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Every pint in the world descends from three great families.
From the Assize of Bread and Ale to the modern tap room, all beer flows from water, malt, hops and yeast — then divides. Trace the branches from Ale, Lager and the wild ferments out to some seventy beer styles, each explained with tasting notes and classic examples.
Everything on the tree above, set down in plain text: the three fermentation families and every style on their branches, each with its tasting notes, strength, bitterness, colour, glassware, and a few classic examples to seek out.
The elder line, raised on top-fermenting yeast that works warm and quick, gathering at the surface as it goes. Its beers tend to the fruity, the spicy, and the full-flavoured, from pale bitters to dark stouts.
The hop-forward heart of modern brewing, from genteel English pale ales to the resinous, fruit-laden IPAs that drove the craft revival.
Balanced and biscuity, with earthy, floral English hops over a base of caramel and toasted malt. Restrained bitterness; an everyday session classic.
To seek out: Pale Ale, Adnams, England; Pale Rider, Kelham Island, England.
Brighter and hoppier than its English cousin, showcasing citrus and pine American hops over clean caramel malt. Crisp, refreshing, moderately bitter.
To seek out: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada, United States; Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues, United States.
The historic export ale: firm malt backbone, marmalade and earthy hop character, and a drying finish. More restrained and balanced than American versions.
To seek out: Worthington's White Shield, Worthington's, England; IPA, Meantime, England.
Aggressively hoppy and bone-dry, bursting with grapefruit, pine and resin. Clear, golden, and assertively bitter; the style that defined American craft.
To seek out: Sculpin, Ballast Point, United States; Two Hearted Ale, Bell's, United States; Union Jack, Firestone Walker, United States.
An intensified IPA: huge hop charge, elevated alcohol, and a fuller malt base to carry it. Dank, resinous and potent yet often deceptively drinkable.
To seek out: Pliny the Elder, Russian River, United States; 90 Minute IPA, Dogfish Head, United States; Hopslam, Bell's, United States.
Opaque and juicy, with a soft, pillowy body and low bitterness. Heavy late and dry hopping yields tropical, stone-fruit and citrus aromas.
To seek out: Heady Topper, The Alchemist, United States; Julius, Tree House, United States; Focal Banger, The Alchemist, United States.
An IPA built for volume: full hop aroma and bitterness at modest strength, with a light body and crisp, dry finish. Hoppy yet eminently quaffable.
To seek out: All Day IPA, Founders, United States; Easy Jack, Firestone Walker, United States; Go To IPA, Stone, United States.
A paradox in the glass: dark roasted malt colour with restrained roast flavour, married to the bright citrus-pine hops and firm bitterness of an IPA.
To seek out: Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Stone, United States; Wookey Jack, Firestone Walker, United States.
Maltier and rounder than a pale ale, with caramel and toasty depth balanced by citrusy American hops. Amber to reddish; smooth and approachable.
To seek out: Red Rocket Ale, Bear Republic, United States; Nugget Nectar, Tröegs, United States; Boont Amber Ale, Anderson Valley, United States.
An easy-drinking gateway ale: clean, lightly malty and gently hopped, with a crisp finish. Pale gold and refreshing, often a craft brewery's everyday offering.
A smooth, light-bodied American ale brewed for crispness, often with corn or rice. Pale, delicate and refreshing, blurring the line between ale and lager.
To seek out: Genesee Cream Ale, Genesee, United States.
The cask-conditioned bitters of the English pub and the cold-conditioned German ales of Cologne and Düsseldorf — warm-fermented styles that prize balance and drinkability.
The lightest English bitter: low in alcohol, gently bitter, with earthy hops and a touch of caramel. A quintessential cask session beer.
To seek out: Sussex Best Bitter, Harvey's, England.
A step up in strength and malt richness from ordinary bitter, with fuller caramel body and earthy, floral English hops. Balanced and characterful on cask.
To seek out: London Pride, Fuller's, England; Landlord, Timothy Taylor, England.
The richest of the bitters: strong, malty and full-bodied, with deep caramel, fruity esters and assertive hopping. The benchmark is its namesake from Fuller's.
To seek out: ESB, Fuller's, England; 1845, Fuller's, England.
Cologne's delicate speciality: warm-fermented then cold-conditioned, yielding a pale, crisp, subtly fruity ale with a soft, dry finish. Bright and elegant.
