Ales An ale yeast is called top fermenting because of its tendency to flocculate (gather) at the surface of the brew during the first few days before settling to the bottom. To brew an ale, fermentation must take place in warmer temperatures for the yeast to multiply and do its magic. Ales are usually higher in alcohol and will be noticeable fuller and more complex. Barley Wine Despite its name, Barley Wine is actually an ale. Barley Wine is a very intense and complex beverage with alcohol content equal to most wines. It is not for the faint of heart. It has a hearty, sweet malt flavor which is offset by a strong and bitter flavoring from the hops for balance. Because of the preserving qualities of alcohol, this is the best beer for storing over a long period of time. The color ranges from copper to medium brown. The bitterness ranges from medium to the highest of all beer types. English Bitter There are three classic styles of English Bitters. They are the Ordinary (mild), the Special (moderate strength), and the Extra Special (a stong bitter). They are typically characterized with traditional hops such as Kent Goldings, Fuggles, or Brewers Gold. Just as they range from mild to strong, the color and alcohol percentage also follow. Pale Ale As in the English Bitters, there are varying styles of pale ales. They all share a pronounced hop flavor and aroma with low to medium maltiness. Among the types of pale ales are the English, the India (IPA), and the American. English have a dry character usually due the high sulfate content of the water. The India Pale Ale is usually stronger and hoppier because the higher alcohol content and hop acids acted as a preservative on the long boat journey from England to its colonies in India. The American is usually amber in color and has a bit more maltiness flavor than the other two. When brewing pale ales, fresh, quality hops is a necessity. Scottish Ale Scottish ales are close cousins to the English ales with the exception that they are usually darker, maltier, and have less carbonation. They range in color, maltiness and strength in the order of Scottish Light, Scottish Heavy, Scottish Export, and the Strong Scotch. The Strong Scotch is usually dark brown, high in alcohol (6-8 percent) and can have a lightly smoky character. Belgian Strong Dark Ale Belgium is known for having hundreds of unique styles of beer. Though very diverse, they are usually medium to dark in color with a high alcohol content. They are very malty and with a low hop flavor and aroma. The most important ingredient in this style of beer is the strain of yeast. The yeast and warm fermentations create a unique biscuity flavor with fruity and spicy overtones and a good deal of carbonation. These beers are usually very aromatic and are best served in a goblet so as to better smell the beer while drinking. Porter The Porter's name comes from the Porters at London's Victoria Station. They would frequently mix several styles of beer into one glass and drink large quantities of the mixture. A style was eventually created to approximate this blend and came to be known as a Porter. Arthur Guinness and Sons was the first brewer to offer a Porter commercially. Later on, they increased the alcohol content of the Porter and the new drink became known as the Stout Porter (which eventually became Stout). The Porter is a good beer for those who want a full flavored, dark beer without the bitterness from the roasted barley that a Stout now possesses. Imperial Stout The Czarist rulers of Russia loved the English Stouts so much that they would have it shipped to them from England. The beer didn't hold up too well on the long journey, so the English increased the gravity and alcohol content just as they did when creating the India Pale Ale. Thus the birth of the Russian Imperial Stout. An Imperial Stout is dark copper to very black in color. It has a rich and complex maltiness with noticeable hop bitterness. The two main ingredients are the dark roasted barley and black malts. The Imperial Stout is like the espresso of beer styles, full flavored and intense. Lagers The lager yeast simply flocculates (not at the surface) and sinks to the bottom. Therefore it is known as bottom fermenting. Lager yeasts need cool temperatures during fermentation to perform their magic. Lagers tend to be lighter in color and usually taste drier than ales. They are generally less alcoholic and complex. This is the most common beer type sold in the U.S. American Lager This is basically the main style of beer in America. It is a mass produced, inexpensive product that's aimed at the broadest possible demographic. Since it is very watery and has little flavor characteristics, it is the least likely to offend a large number of consumers. In the health craze of the 70's brewers started offering Light Beer. Light Beer is simply an