With over one hundred recognised beer styles worldwide, navigating the diversity can feel overwhelming. However, understanding a few fundamental categories and their defining characteristics makes the beer landscape far more approachable. This guide breaks down the major style families you'll encounter in Australia, explaining what makes each distinctive and helping you identify which styles might appeal to your palate.
The Great Divide: Ales vs. Lagers
Every beer falls into one of two primary categories based on fermentation method: ales or lagers. This distinction, determined by yeast type and fermentation temperature, fundamentally shapes a beer's character.
Ales: Top-Fermenting Tradition
Ales use Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains that ferment at warmer temperatures (15-24°C) and tend to rise to the top of the fermenter. This warmer, faster fermentation produces esters and phenols—compounds that contribute fruity, spicy, or complex flavours. Ales encompass an enormous range of styles from light wheat beers to potent barleywines.
Lagers: Bottom-Fermenting Precision
Lagers employ Saccharomyces pastorianus yeast that works at cooler temperatures (7-13°C) and settles to the bottom. The cold, slow fermentation produces cleaner flavours with minimal yeast-derived characteristics. The beer then undergoes lagering—cold conditioning for weeks or months—which further clarifies flavour and appearance. Most mainstream beers globally, including iconic Australian brands, are lagers.
Quick Distinction
Generally, ales tend toward fuller body and more complex, fruity flavours. Lagers lean crisp, clean, and refreshing. However, exceptions abound—some ales are light and crisp, while certain lagers offer surprising depth.
Lager Styles
Pale Lager / Pilsner
The world's most popular beer style, pale lagers are light in colour and body with a clean, crisp profile. Pilsners represent the original version, originating in Bohemia (Czech Republic), featuring a more pronounced hop bitterness and spicy hop aroma. Australian lagers typically follow the international pale lager template: milder bitterness, subtle malt sweetness, and emphasis on refreshment over complexity.
Key characteristics: Golden colour, high carbonation, 4-5% ABV, clean finish, mild bitterness (15-30 IBU)
Amber/Vienna Lager
These lagers use kilned malts that produce deeper amber to reddish-brown colours and toasty, bready malt flavours. They retain the clean lager character but offer more body and flavour complexity than pale lagers. Australian craft breweries increasingly produce excellent examples.
Key characteristics: Amber colour, toasty malt notes, moderate body, 4.5-5.5% ABV
Dark Lager
Munich dunkel and schwarzbier (black beer) represent the dark side of lagers. Despite their appearance, these beers remain smooth and drinkable, with roasted malt providing chocolate or coffee notes without the bitterness or heaviness of stouts.
Key characteristics: Brown to black colour, smooth roasted character, medium body, 4.5-5.5% ABV
Pale Ale Styles
American/Australian Pale Ale
The craft beer revolution was built on this style. Australian pale ales typically feature locally-grown hops like Galaxy, Vic Secret, and Ella, producing distinctive tropical fruit, citrus, and stone fruit aromatics. The malt provides enough backbone to balance the hops without competing. These are the ideal gateway beers from mainstream lagers to craft exploration.
Key characteristics: Pale gold to light amber, tropical/citrus hop aroma, moderate bitterness (30-45 IBU), 4.5-5.5% ABV
Extra Pale Ale (XPA)
A newer category that sits between pale ale and IPA, XPAs offer amped-up hop character while maintaining the sessionable alcohol levels of standard pale ales. They're essentially pale ales with extra hop emphasis—more aroma, more flavour, sometimes more bitterness, but the same easy-drinking body.
Key characteristics: Pale colour, intense hop aroma, 4.8-5.5% ABV, higher bitterness than standard pale ale
English Pale Ale/Bitter
The British precursor to American-style pale ales, English pale ales feature earthy, herbal, and floral hop notes from varieties like Fuggle and East Kent Goldings. They emphasise malt-hop balance over hop dominance, with biscuity, caramel malt character playing an equal role. Less common in Australia but worth seeking out for perspective on the style's evolution.
Key characteristics: Amber colour, earthy/floral hops, balanced, 4-5.5% ABV
Australian Innovation
Australian brewers have developed distinctive pale ales using native hop varieties. Galaxy hops in particular—with their intense passionfruit and citrus character—have become internationally renowned and define the Australian pale ale identity.
India Pale Ale (IPA) Styles
American/West Coast IPA
Bold, bitter, and intensely hoppy, American IPAs prioritise hop character above all else. West Coast versions feature a dry, clean finish that accentuates hop bitterness and piney, resinous, citrus flavours. They're not for the faint of palate—bitterness levels can be aggressive, and the hop assault is intentional.