To seek out: Früh Kölsch, Früh, Germany; Reissdorf Kölsch, Reissdorf, Germany; Gaffel Kölsch, Gaffel, Germany.
Düsseldorf's copper-coloured ale: warm-fermented then cold-conditioned, balancing toasty, nutty malt against firm, clean bitterness. Smooth, dry and notably crisp.
To seek out: Uerige Alt, Uerige, Germany; Füchschen Alt, Füchschen, Germany; Schlüssel Alt, Schlüssel, Germany.
The darkest, roastiest branch of the ale family, built on heavily kilned and roasted barley that yields coffee, chocolate and bittersweet depth.
Light-bodied and famously dry, with a roasted-barley bitterness suggesting coffee and dark chocolate, a creamy head, and a crisp, lingering finish.
To seek out: Guinness Draught, Guinness, Ireland; Murphy's Irish Stout, Murphy's, Ireland; Beamish Irish Stout, Beamish, Ireland.
Sweetened and rounded by unfermentable lactose, giving a fuller body and gentle milk-chocolate sweetness that softens the roast bitterness.
To seek out: Mackeson XXX Stout, Mackeson, England; Milk Stout Nitro, Left Hand Brewing, USA; Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Young's, England.
Brewed with a portion of oats for a silky, almost creamy body, balancing roast with a smooth, rounded mouthfeel and nutty undertones.
To seek out: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, Samuel Smith's, England; Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, Rogue Ales, USA; Oatmeal Stout, Anderson Valley Brewing, USA.
A stronger, more heavily hopped stout originally brewed for export and tropical markets, with intense roast, dark-fruit notes and firm bitterness.
To seek out: Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness, Ireland; Lion Stout, Lion Brewery, Sri Lanka.
Big, brooding and warming, originally brewed in England for the Russian court; layered with roast, dark fruit, chocolate, and considerable alcohol.
To seek out: Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, North Coast Brewing, USA; Imperial Russian Stout, Courage, England; Expedition Stout, Bell's Brewery, USA.
An assertively hopped, robustly roasted American take on stout, with bold coffee and dark-chocolate character set against piney or citrusy hops.
To seek out: Sierra Nevada Stout, Sierra Nevada, USA; Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing, USA.
A modern, dessert-inspired strain of imperial stout adjuncted with vanilla, coffee, cacao, or pastry flavours for intense sweetness and decadence.
To seek out: Barrel-Aged Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, Three Floyds Brewing, USA; Bourbon County Brand Stout, Goose Island, USA; Black Tuesday, The Bruery, USA.
The dark, malt-forward London ale that gave rise to stout, offering chocolate and toffee roastiness with a softer, more restrained character.
The milder, traditional London style: chocolate and caramel malt, gentle roast, modest bitterness, and a smooth, brown-to-black appearance.
To seek out: Fuller's London Porter, Fuller's, England; Taddy Porter, Samuel Smith's, England.
A fuller, more roast-forward porter with sharper bitterness and darker malt character, bridging the gap toward stout with bold cocoa notes.
To seek out: Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Great Lakes Brewing, USA; Black Butte Porter, Deschutes Brewery, USA; Sierra Nevada Porter, Sierra Nevada, USA.
A porter brewed with smoke-kilned malt, layering campfire or wood-smoke character over chocolate and roast for a savoury, evocative depth.
To seek out: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Alaskan Brewing, USA; Smokestack Heritage Porter, East End Brewing, USA.
The gentler heart of the dark-ale family: malty, sessionable browns and milds alongside the richer, matured strength of old and Scottish ales.
A low-strength, malt-led session ale with nutty, caramel and light roast notes, soft bitterness, and an easy, everyday drinkability.
To seek out: Banks's Mild, Banks's Brewery, England; Dark Ruby Mild, Sarah Hughes Brewery, England.
A malty, nutty ale balancing caramel and biscuit sweetness with toasty depth and gentle hopping, in the classic Northern English mould.
To seek out: Newcastle Brown Ale, Newcastle, England; Hobgoblin, Wychwood Brewery, England.
A hoppier, more assertive interpretation of the English brown, pairing toasty, chocolatey malt with citrusy or piney American hop character.
To seek out: Brooklyn Brown Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, USA; Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Rogue Ales, USA.
A strong, often matured English ale with rich malt, dark-fruit and treacle notes, sometimes vinous or lightly oxidised from extended ageing.
