Beer styles - Overall impression Flashcards
A smooth clean pale German lager with a moderately strong malty flavor and a light hop character. Deftly balances strength and drinkability with a palate impression and finish that encourages drinking. Showcases elegant German malt flavors without becoming too heavy or filling.
04B: Festbier
An ale of moderate to fairly significant alcoholic strength bigger than standard beers though usually not as strong or rich as barleywine. Often tilted towards a maltier balance. “It should be a warming beer of the type that is best drunk in half pints by a warm fire on a cold winter’s night” – Michael Jackson.
17B: Old Ale
A lighter-bodied rich refreshing hoppy bitter pale Czech lager having the familiar flavors of the stronger Czech Premium Pale Lager (Pilsner-type) beer but in a lower alcohol lighter-bodied and slightly less intense format.
03A: Czech Pale Lager
A moderately malty somewhat fruity easy-drinking copper-colored Belgian ale that is somewhat less aggressive in flavor profile than many other Belgian beers. The malt character tends to be a bit biscuity with light toasty honey-like or caramelly components; the fruit character is noticeable and complementary to the malt. The bitterness level is generally moderate but may not seem as high due to the flavorful malt profile.
24B: Belgian Pale Ale
A fuller-bodied black beer with a pronounced roasted flavor often similar to coffee and dark chocolate with some malty complexity. The balance can range from moderately bittersweet to bitter with the more balanced versions having up to moderate malty richness and the bitter versions being quite dry.
15C: Irish Extra Stout
A very dark sweet full-bodied slightly roasty ale that can suggest coffee-and-cream or sweetened espresso.
16A: Sweet Stout
A lightly fruity beer with firm grainy maltiness interesting toasty and caramel flavors and showcasing rustic traditional American hop characteristics.
19B: California Common
A hoppy moderately-strong very well-attenuated pale British ale with a dry finish and a hoppy aroma and flavor. Classic British ingredients provide the best flavor profile.
12C: English IPA
A young fresh Helles so while still a malty fully-attenuated Pils malt showcase the hop character (aroma flavor and bitterness) is more pronounced and the beer is cloudy often with some level of diacetyl and possibly has some green apple and/or other yeast-derived notes. As with the traditional Helles the Keller version is still a beer intended to be drunk by the liter so overall it should remain a light refreshing easy drinking golden lager.
07C: Pale Kellerbier
A well-attenuated malty amber lager with an interesting caramel or toast quality and restrained bitterness. Usually fairly well-attenuated often with an adjunct quality. Smooth easily-drinkable lager character.
02B: International Amber Lager
A complex fruity pleasantly sour wild wheat ale fermented by a variety of Belgian microbiota and showcasing the fruit contributions blended with the wild character. The type of fruit can sometimes be hard to identify as fermented and aged fruit characteristics can seem different from the more recognizable fresh fruit aromas and flavors.
23F: Fruit Lambic
A dark strong malty German lager beer that emphasizes the malty-rich and somewhat toasty qualities of continental malts without being sweet in the finish.
06C: Dunkles Bock
A sweet heavy strong traditional Finnish beer with a rye juniper and juniper berry flavor and a strong banana-clove yeast character.
27A: Sahti
Low gravity low alcohol levels and low carbonation make this an easy-drinking session beer. The malt profile can vary in flavor and intensity but should never override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style
11A: Ordinary Bitter
A strong malty fruity wheat-based ale combining the best malt and yeast flavors of a weissbier (pale or dark) with the malty-rich flavor strength and body of a Dunkles Bock or Doppelbock.
10C: Weizenbock
A rich dark malty Czech lager with a roast character that can vary from almost absent to quite prominent. Malty with an interesting and complex flavor profile with variable levels of hopping providing a range of possible interpretations.
03D: Czech Dark Lager
An elegant malty German amber lager with a clean rich toasty and bready malt flavor restrained bitterness and a dry finish that encourages another drink. The overall malt impression is soft elegant and complex with a rich aftertaste that is never cloying or heavy.
06A: Märzen
A sour fruity red wine-like Belgian-style ale with interesting supportive malt flavors and fruit complexity. The dry finish and tannin completes the mental image of a fine red wine.
23B: Flanders Red Ale
A moderate-strength amber lager with a soft smooth maltiness and moderate bitterness yet finishing relatively dry. The malt flavor is clean bready-rich and somewhat toasty with an elegant impression derived from quality base malts and process not specialty malts and adjuncts.