Key characteristics: Golden to light amber, intense hop bitterness (50-70+ IBU), dry finish, 6-7.5% ABV
New England/Hazy IPA
A more recent innovation, hazy IPAs emphasise hop flavour and aroma over bitterness. Their distinctive cloudy appearance comes from suspended proteins and yeast. The result is a juicy, smooth, almost creamy beer with tropical fruit bomb aromatics but relatively restrained bitterness. These have become enormously popular, particularly among those who find West Coast IPAs too bitter.
Key characteristics: Hazy/opaque appearance, juicy fruit character, soft bitterness, creamy mouthfeel, 6-7.5% ABV
Session IPA
All the hop character of an IPA with lower alcohol for extended drinking sessions. These typically range from 3.5-4.5% ABV, making them more sessionable while still delivering satisfying hop flavour. Quality varies significantly—the best achieve impressive hop intensity despite reduced alcohol, while poor examples taste thin and watery.
Key characteristics: Variable colour, IPA hop character, lower alcohol (3.5-4.5% ABV), lower body
Double/Imperial IPA
Everything about an IPA, amplified. Double IPAs push hop additions to extreme levels and boost alcohol to 8-10%+ ABV. Despite the intensity, well-crafted versions maintain balance—the increased malt required for higher alcohol provides counterpoint to the massive hop presence. These are sipping beers, not session beers.
Key characteristics: Golden to amber, extreme hop intensity, high alcohol (8-10% ABV), full body
Dark Beer Styles
Stout
Stouts use heavily roasted barley to achieve their characteristic dark colour and coffee-like flavours. The category spans enormous diversity—from light, dry Irish stouts to massive imperial versions. Australian craft breweries have embraced stouts enthusiastically, producing everything from sessionable dry stouts to barrel-aged dessert monsters.
Key characteristics: Black colour, roasted coffee/chocolate flavours, variable body and strength (4-12% ABV)
Porter
Historically the precursor to stout, porters are typically lighter in body and roast character than stouts. They emphasise chocolate and caramel malt notes over the sharper, coffee-like roast of stouts. The distinction has blurred significantly—many modern porters and stouts overlap considerably.
Key characteristics: Dark brown to black, chocolate/caramel malt, moderate roast, 4.5-6.5% ABV
Brown Ale
Approachable dark beers with nutty, caramel, and light chocolate flavours without the roasted bitterness of stouts. English brown ales trend toward drier and nuttier; American versions are typically more hop-forward. These are excellent entry points for those wary of dark beers.
Key characteristics: Brown colour, nutty/caramel flavours, mild, 4.5-6% ABV
Wheat Beer Styles
German Hefeweizen
Bavarian wheat beers featuring distinctive banana and clove flavours from special yeast strains. They're cloudy from suspended yeast and wheat proteins, highly carbonated, and refreshingly light. Traditional service includes pouring with a swirl to incorporate yeast sediment.
Key characteristics: Cloudy yellow, banana/clove aroma, high carbonation, 4.5-5.5% ABV
Belgian Witbier
Belgian white ales spiced with coriander and orange peel. Lighter and more refreshing than hefeweizen, with citrusy, spicy notes complementing the wheat base. Excellent summer beers that pair well with lighter foods.
Key characteristics: Hazy pale yellow, citrus/spice character, light body, 4.5-5.5% ABV
Style Evolution
Beer styles continuously evolve. New categories emerge, traditional definitions blur, and regional interpretations develop. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines, updated every few years, provide the most comprehensive style definitions, though even these represent snapshots of an ever-changing landscape.
Specialty and Hybrid Styles
Sour Beers
An ancient category experiencing modern revival, sour beers incorporate bacteria or wild yeast to produce intentional acidity. Styles range from tart, refreshing Berliner weisse to complex, funky Belgian lambics aged for years. Australian breweries have embraced sour beer production, often incorporating native fruits and botanicals.
Belgian Styles
Belgian brewing traditions encompass numerous unique styles—abbey ales, tripels, dubbels, saisons, and more. These generally feature expressive yeast character producing spicy, fruity esters, higher alcohol, and complex flavour profiles distinct from their German or British counterparts.
Finding Your Style
Understanding style categories provides vocabulary for navigating beer menus and bottle shops, but personal exploration remains essential. Styles you initially dislike may become favourites as your palate develops, while early loves may give way to new discoveries. Use these categories as a map, not a destination—the journey through beer's diversity is the real pleasure.