THE 22 MOST COMMON TYPES OF BEER - NUTRITION - 2025

The types of beer can be classified by their form of fermentation (lager and ale), by their appearance and by their ingredients. Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the world. It is made from cereal grains, especially barley.

The only condition is that the cereal used is capable of producing fermentable sugars, since its starch must go through a fermentation process with water and yeast.

This preparation is flavored with ingredients such as hops, which can be bitter, aromatic or mixed, or other plants. Besides this, you can also add other ingredients like fruits and spices.

This is not a distilled liquor and it usually has a bitter taste. Its color will depend on the ingredients used in its preparation, and its alcohol content is usually between 3% and 9% vol, although in some cases it can reach up to about 30% vol.

Each country has its own commercial varieties of beer and there are those who even sell so-called craft beers. Because it is a product in which so many variables are involved, its classification is quite complex.

And is that beer is not classified by a single criterion, but by several. However, taking into account the most relevant ones, an understandable classification can be made.

By its fermentation

One of the key ingredients in beer is yeast. This is the element that allows its fermentation and depending on the process that is used, two types of beers can be obtained.

Therefore, this is usually one of the most common ways to classify this drink. Most beers are made using one of the two Saccharomyces-type species, commonly known as yeasts, which are nothing more than sugar-consuming mushrooms and produce both alcohol and carbon dioxide.

There are two basic processes that define two types of beer: those with low fermentation yeast and those with high fermentation. The former are known as Lager beers and the latter as Ale.

Lager Beers

These are the beers that contain low fermentation yeast. It is a variety in which the drink is matured at a low temperature (between 7 and 13 ° C). For this reason, yeasts work more slowly, which means that they must rest for a longer time to reach their point of maturity.

This type of beer should be stored for between two and six months. Unlike Ale, Lager have a smaller range of aromas and flavors. They are clear, light beers and have a lot of gas. They have a moderate alcohol content and also tend to have a very refreshing effect.

Within this category we find several types of beers. These are some of them:

Pilsen

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This is one of the most popular varieties in the world. It is a golden beer, but of a pale and transparent tone. Its alcoholic strength is moderate, so it is between 4.5 and 5.5%.

They are dry and have a good malt character and a characteristic hop aroma. The classic brew of this variety contains malted barley, yeast, hops and water. Its minimum maturation time is one to two months.

Münchner Hell

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It is a slightly darker and less dry beer than Pilsen. But these have more body and are less hopped. Its alcoholic strength is higher, it goes from 4.5 to 5%. This is a common variety in Munich and southern Germany.

Münchner Dunkel

Dark beer that tends to have more malt character than pale beers. Its hue can vary between a brownish red and a carbon black.

Its alcohol content is also higher, from 5 to 5.5%. This is the type of beer that is served by almost everyone when ordering a dark lager.

Märzen / Oktoberfest

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This is a strong beer, with a good maturation (three months). This variety is usually known by this name only in Germany.

In other countries it is known as Vienna style beers or as Amber. This last name is due to its color, which is usually bronze or copper. It has much more body and alcohol than golden lagers (between 5 and 6%).

Dortmunder Export

This beer, like many of the previous ones, owes its name to its place of origin. Only those that are made in Dortmunder (Germany) can bear this name.

The other beers with characteristics similar to this variety and that are produced in other cities are only called export. This type of beer is pale golden in color, semi-dry and has more body than Pilsen, but it is also less bitter.

Ale Beers

These are the beers that contain top fermenting yeast. This is found in the stalks of cereals and was discovered in 1852 by Louis Pasteur when he was conducting research on beer. This variety must act at temperatures ranging from 12 to 24 ° C, thanks to which they usually have a fast fermentation (7 or 8 days or less).

It is especially popular in the UK and central Europe. They are dark, thick, with a body that ranges from medium to high, they have little gas and have a great variety of floral and fruity aromas, as well as flavors, but much more intense than other varieties. Due to their manufacturing process, they tend to be of high graduation.

Within this category we find several types of beers. But unlike Lagers, Ale can be of various styles. Here are some of them.

British style

Mild

It is a beer with a mild and slightly bitter character. This variety is not usually found bottled but in barrel. It is usually dark, light in body and also less dry than bitter. Its alcohol content is moderate (between 3 and 4%).