To seek out: Old Peculier, Theakston, England; Gale's Prize Old Ale, Gale's, England.
A malt-driven, lightly hopped strong ale with deep caramel, toffee and faint roast, sometimes a whisper of smoke, and a warming, full body.
To seek out: Traquair House Ale, Traquair House Brewery, Scotland; Skull Splitter, Orkney Brewery, Scotland; Wee Heavy, AleSmith Brewing, USA.
Top-fermented ales brewed with a substantial proportion of wheat alongside barley, yielding a soft body, hazy glow, and often a bready or spiced character.
Bavarian wheat ale defined by its yeast: banana esters and clove phenols over a soft, bready malt. Cloudy, effervescent, and lightly hopped.
To seek out: Hefe Weissbier, Weihenstephaner, Germany; Original Weissbier, Schneider Weisse, Germany; Hefeweissbier, Paulaner, Germany.
The dark cousin of Hefeweizen: the same banana-and-clove yeast married to darker, lightly caramelised malts giving notes of bread crust and toffee.
To seek out: Hefe Weissbier Dunkel, Weihenstephaner, Germany; Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel, Franziskaner, Germany; Aventinus, Schneider Weisse, Germany.
A strong, malt-rich wheat ale fermenting weizen yeast to bock strength. Dark fruit, banana, clove, and bready depth with warming alcohol.
To seek out: Aventinus Weizen-Eisbock, Schneider Weisse, Germany; Vitus, Weihenstephaner, Germany.
Belgian unmalted-wheat ale spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel. Pale, hazy, and refreshingly light with a soft, citrusy character.
To seek out: Hoegaarden, Hoegaarden, Belgium; Blanche de Bruxelles, Lefebvre, Belgium; Allagash White, Allagash, United States.
A clean-fermented take on the wheat ale, dropping the banana-clove yeast for a neutral profile and often brighter, citrusy American hopping.
To seek out: Oberon, Bell's, United States; Gumballhead, Three Floyds, United States.
An expressive family shaped by characterful yeasts, candi-sugar fermentations, and farmhouse tradition, ranging from delicate blondes to monastic strong dark ales.
A smooth, golden ale with gentle fruity esters, a hint of spice, and a soft sweetness balanced by a dry, lightly bitter finish.
To seek out: Leffe Blonde, Abbaye de Leffe, Belgium; Affligem Blond, Affligem, Belgium.
An easy-drinking amber ale with toasty, biscuity malt, modest fruity esters, and earthy European hops; less yeast-forward than its stronger cousins.
To seek out: De Koninck, De Koninck, Belgium; Palm, Palm Breweries, Belgium.
A rich, malty Trappist-style dark ale with notes of raisin, plum, caramel, and faint spice; smooth and moderately strong, finishing fairly dry.
To seek out: Westmalle Dubbel, Westmalle, Belgium; Chimay Rouge (Première), Chimay, Belgium; Rochefort 6, Rochefort, Belgium.
A deceptively strong golden ale, spicy and fruity from its yeast, with a dry, effervescent body and a deft balance of sweetness, bitterness, and warmth.
To seek out: Westmalle Tripel, Westmalle, Belgium; La Fin du Monde, Unibroue, Canada; Tripel Karmeliet, Bosteels, Belgium.
The richest of the abbey dark ales: full-bodied and warming, layered with dark fruit, fig, caramel, and toffee beneath substantial alcohol strength.
To seek out: Rochefort 10, Rochefort, Belgium; Quadrupel, La Trappe, Netherlands; St. Bernardus Abt 12, St. Bernardus, Belgium.
Pale, sparkling, and dangerously drinkable; high alcohol hidden beneath spicy yeast, fruity esters, and a crisp, dry, well-attenuated finish.
To seek out: Duvel, Duvel Moortgat, Belgium; Delirium Tremens, Huyghe, Belgium.
A complex, potent dark ale rich with dark fruit, caramel, and spice; malty depth and warming alcohol without the strict template of a quad.
To seek out: Chimay Bleue (Grande Réserve), Chimay, Belgium; Gulden Draak, Van Steenberge, Belgium.
The classic farmhouse ale: pale, highly carbonated, and bone-dry, with peppery yeast spice, fruity esters, and a bracing, refreshing finish.
To seek out: Saison Dupont, Dupont, Belgium; Fantôme Saison, Fantôme, Belgium; Tank 7, Boulevard, United States.
