The Differences Between Each Type of Beer

The world of beer is vast and at times hard to keep up with, as there are so many types of beer to keep track of. For those who aren't beer fanatics, some beer types may not taste all that different from one another; however, to those with picky tastebuds and a passion for brewing, the profiles of one beer type may be drastically noticeable from all other different beer types.

Different Beer Types Begin With Ales Versus Lagers

The distinction between all different beer types has to do with the brewing process, ingredients, and flavor profiles, so the easiest place to start is with ales and lagers, as these have the most basic difference: yeasts. Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast at cooler temperatures, resulting in clean, crisp flavors, whereas ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures, yielding more complex, robust flavors. At Oskar Blues, there are certainly more ales to note, like the iconic Dale's Pale Ale and the Hazy Blues IPA, but Oskar Blues also has Dale's Light Lager and Mama's Little Yella Pils, which, yes, pilsners are a style of lagers.

Types of Ales

Ales are an expansive genre of beers with some surprising styles like stouts. The best way to differentiate between some of these different beer types is to use Oskar Blues' brews as examples.

Pale ales are easy to spot as they have a balanced flavor with malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness—but not nearly as hoppy as an IPA. Pale ales, like Dale's Pale Ale is medium-bodied with notes of citrus and pine. IPAs, or India Pale Ales, on the other hand, are the other easy ale to spot as they are intensely hoppy with tropical fruit and citrus flavors. You'll often see "hazy" IPAs like Oskar Blues' Hazy Blues IPA, which means it is less filtered, making it smooth and juicy. One that can be harder to spot because it tastes more similar to pale ales is a blonde ale. Blonde ales, like Favorite Blonde Gluten-Free, are light and refreshing with subtle malt sweetness but mild and approachable for those new to craft beer.

Now on to the darker brews, there are brown ales, porters, and stouts. Brown ales, like the Maduro Brown Ale, offer a toasty, nutty flavor with hints of caramel and chocolate. These ales are darker and malt-forward, but they are noticeably less intense than porters or stouts. Porters are also very rich, but they have a roasted coffee flavor with dark chocolate notes. This can be noticed in Oskar Blues' Death By Coconut—behind the coconut flavors, of course. Porters are known to be smooth with medium bitterness. Finally, when it comes to stouts, the Ten FIDY Imperial Stout is a great example of the bold stout flavor filled with roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate. Stouts are full-bodied and intense, plus they are often higher in alcohol.

Specialty Brews

Aside from lagers and ales, there will always be specialty brews coming out of the woodworks like Kölsch beers, Scotch ales, imperial or double styles, and more! Some of these specialty types of beers are hybrid forms, like how the Rhine Beach Party Kölsch combines the crispness of a lager with the fruitiness of an ale, giving a light, refreshing, and slightly fruity profile. Scotch ales, like the Old Chub Scotch Ale, show off a rich malt character with caramel and smoky notes. Imperial or double Styles boast higher alcohol content with intense flavors (e.g., bourbon or vanilla from aging). Check out Oskar Blues' Barrel-Aged Ten FIDY Stout for this kind of robust, warming profile.

Try Them Out!

Hopefully, this gave a great rundown of what to expect when it comes to some of the different beer types. It may be the difference in a robust flavor versus a crisp and fruity one that makes you fall in love with a new style of beer. It's always helpful to know what you're looking for in a beer before you order it, but it's always fun to simply try new beer types as well! If any of these beer types stood out to you as something you wish to try, stop by your local Oskar Blues to experiment a little.