Bitter

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It is a beer opposite to the Mild. It is much more bitter, but like them they are usually found in barrel.

Pale Ale

Its name is due to the fact that when it was introduced to the market, all the beers were dark. And this was the first one that had an amber or bronze color.

Brown ale

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Its name also comes from its tan color, which ranges from a soft amber to a strong brown. It is a strong beer with a good malt flavor, dry and usually fruity.

Old ale

This variety is usually dark in color. They are also full-bodied and can be a bit sweet. Many of them have a high alcohol content, between 5 and 8.5%.

Barley wine

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This is a type of beer that is more like a barley wine. It is known that way not only because its alcoholic content can be similar to that of this drink, but also because it was traditional to age it for several months in wooden barrels.

Its alcohol content usually ranges from 6 to 12%. It is a dark and full-bodied beer.

Scotch Ale

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They are usually strong beers, with a tan or even dark brown color. It is a moderately bitter variety, with sweet tones and good body. It is a very popular type of beer in Belgium.

Irish Ale

This variety is characterized by its reddish color, its fruit flavors and its malt character.

Belgian style

Belgian Ale

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It is a type of beer with a reddish amber or copper color. Its density is medium, they are soft and fruity and its alcoholic content is approximately 5%.

This group also includes those made in the style of British Scotch Ale. They are dark and strong beers.

Toasted ale

This variety is a mix of young and old beers. They have an intense, bittersweet flavor and their color is toasted brown. Its alcohol content is usually between 5 and 6%.

Red ale

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This type of beer is usually reddish in color due to the type of malt used to make it. Light in body, but also a bit acidic and very refreshing.

This variety is also made with a mixture of old and young beers, but in this case they are matured for more than 18 months in wooden vats.

Strong golden ale

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It is a golden colored beer with a high alcohol content of approximately 8%. It is a fruity, dry variety with a lot of foam.

Saison

It is a seasonal beer created for special celebrations. It is usually orange in color and has a dense head. In addition, their flavor is fresh, fruity and because they are bubbly, they are usually presented in champagne bottles.

Trappist

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This is the type of beer that is produced in Trappist Catholic monasteries. At least 20 types of beer are produced there and each one has different characteristics.

However, they also have common traits. They usually have a second fermentation in the bottle, they are strong, fruity and have an alcohol content between 5 and 11%. There are golden and pale, dry and sweet.

Regional specialties

There are other series of Belgian beers that do not fall into any of the above classifications, as they depend on the particular taste of each producer.

German style

Altbier

These types of beers ferment hot, but also go through a cold maturation process for several weeks. Sometimes a little malted wheat is used in its preparation. They are soft, bronze or dark amber in color and have an alcoholic strength of between 4.5 and 5%.

Kölsch

They have a fermentation and maturation process just like the Altbier. But unlike these, they use paler malts. The result of this is a golden beer, with a similar aspect to the Pilsen. They are very fruity, smooth and delicate. Its alcoholic graduation is approximately 5%.

It is worth noting that among top-fermented beers there are also a couple more popular varieties that are dark Ales.

Stout and Porter fall into this category. The first is a strong and bitter beer, very dark in color, almost black. The second is less bitter and with a lower degree of alcohol.

By its appearance

Beyond their categorization by type of fermentation, beers are also usually classified by their appearance. The main differentiating element is its color.

These can be blonde, black, amber, or red. They can also be translucent or cloudy. This difference may be due to the proteins from the grain of the cereal used.

Although this can also depend on the type of filtering or the absence of this process. In the case of dark beers, their dark color is due to the use of roasted or burnt malts for their production.

For its ingredients

Although it is not a common classification, beer can also be of several types depending on the ingredients with which it is prepared. This drink has barley as its main ingredient, so it is not usually indicated regularly.

However, there are cases where barley is combined with another cereal such as oats or wheat. If so, the beverage produced is referred to as an oat or wheat beer. The latter are also known as white beers, since they are not usually filtered and have a misty appearance. It has an acid character, they are refreshing and sparkling.

There is also gluten-free beer. It is a variety that instead of having barley or wheat, contains some type of malt cereal or pseudo-cereal such as buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum, corn or rice.

They are made in a careful way to avoid being contaminated with other gluten components. This is a special type of beer for people with celiac disease, an allergy to this protein that is found in grains of barley, rye, wheat and even oats.