Beer Styles List And Descriptions (AHA / BJCP)

There are many different styles of beer out there in the big wide world...ever wonder what they are? Here is a list of them based on AHA (American Homebrewing Association) and the BJCP (Beer Judging Certification Program) guidelines. Click on a link below in one of the categories for a description of the style:

BJCP BEER STYLES

American Lager

Light/Standard/Premium
Dark Lager
Classic American Pilsner

European Pale Lager
Bohemian Pilsner
Northern German Pilsner
Dortmunder Export
Munich Helles

Light Ale
Blonde Ale
American Wheat
Cream Ale

Bitter & English Pale Ale
Ordinary Bitter
Special or Best Bitter
Strong Bitter/English Pale Ale

Scottish Ale
Light 60/-
Heavy 70/-
Export 80/-

American Pale Ales
American Pale Ale
American Amber
California Common Ale

India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale

Koelsch & Altibier
Koelsch-Style Ale
Dusseldorfer Altbier
Northern German Altbier

German Amber Lager
Oktoberfest/Maerzen
Vienna Lager

Brown Ale
Mild
Northern Brown Ale
Southern Brown Ale
American Brown Ale

English & Scottish Strong Ale
Old Ale
Strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy)

Barleywine & Imperial Stout
Enblish Style Barleywine
American-style Barleywine
Russian Imperial Stout

European Dark Lager
Munich Dunkel
Schwarzbier

Bock
Traditional Bock
Helles Bock/Maibock
Doppelbock
Eisbock

Porter
Robust Porter
Brown Porter

Stout
Dry Stout
Sweet Stout
Oatmeal Stout
Foreign Extra Stout

Wheat Beer
Bavarian Weizen
Bavarian Dunkelweizen
Berliner Weisse
Weizenbock

Strong Belgain Ale
Dubbel
Tripel
Belgian Strong Golden Ale
Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Belgian & French Ale
Belgian Pale Ale
Witbier
Biere de Garde
Saison
Belgian Specialty Ale

Lambic & Belgian Sour Ale
Straight Lambic-style Ale
Gueuze-style Ale
Fruit Lambic-style Ale
Oud Bruin Ale
Flanders Red Ale

Fruit Beer
Fruit Beer

Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Spice/Herb/Vegetable

Smoked Beer
Classic Rauchbier
Other Smoked Beer

Specialty
Experimental and historic

Mead
Traditional Mead
Varietal Honey Traditional Mead
Cyser
Pyment
Other Fruit Melomel
Metheglin
Braggot

Cider
Standard Cider and Perry
New England-style Cider
Specialty Cider and Perry

AHA BEER STYLES

Barley Wine

English-Style Barley Wine
American-Style Barley Wine

Belgian and French Ale
Flanders Brown / Ouid Bruin
Dubbel
Tripel
Belgain Pale Ale
Belgain Pale Strong Ale
Dark Strong Ale
White (Wit)
Biere de Garde

Belgain-style Lambic
Lambic
Gueuze Lambic
Fruit Lambic

Mild and Brown Ale
English Light Mild
English Dark Mild
English Brown
American Brown
Irish Red Ale

English-style Pale Ale
Classic English Pale Ale
India Pale Ale

American-style Ale
American Pale Ale
American Amber Ale
American Wheat

English Bitter
English Ordinary Bitter
English Special Bitter
English Extra Special Bitter

Scottish Ale
Scottish Light
Scottish Heavy
Scottish Export

Porter
Brown Porter
Robust Porter

English & Scottish Strong Ale
English Old Ale/Strong Ale
Strong Scotch Ale

Stout
Classic Irish-style Dry Stout
Foreign Style Stout
Sweet Stout
Oatmeal Stout
Imperial Stout

Bock
Traditional Bock
German-Style Helles Bock/Maibock
Doppelbock
Eisbock

German Dark Lager
Munich Dunkel
Schwarzbier

Classic Pilsner
German-Style Pilsner
Bohemian-Style Pilsner
American-Style Pilsner

American Lager
American Lager
American-Style Light Lager
American-Lager/Ale or Creame Ale
American-Premium Lager
America Dark Lager

German Light Lager
Munchner-Styule Helles
Dortmunder/European-Style Export

Vienna/Marzen/Oktoberfest
Vienna
Marzen/Oktoberfest

German-Style Ale
Kolsch
Dusseldorf-Style Altbeir

German-Style Wheat Beer
Weizen/Weissbeir (Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier)
Berliner Weisse
Dunkelweizen
Weizenbock/Weissbock

Smoked Beer
Bamberg-Style Rauchbier
Classic-Style Smoked Beer
Other Smoked Beer

Fruit and Vegatable Beer
Fruit and Vegatable Beer
Classic-Style Fruit Beer

Herb and Spice Beer
Herb and Spice Beers
Classic-Style Herb and Spice Beer

Specialty Beer
Specialty Beer
Classic-Style Specialty Beer

California Common Beer
California Common Beer

Mead, Traditional
Sparkling Traditional Mead
Still Traditional Mead
Sparkling Braggot
Still Braggot

Mead Fruit and Vegetable
Sparkling Melomel
Still Melomel
Sparkling Cyser
Still Cyser
Sparkling Pyment
Still Pyment

Mead, Herb and Spice
Sparkling Metheglin
Still Metheglin
Sparkling Hippocras
Still Hipposcras

Cider
Still Cider
Sparkling Cider
New-England Style Cider
Specialty Cider