A French farmhouse 'keeping beer': malty and smooth with toasted, biscuity richness, a touch of earthy or cellar character, and a clean, rounded finish.
To seek out: Trois Monts, Brasserie de Saint-Sylvestre, France; Jenlain Ambrée, Brasserie Duyck, France; La Choulette Ambrée, La Choulette, France.
Big, characterful ales and seasonal specialities, from cellar-worthy barley wines to smoke- and spice-led brews built for sipping rather than session.
A luscious, vinous strong ale with deep caramel, toffee, and dried-fruit malt; restrained hopping and warming alcohol that rewards long cellaring.
To seek out: Thomas Hardy's Ale, Thomas Hardy, England; Gold Label, Whitbread, England; Old Nick, Young's, England.
The bolder New World take: the same malt richness driven up against assertive American hops, with bracing bitterness and bright citrus-pine aromatics.
To seek out: Bigfoot Barleywine, Sierra Nevada, United States; Old Ruffian, Great Divide, United States.
A barley-wine-strength ale built on a large wheat proportion, giving a softer, bready body with honeyed malt, light fruit, and gentle warmth.
To seek out: Wheat Wine, Smuttynose, United States.
Ale brewed with smoke-kilned malt, lending campfire, bacon, or woodsmoke notes; the ale interpretation of the traditionally lager-fermented Bamberg style.
To seek out: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Alaskan, United States.
An autumnal speciality ale brewed with pumpkin and warming pie spices, balancing bready malt sweetness against cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice.
To seek out: Pumking, Southern Tier, United States; Punkin Ale, Dogfish Head, United States.
The cold school, fermented low and slow by bottom-settling yeast, then lagered, or laid to rest, for weeks in the cool. The result is clean, crisp, and patient, with a clarity of flavour all its own.
The golden, crisp, bottom-fermented beers that conquered the world after the first pale lager was brewed in Bohemia in 1842.
Pale straw to gold, brilliantly clear, with firm noble-hop bitterness, a dry finish and crackery malt. Drier and more bitter than its Czech parent.
To seek out: Pilsner, Bitburger, Germany; Jever Pilsener, Jever, Germany; Pils, Rothaus (Tannenzäpfle), Germany.
The original pale lager: deep gold, with rich Moravian-malt body, soft Saaz-hop spice and rounded bitterness from triple decoction and soft Plzeň water.
To seek out: Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj, Czech Republic; Budweiser Budvar, Budějovický Budvar, Czech Republic.
Bavaria's answer to Pilsner: soft, malt-forward and gently sweet, with only light hop balance, a clean grainy character and a smooth, moreish finish.
To seek out: Helles, Augustiner-Bräu, Germany; Original Münchner Hell, Spaten, Germany; Tegernseer Hell, Bräustüberl Tegernsee, Germany.
A pale lager between Pils and Helles: fuller-bodied and faintly mineral from hard Dortmund water, balancing modest malt sweetness with firm, clean bitterness.
To seek out: Original, DAB (Dortmunder Actien Brauerei), Germany; Export, Dortmunder Union, Germany.
The pre-Prohibition classic: a golden lager built with six-row barley and flaked maize, well-hopped with noble or American hops, fuller and grainier than modern adjunct lagers.
To seek out: Prima Pils, Victory Brewing, United States; Scrimshaw Pilsner, North Coast Brewing, United States.
The world's best-selling beer style: very pale, highly carbonated and crisp, with rice or corn lightening the body and minimal hop or malt character.
To seek out: Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch, United States; Coors Banquet, Coors, United States.
An ultra-light, low-calorie adjunct lager: pale, highly attenuated and very lightly flavoured, with whisper-thin malt and hop presence and a clean, watery finish.
To seek out: Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, United States; Miller Lite, Miller Brewing, United States; Coors Light, Coors, United States.
A crisp, dry pale lager brewed with a high proportion of rice, giving a clean, light body and notably dry, refreshing finish with restrained hop bitterness.
To seek out: Asahi Super Dry, Asahi, Japan; Sapporo Premium, Sapporo, Japan.
Toasty, malt-driven lagers in copper and amber hues, born from Vienna's nineteenth-century malting and carried into Bavaria's festival beers.
Amber to copper, defined by toasty, lightly caramel Vienna malt over a clean lager base, with gentle hop balance and a crisp, dry finish.
