Beer Nerds’ favorite styles. Notable brands include Stone RIS, Old Rasputin, and Great Lakes Blackout Stout.

India Pale Ale: The hoppiest beers around, IPAs are notoriously pungent and bitter. These beers draw you in with surprisingly inviting aromas of flowers, pine, and even grapefruit. While some of these elements come through in the flavor as well, hop bitterness really dominates the overall flavor profile. Drinking a few IPAs is a sure way to ruin your palate for the rest of the evening. Some of my personal favorites include Dogfish Head 60 Minute, Bell’s Two Hearted, and Great Lakes Commodore Perry.

Next week we’ll discuss different styles of lager. Until then, go enjoy some craft beer (after you’re done with you’re reading for the night of course)!

Respect Beer!