American Lager with an even lower gravity. American Lagers achieve a low gravity by adding corn or rice syrup which is highly fermentable. This means that a higher percentage of sugars ferment into alcohol leaving behind less flavor. Pilsner Pilsner style beer originated in Plzen, Czechoslovakia in 1842. It was the very first light colored beer. Today, it is the world's most popular style of beer. The original Pilsners' defining elements were the extremely soft water that was pumped locally and the unique aromatic hops that were also grown nearby. Pilsners are malty sweet, and well hopped. Caramel flavors are often noticed accompanied by medium to high bitterness. Pilsners have a good amount of carbonation and are clean and crisp. Bock Originating in Germany, Bock beer is a hearty beer with high alcohol content. Contrary to the rumor, bock beer is not what's cleaned out of the bottom of the vats at the end of the year! Bock beer has a pronounced malt flavor with just enough hop bitterness to tame the sweetness. The German word for lager "lagern"  means to store. Bock beer is matured for a long period of time during the second fermentation. A variation on Bock beer is the Doppelbock. A Doppelbock has a higher gravity and slightly higher alcohol content. Traditionally, most all breweries end the names of their Doppelbocks in "ator"  (such as Optimator or Salvator) which makes them easy to find. Oktoberfest This beer is amber in color and is slightly heavy. It is malty sweet as typical with beer from southern Germany and Austria. "Marz", the German word for March, is when the last batch of beer was brewed before the warm summer months (before refrigeration). This beer was stored in Alpine caves to keep cool and consumed throughout the summer. At harvest time and the beginning of the new brewing season (around October), the remaining beer in storage was taken from the caves and consumed during a celebration. This celebration still takes place in Munich for 16 days and ends on the first Sunday in October. There is low to medium bitterness but enough to offset the sweet. This is a favorite of many homebrewers because it's fairly easy to make. Helles The main beer consumed in Bavaria. Helles is a pale lager that is light in color, not taste or calories. It is low in alcohol and intended to be an everyday or session beer. The main quality that separates a Helles from a Pilsner or Pale Lager is a less potent hop aroma and flavor. Only a mild, short lived bitterness should be expected. Dunkel Commonly known as German dark beer. It 's basically a Helles with additional roasted malt added for color and a toasty, chocolate-like taste. Contrary to its reputation, it is really not as heavy or strong as many would think. It is slightly more bitter than a Helles, but the bitterness is a result of the roasted barley rather than from hops. Specialty Beers The lager yeast simply flocculates (not at the surface) and sinks to the bottom. Therefore it is known as bottom fermenting. Lager yeasts need cool temperatures during fermentation to perform their magic. Weizenbier (Weissbier) Weizenbier is an ale made wheat. This ale, is a golden color but is cloudy and sometimes casts a whitish appearance. Don't worry about it being cloudy, it won't hurt you! A Weizenbier is a very refreshing, effervescent beer. The taste has hints of cloves and banana. If when bottling, a little yeast is added, the Weizenbier is referred to as a Hefeweizen. Hefe  means yeast. A Weizenbier has to have at least 50% wheat malt to be considered a Weizenbier. Many times, a Weizenbier is enjoy with a twist of lemon. Try this light bodied, spicy beer in the summertime. Smoked Beer One of the more unusual beers is the smoked beer. In Bamberg Germany this style is very popular and referred to as Rauchbier. In this style, a brewer will fires his malt over a wood fire and lets the smoke absorb into the grains. This imbues a smoky character in the taste of the brew. Many homebrew recipes call for duplicating this smoky taste with liquid smoke. A Porter is a good beer for making a smoked beer because of its high malt, low hop ratio. Fruit/Vegetable Beer Adding fruit to beer is a relatively new concept in America. However, in Belgium this has been done for centuries. Just about any beer can have fruit extracts or syrups added and they are readily available at homebrew supply shops. With fruit or vegetable beers, there's no telling what you might find because the different recipes are so varied. Herb/Spice Beer Herb or Spiced Beer is very similar to Fruit Beers in that it's a fairly new trend for American brewers. With the amount of spices available, there are a myriad of recipes to satisfy any urge. As in Fruit Beer, any type of beer can be used as a base for selected herbs or spices. With these types of beers, you can really let you imagination run wild.