Many North American brewers are now producing ales that are identified by the term “amber ale.” This is a more modern, non-traditional style, and many of these beers borrow heavily from the characteristics associated with more classical styles such as pale ales or bitters. Amber ales are light- to medium-bodied and can be anywhere from light copper to light brown in hue. Flavorwise they can vary from generic and quaffable to serious craft brewed styles with extravagant hoppy aromas and full malt character. Typically amber ales are quite malty but not heavily caramelized in flavor. For our purposes amber ales will also include ales commonly identified as “red ales,” and “American ales” as, from the consumer’s viewpoint, the dividing line between these styles can often be a more a marketing concern than a consistently observed brewing convention.
Mild ale is a traditional style of English ale that is characterized by darker colors, sweetish malt flavors, and subtle hopping levels, all within a lower alcohol frame (typically 3.5 percent ABV). Their purpose is to allow the drinker to get a full quotient of flavor in a “session” beer―a trick to which English ale brewing lends itself readily. In the 1940s, mild was more popular than bitter in English pubs, though it is less common now. U.S. craft brewers occasionally pay homage to this style.
Pale ales tend to be fuller-bodied with a more assertive character on the palate than the standard bitter in a English brewer’s portfolio. In England, they are generally bottled, as opposed to being sold on draft. Despite the name, pale ales are not pale but, in fact, more of an amber hue. The original designation was in reference to this style of beer being paler than the brown and black beers that were more popular at the time of the style’s inception. In the United States, pale ale styles have become one of the benchmarks by which craft brewers are judged. The U.S. version of pale ale is crisper and generally much more hoppy. Indeed, this style is well suited to assertive domestic Pacific Northwestern hop varieties that give the United States examples inimitable character. A good U.S. example should be available on tap in any bar worth frequenting for its beer selection.
Bitter is an English specialty, and very much an English term, generally denoting the standard ale―the “session” beer―in an English brewer’s range. They are characterized by a fruitiness, light-to-medium body and an accent on hop aromas more than hop bitters. Colors range from golden to copper. Despite the name, they are not particularly bitter. Indeed, British-brewed bitters will often be less bitter than U.S. craft-brewed amber ales. A fuller-bodied bitter is labeled as “Extra Special Bitter” (ESB). These weightier versions of bitter often stand up better to the rigors of travel overseas than the lower gravity standard versions. An important element of faithful bitters is the use of English yeast cultures in fermentation. These impart a fruity, mildly estery character that should be noted in examples of the style. Bitters are now widely emulated in North America, sometimes with domestically grown hops, imparting a rather more assertive character than seen in traditional English bitters.
No region is more known for its beer than Bavaria. With summery weissbier and pilsner, autumnal Märzen and bocks for
Sweet stouts have a distinctive sweetness to the palate and often show chocolate and caramel flavors. They are sometimes known as milk or cream stouts. These beers obtain their characters by using chocolate malts and lactic (milk) sugars in the brewing process.
The growing number of entries to sour beer categories suggests that brewers are onto something new. But the techniques they’re
This style is an extra strong version of porter and is similar in style to top-fermented Baltic porters. Roasted malt should provide the flavoring character, with no apparent roasted barley or black malt character in the flavor profile. Imperial porters are dark brown to black in color and strong in alcohol (7-11%). Fruity esters should be evident, but not overwhelming, and should be in balance with caramel and cocoa malt sweetness and a low-to-medium hop bitterness. Some American examples evidence a more hop-forward character that differs greatly from the style’s origins, but are in line with the current “imperialization” trend.
Fortified porter and its sibling style, Russian imperial stout, were developed by English brewers to serve markets to the east. As these dark, strong beers gained favor, breweries along the Baltic trade route began brewing their own versions, and the porter lost its ale identity as these breweries used lager yeasts. The result is a beer that can resemble a very dark doppelbock, with alcohol levels between 7.5 and 9 percent. Black in color, the porters are very smooth with not much of the fruity characteristics you would find in a conventional porter. Roasted malts with dark sugars, caramelized sugars and hints of licorice show in the flavor profile. A hint of smokiness can also be present. Hop aroma is very low, maybe a hint of floral notes as long as they are not dominant. Medium- to-full bodied, and no sweet butterscotch or DMS in flavor or aroma.
Porter was originally an English, specifically London, dark beer style that was the drink of the masses―probably named for the laborers who carried burdens and packages. Porters are red-brown to black in color, medium to medium-full bodied, and characterized by a flavor profile that can vary from very subtle dark malts to fully roasted, smoky flavors. Being a centuries-old style, there are differences of opinion with regard to what a “true” porter was actually like and there can be wide variations from one brewer’s interpretation to the next. Roasted malt should provide the flavoring character, rather than roasted barley as is used with stouts. Stronger, darker versions (“robust” porter) and lighter more delicate versions (“brown” porter) are equally valid manifestations of the style. The influence of hops can often be notable in the richer craft brewed examples of the style. Although porter was the drink of the masses in 1700s London, it fell out of favor, and is only now seeing a resurgence, with a few outstanding English examples in production. In the United States, it is enjoying new-found popularity among U.S. craft brewers and many fine U.S. examples are produced.