To seek out: Negra Modelo, Grupo Modelo, Mexico; Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brewery, United States.
The classic Munich festival lager: deep gold to copper, rich and bready with toasty Munich malt, clean lager character and a smooth, dry, satisfying finish.
To seek out: Oktoberfestbier (Ur-Märzen), Spaten, Germany; Original Oktoberfest, Paulaner, Germany; Oktoberfest Märzen, Ayinger, Germany.
A uniquely American hybrid: lager yeast fermented warm, producing a light amber beer with toasty malt, fruity edges and the minty-woody snap of Northern Brewer hops.
To seek out: Anchor Steam Beer, Anchor Brewing, United States.
Bottom-fermented beers in chestnut to jet-black shades, prizing smooth, roast-tinged malt over heaviness or harshness.
Bavaria's traditional dark lager: deep copper to brown, rich with bready, nutty Munich malt and notes of toast and light chocolate, finishing clean and smooth.
To seek out: Original Münchner Dunkel, Hofbräu München, Germany; Altbairisch Dunkel, Ayinger, Germany.
Black yet remarkably light-bodied: smooth roasted-malt character with hints of coffee and bitter chocolate, balanced by clean lager crispness and a dry, never harsh, finish.
To seek out: Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Köstritzer, Germany.
A strong, lager-fermented descendant of English porter: smooth and full, with dark-fruit, caramel, chocolate and faintly roasted notes, and warming strength kept clean and restrained.
To seek out: Żywiec Porter, Żywiec, Poland; Sinebrychoff Porter, Sinebrychoff, Finland; Baltika No. 6 Porter, Baltika, Russia.
A family of strong, malt-forward German lagers descended from the brewing town of Einbeck, ranging from rich amber to near-black and culminating in the formidable doppelbock and eisbock.
A strong, malty lager with deep bready and lightly toasted notes, a clean lagered finish, and restrained hopping. Rich but smooth, with warming, unobtrusive alcohol.
To seek out: Einbecker Ur-Bock Dunkel, Einbecker Brauhaus, Germany; Aass Bock, Aass Bryggeri, Norway.
A pale, strong lager: bright gold, with rich Pilsner-malt sweetness balanced by firmer noble hopping than darker bocks. Spritzy and clean, traditionally brewed for spring.
To seek out: Maibock, Hofbräu München, Germany; Ayinger Maibock, Ayinger, Germany.
A very strong, intensely malty lager rich in toasty, bready, dark-fruit and lightly caramelised notes. Full-bodied and warming; the Paulaner monks' 'liquid bread' of Lent.
To seek out: Salvator, Paulaner, Germany; Celebrator, Ayinger, Germany; Optimator, Spaten, Germany.
A doppelbock concentrated by partial freezing and removal of ice, intensifying body, sweetness and dark-fruit malt. Powerful, viscous and warming, with low hop presence.
To seek out: Eisbock, Kulmbacher, Germany; Aventinus Eisbock, Schneider Weisse, Germany.
A gathering of distinctive bottom-fermented styles—smoked, unfiltered, festive and oversized—that step beyond the everyday pale lager while keeping the clean, cold-conditioned character of the clade.
A Märzen-based lager brewed with beechwood-smoked malt, giving a pronounced smoky, bacon-like or campfire character over a clean, malty, amber lager base.
To seek out: Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen, Schlenkerla (Heller-Bräu), Germany; Rauchbier, Spezial, Germany.
Young, unfiltered lager served with natural cloudiness and gentle carbonation. Soft, fresh and bready with restrained noble-hop bitterness; rustic and lively from the cellar.
To seek out: Kellerbier, Mahr's Bräu, Germany; Tucher Kellerbier Naturtrüb, Tucher, Germany; St. Georgen Bräu Keller Bier, St. Georgen Bräu, Germany.
The modern Oktoberfest lager: golden, smoothly malty and moderately strong, with a clean Pilsner-malt body and gentle noble hopping. Deceptively drinkable and festive.
To seek out: Oktoberfestbier, Paulaner, Germany; Festbier, Hofbräu München, Germany; Oktoberfest, Spaten, Germany.
An amped-up lager pushed to high strength while keeping crisp, clean fermentation. Ranges pale to amber, with bold malt depth, firm bitterness and warming alcohol.
