Beyond the Pint: A Guide to the Most Popular Types of Beer

Dubai Explorer January 18, 2024January 20, 2024

The popularity of beer transcends cultures and continents, making it a global beverage of choice. Its appeal lies in its versatility—whether enjoyed at a casual gathering or a sophisticated event, beer is made to suit all occasions. The most popular types of Beer, ranging from hoppy Indian pale ales (IPAs) to rich stouts, cater to a wide array of palates, ensuring there’s a brew made for everyone.

Additionally, the sociable nature of sharing a cold beer in Abu Dhabi fosters camaraderie and relaxation, making it an excellent symbol of friendliness and companionship.

With centuries of tradition and constant innovation, beer stands as a timeless beverage, beloved for its taste, cultural significance, and the pleasant moments it helps create.

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Beloved Types of Beer Around the World

Beer is classified into two primary types: ales and lagers. Their main difference is the yeast strain used during fermentation, which affects the brewing method and flavor profile. These categories are further divided into subtypes, the most popular of which are the following:

1. Pale Ale

Pale ale is a popular style of beer that bridges the gap between dark stouts and light lagers. It has a hoppy and malty flavor with a bitter aftertaste.

This type of beer is brewed with pale malt and ale yeast, has a golden to amber color, and has moderate strength due to its low alcohol content. It is bubbly, making it a great choice for celebrations and luxurious occasions, including flying on a private jet.

The most popular pale ales include the following:

American amber ale – An amber color, medium to full-bodied beer boasting a balanced malt-forward profile with a noticeable but not overpowering hop presence and toasty caramel notes.
American pale ale (APA) – A golden to amber-colored hoppy brew with a citrusy and floral hop aroma and moderate alcohol content.
Blonde ale – A light golden colored easy-drinking beer with a delicate hop presence and subtle malt sweetness.
English pale ale – A beer with a copper to amber hue with a noticeable but restrained hop bitterness that highlights its malt content, offering a blend of caramel and toasty flavors.
Indian pale ale (IPA) – A beer with bold hop character that comes in different variations like American IPA and double IPA. It features a spectrum of hop profiles, ranging from citrusy and piney to tropical fruit notes.

2. Lager and Pilsner

Both lager and pilsner feature a light, crisp, mellow and smooth taste. They have small amounts of malt due to the fermentation processes they undergo. Both are popular brews in Germany, Netherlands and other European countries.

Pilsner is a beer resulting from a carefully controlled “lagering,” a part of the beer brewing process that produces other types of lagers under different circumstances or with varying methods.

The popular types of lager and pilsner include:

American lager – A carbonated, golden-colored beer with a light, crisp taste and mild hop bitterness.
Czech pilsner – This beer, which is originally from the Czech Republic, is characterized by a noticeable hop bitterness balanced with clean malt undertones.
German helles – A German-style lager known for its malt-forward profile with the right balance of bready sweetness and subtle hop bitterness.
Vienna lager – This Austrian beer, which often has a rich amber color, boasts a toasty, caramel malt taste with a clean finish.
Mexican lager – This beer from Mexico has a clean profile and is light and refreshing with a subtle malt sweetness. It is often enjoyed with a slice of lime.

3. Stout

Stout is a dark-colored ale made with roasted barley. It is known for its bitter and malty flavors with coffee and chocolate notes.

Stout has a more intense roast than porter. Its popular variants include:

Guinness – This popular Irish stout is smooth and creamy, with a malty sweetness and a hoppy bitterness. It also has notes of coffee and chocolate, and a subtle roasted flavor.
Cream stout – Also called cream and milk stout, this brew is black in color and combines chocolate and caramel flavors with the sweetness of malt.
English-style oatmeal stout – This beer has a low- to medium alcohol, has a rich and oily body from the oatmeal, and is packed with dark malt flavors.

4. Porter

The porter is another dark-colored beer that originated in London during the 18th century. It boasts roasted malt or barley flavors and has strong notes of chocolate, caramel, coffee and toffee.

Porters are similar to stouts but have a crisper taste, and their coffee notes are less intense.

Examples of porters include:

American imperial porter – This beer, which is often black in color and highly alcoholic, usually has a flavor profile that combines the moderate sweetness of caramel, cocoa and malt.
English brown porter – This dark brown brew is mild in flavor, with notes of roasted grains, chocolate, and toffee. It can also have undertones of coffee and licorice.
Robust porter – This type of brown porter has pronounced bitter, roasted malt flavors that are offset by caramel and malt sweetness.

5. Wheat

Wheat beer has a smooth texture and hazy body, thanks to its main ingredient. This beer only has hints of hops and tends to have citrusy and tangy flavors.

Some popular types of wheat beer include:

Weizenbier – This is a German wheat beer known for its hazy appearance and fruity, spicy yeast character. It often features prominent banana and clove notes, creating a refreshing and flavorful profile.
Witbier – This Belgian-style white ale is brewed with a significant proportion of wheat and spiced with ingredients like coriander and orange peel. The result is a light, citrusy beer with a cloudy appearance.
Belgian lambic – This beer is brewed through spontaneous fermentation, giving it complex flavors, tartness, and a distinct funkiness. Some versions may incorporate fruits like cherries or raspberries, adding layers of flavor to this traditional Belgian brew.

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With this guide, you can have a better understanding of the different types of beer and be more open to savoring various brews from different brands and parts of the world.