Budweiser
Miller High Life
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Coors Original
Description
Lagers (specifically American Light or American Lagers) are what you were drinking before you were old enough to legally drink. They are typically served very cold, and are meant to be refreshing.
They aren't technically "craft beer", as they represent a good portion of the most widely-available beer in America, but they are very difficult to brew properly -- it's not a style that homebrewers tend to try out. It's a testament to the consistency and quality of the Budweiser/Coors/Miller-sized b
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Stone Pale Ale
Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Firestone Walker Pale 31
Description
Pale Ales are another good gateway to the world of craft beer. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one of the most solid, easily-accessible beers that there is. American-style Pale Ales tend to be hoppy, but more balanced than an IPA, and are usually quite refreshing. It's a good, drinkable beer that is more substantial than your standard lager.
The folks at the BJCP define American-style Pale Ales as, "A pale, refreshing and hoppy ale, yet with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and dr
Trumer Pils
Firestone Walker Pivo Pils
Lagunitas Pilsner
Paulaner Premium Pils
Description
Pilsners (or Pilseners, or Pils) are a very drinkable, clean, refreshing style of beer. The German and Czech-styles are predominant, both of which are similar enough to be considered siblings. A utility beer, they are good in all seasons and with many different kinds of food. It is a well-defined style, but has room for movement within it that makes trying new types a joy.
The BJCP describes pilsners as, "A light-bodied, highly-attenuated, gold-colored, bottom-fermented bitter German beer showi
Anchor Porter
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Sierra Nevada Porter
Description
Porters are a darker style that can vary by region (Baltic-style, English-style, etc.) There is a smoked variation and they can be bulked up to Imperial status. For simplicity's sake, we will focus on the American-style porters here. Like most things American, they are bigger and bolder than their counterparts elsewhere in the world, and with less of a tendency for warmongering (what better way to prevent wars than drinking beer together?)
There is a great deal of complexity to porters. They ar
Saison Dupont
Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
Prairie Standard
Description
Saisons (sometimes called farmhouse ales) are a dry, flavorful, surprisingly strong type of beer. Refreshing and drinkable, there is room for all sorts of complexity -- they can range from hop-forward to richer and more malty, to sour or funky. A nice alternative to hop-bomb prevalence.
The BJCP defines this style as follows: "Most commonly, a pale, refreshing, highly-attenuated, moderately-bitter, moderate-strength Belgian ale with a very dry finish. Typically highly carbonated, and using non
Deschutes Obsidian Stout
Rogue Shakespeare Stout
Sierra Nevada Stout
Description
A fitting name, stouts are as big-tasting of a beer as you are likely to try on your foray into craft beer. They are also a favorite of brewers and beer nerds alike (especially the Imperial variety), as they lend themselves well to experimentation and have an inherent complexity.
It helps to think of stouts as an after-dinner beer -- they lend themselves well to dessert-like flavors like coffee, caramel, vanilla, and more. They are also heavy-duty, and work much better than sleeping pills -- dr
Russian River Supplication
New Belgium Eric's Ale
Russian River Temptation
The Bruery Rueuze
The Bruery Saison Rue
Boulevard Saison Brett
Description
Sour beer/wild ales are unusual, sometimes off-putting styles. There is an extremely wide variability to these beers, which makes them simultaneously exciting and daunting to begin tasting.
It helps to go into trying sour beers with a different mindset -- if you approach it like wine, you are more likely to be able to enjoy it on its own terms. Some smell inviting, others like a cow pasture; some taste delicious and fruity, others have a puckering sourness.
It's a fascinating genre of beer w
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Sour/Wild Ale
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Sour/Wild Ale
Glassware
Tulip
Notes
A tulip glass not only helps trap the aroma, but also aids in maintaining large heads, creating a visual and olfactory sensation. The body is bulbous, but the top flares out to form a lip which helps head retention. It is recommended for serving Scottish ales, American double/imperial IPAs, barleywines, Belgian ales and other aromatic beers. Some pint glasses which taper outwards towards the top are also called tulip glasses, despite having notably less curvature.
Use with These Styles
Belgian-Style Dubbel (Double)
Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
Pale Ale
Saison / Farmhouse Ale
Sour/Wild Ale
IPA (India Pale Ale)
Readily-Available Examples
Russian River Supplication
New Belgium Eric's Ale
Russian River Temptation
The Bruery Rueuze
The Bruery Saison Rue
Boulevard Saison Brett
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Description
Sour beer/wild ales are unusual, sometimes off-putting styles. There is an extremely wide variability to these beers, which makes them simultaneously exciting and daunting to begin tasting.
It helps to go into trying sour beers with a different mindset -- if you approach it like wine, you are more likely to be able to enjoy it on its own terms. Some smell inviting, others like a cow pasture; some taste delicious and fruity, others have a puckering sourness.
It's a fascinating genre of beer with tremendous complexity and variety, the byproduct of using microbes beyond traditional brewer's yeast, such as Brett (or Brettanomyces). They are becoming more and more popular all the time, and as such, are becoming the new IPA (as a name to drop to show how into beer you are).
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Bitterness (IBU)
Variable
Alcohol (ABV)
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Attachments
american-sour.jpg
Appearance (BJCP)
Extremely variable based on style. Will often take on characteristics of additional ingredients, like fruit.