07A: Vienna Lager
An average-strength to moderately-strong British bitter ale. The balance may be fairly even between malt and hops to somewhat bitter. Drinkability is a critical component of the style. A rather broad style that allows for considerable interpretation by the brewer.
11C: Strong Bitter
A fairly sour often moderately funky wild Belgian wheat beer with sourness taking the place of hop bitterness in the balance. Traditionally spontaneously fermented in the Brussels area and served uncarbonated the refreshing acidity makes for a very pleasant café drink.
23D: Lambic
A very pale highly-carbonated light-bodied well-attenuated lager with a very neutral flavor profile and low bitterness. Served very cold it can be a very refreshing and thirst quenching drink.
01B: American Lager
A very dark sweet fruity moderately strong ale with smooth roasty flavors without a burnt harshness.
16C: Tropical Stout
A substantial malty dark beer with a complex and flavorful dark malt character.
20A: American Porter
An intensely hoppy fairly strong pale ale without the big rich complex maltiness and residual sweetness and body of an American barleywine. Strongly hopped but clean dry and lacking harshness. Drinkability is an important characteristic; this should not be a heavy sipping beer.
22A: Double IPA
A pale refreshing and hoppy ale yet with sufficient supporting malt to make the beer balanced and drinkable. The clean hop presence can reflect classic or modern American or New World hop varieties with a wide range of characteristics. An average-strength hop-forward pale American craft beer generally balanced to be more accessible than modern American IPAs.
18B: American Pale Ale
A darker and somewhat sweeter version of international pale lager with a little more body and flavor but equally restrained in bitterness. The low bitterness leaves the malt as the primary flavor element and the low hop levels provide very little in the way of balance.
02C: International Dark Lager
A well-hopped American interpretation of the richest and strongest of the English ales. The hop character should be evident throughout but does not have to be unbalanced. The alcohol strength and hop bitterness often combine to leave a very long finish.
22C: American Barleywine
A flavorful yet refreshing session beer. Some examples can be more malt balanced but this should not override the overall bitter impression. Drinkability is a critical component of the style.
11B: Best Bitter
A refreshing elegant tasty moderate-strength wheat-based ale.
24A: Witbier
A clean well-attenuated flavorful American “lawnmower” beer. Easily drinkable and refreshing with more character than typical American lagers.
01C: Cream Ale
Highly carbonated very light-bodied nearly flavorless lager designed to be consumed very cold. Very refreshing and thirst quenching.
01A: American Light Lager
A dark low-gravity malt-focused British session ale readily suited to drinking in quantity. Refreshing yet flavorful with a wide range of dark malt or dark sugar expression.
13A: Dark Mild
A fairly strong malt-accentuated lagered artisanal beer with a range of malt flavors appropriate for the color. All are malty yet dry with clean flavors and a smooth character.
24C: Bière de Garde
A malt-focused generally caramelly beer with perhaps a few esters and occasionally a butterscotch aftertaste. Hops only to balance and support the malt. The malt character can range from dry and grainy to rich toasty and caramelly but is never roasty and especially never has a peat smoke character.
14C: Scottish Export
Characterized by depth richness and complexity typical of darker Munich malts with the accompanying Maillard products. Deeply bready-toasty often with chocolate-like flavors in the freshest examples but never harsh roasty or astringent; a decidedly malt-balanced beer yet still easily drinkable.
08A: Munich Dunkel
A decidedly hoppy and bitter moderately strong American pale ale showcasing modern American and New World hop varieties and rye malt. The balance is hop-forward with a clean fermentation profile dry finish and clean supporting malt allowing a creative range of hop character to shine through.
21B: Specialty IPA - Rye IPA
A low-gravity highly-carbonated light-bodied ale combining an oak-smoked flavor with a clean hop bitterness. Highly sessionable.
27A: Piwo Grodziskie
A relatively pale strong malty German lager beer with a nicely attenuated finish that enhances drinkability. The hop character is generally more apparent than in other bocks.
04C: Helles Bock
Rich characterful pale Czech lager with considerable malt and hop character and a long rounded finish. Complex yet well-balanced and refreshing. The malt flavors are complex for a Pilsner-type beer and the bitterness is strong but clean and without harshness which gives a rounded impression that enhances drinkability.
03B: Czech Premium Pale Lager
