Beer styles
by Mike Benner, Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
‘Real Ale’ is beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide: also called 'cask-conditioned' and 'naturally conditioned' beer. There are a number of different styles and types of real ale varying from malty, lightly hopped milds to dark and bitter stouts and porters. With some 2,500 different real ales available from 500 brewers in the UK, British beer is an incredibly diverse product. There is a beer out there to meet the tastes of everyone!
Here's an explanation of the qualities of the most common beer styles...
Bitter
These are highly hopped ales, ranging from 1030 to around 1055 OG (original gravity is a method of expressing the strength of beer). Within this range, the term is most commonly applied to 'drinking bitters' in the 1032-1044 OG band. The most common type of draught ale, low in carbonation. Best Bitters are usually over 4.1% ABV.
Mild
An ale of low gravity and hop rate, hence rounder, usually slightly sweeter, and distinctly less bitter on the palate and in aroma than more highly hopped bitters. Mild is usually (but not always) darker in colour than bitter, through use of a higher roast malt or caramel. There are considerable variations in mild styles.
Porter
A dark, slightly sweetish but ‘hoppy’ ale made with roasted barley: the successor of 'entire' and predecessor of stout. Originated in London around 1730 and by the end of 18th century was the most popular beer in England. The fashion for the pale ales of Burton-upon-Trent ended the popularity of porter in the mid 19th century. In recent years, a number of brewers have revived porter.
Stout
One of the classic types of ale, a successor in fashion to 'porter'. Usually a very dark, heavy, well-hopped bitter ale, with a dry palate, thick creamy head, and good grainy taste contributed by a proportion of dark roasted barley in the mash.
Bottle conditioned beer
This is real ale in a bottle and secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle as a result of yeast left in the mixture after boiling.