To seek out: Samichlaus Classic, Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg, Austria.
The untamed branch, fermented not by a brewer's chosen yeast but by wild strains and bacteria drawn from the open air and the cask. These beers turn sour, funky, and complex, the closest descendants of how all beer once began.
The spontaneously fermented ales of Brussels and the Pajottenland, cooled overnight in open coolships and matured in oak for the wild yeasts and bacteria of the Senne valley to do their slow work.
Spontaneously fermented and oak-aged; served young and still on draught in Brussels cafes. Cidery, lemony and softly funky, with only a faint acidity and little or no carbonation.
To seek out: Cantillon Lambic (draught), Brasserie Cantillon, Belgium; Oude Lambik, 3 Fonteinen, Belgium.
A blend of young and old spontaneously fermented lambics, refermented in the bottle to a Champagne-like sparkle. Dry, intensely sour, lemony and funky with oak and barnyard depth.
To seek out: Cantillon Gueuze, Brasserie Cantillon, Belgium; Oude Geuze, 3 Fonteinen, Belgium; Oude Geuze, Brouwerij Boon, Belgium; Oude Gueuze, Hanssens Artisanaal, Belgium.
Lambic macerated on whole sour cherries, which referment to add stone-fruit tartness, almond notes and a rosy hue. Traditional versions are bone-dry and sharply acidic, not sweet.
To seek out: Cantillon Kriek, Brasserie Cantillon, Belgium; Oude Kriek, Brouwerij Boon, Belgium; Schaarbeekse Kriek, 3 Fonteinen, Belgium.
Lambic macerated on raspberries, lending vivid aroma, soft pink colour and tart fruit over the base wild acidity. Traditional examples are dry; many commercial ones are sweetened.
To seek out: Rosé de Gambrinus, Brasserie Cantillon, Belgium; Framboise, Brouwerij Boon, Belgium.
Lambic sweetened with candi sugar (historically also blended with younger beer), yielding a low-strength, lightly sweet-and-sour table beer that softens lambic's sharp acidity.
To seek out: Faro, Brouwerij Boon, Belgium; Faro, Brasserie Cantillon, Belgium.
The mixed-culture sour ales of West and East Flanders, fermented with yeast and souring bacteria then matured for months or years in oak foeders before blending old with young.
Mixed-culture ale aged in large oak foeders, then blended; deep red with sharp lactic acidity, vinous and balsamic notes, dark fruit and a tannic, almost wine-like finish.
To seek out: Rodenbach Grand Cru, Brouwerij Rodenbach, Belgium; Duchesse de Bourgogne, Brouwerij Verhaeghe, Belgium; Vichtenaar, Brouwerij Verhaeghe, Belgium.
An East Flanders mixed-culture brown ale, blended young and aged. Maltier and less oak-driven than Flanders red, with raisiny dark fruit and a gentler sweet-sour balance.
To seek out: Liefmans Goudenband, Brouwerij Liefmans, Belgium; Petrus Oud Bruin, Brouwerij De Brabandere, Belgium.
Contemporary and historic sours produced largely by deliberate inoculation, from quick kettle-soured wheat beers to slow Brett-driven American wild ales, where the brewer directs the souring rather than leaving it to chance.
A lightly soured wheat beer from Goslar and Leipzig, brewed with salt and coriander. Typically kettle-soured today: tart and refreshing with a saline edge and herbal lift.
To seek out: Leipziger Gose, Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof, Germany; Original Ritterguts Gose, Ritterguts Gose, Germany.
A low-alcohol, sharply tart wheat beer historically soured by Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces; light, spritzy and lemony. Often served mit Schuss, with raspberry or woodruff syrup.
To seek out: 1809 Berliner Style Weisse, Professor Fritz Briem, Germany; Berliner Kindl Weisse, Berliner Kindl, Germany.
A broad New-World style fermented or aged with Brettanomyces and often mixed cultures in oak; ranges from funky and tart to dry and earthy, frequently barrel-aged.
To seek out: Temptation, Russian River Brewing, United States; La Folie, New Belgium Brewing, United States.
A modern fast-soured ale, acidified in the kettle with Lactobacillus before boiling, then fermented clean and loaded with fruit purée. Bright, juicy, tart and approachable.
To seek out: DFPF (Florida Weisse), J. Wakefield Brewing, United States; Briney Melon Gose, Anderson Valley Brewing, United States.