Don't know your barley wines from your Belgian beers? Your India pale ales from your lagers? Your stouts from your porters? Fear not: here's a crash course in all the lingo you need to know for the next time you hit the pub.
Barley wine: Strong-tasting ale of high alcohol content, usually originating in England.
Barrel-aged: The process where beer is stored in a barrel and allowed to mature over time. In many cases these barrels were once used to store rum or scotch, resulting in residual flavours of the liquor in the aged beer.
Belgian-style beer: A variety of over 600 beers, ranging from wheat beers to strong ales. These beers have punchy flavours and high alcohol content.
India Pale Ale: A specific type of pale ale first brewed in England. It was originally made for export to colonial India, where more hops were added to these brews to make them last longer. IPAs often taste bitter and have a hoppy aroma.
Lager: A type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at low temperatures. Lagers are made using a bottom-fermenting yeast, unlike ales, which are brewed using top-fermenting yeasts. Generally, lagers are light and easy to drink for the novice beer drinker.
Porter: A dark style of beer that originated in England. Full-flavoured but smoother and usually less bitter than stout.
Sour ale: A beer that is made by allowing yeast strains or bacteria to enter the brew, often in the form of wild yeasts. This addition requires years to mature and has unpredictable results.
Stout: A dark beer made with roasted barley or hops, which results in a drier beer with a bitter flavour. Often other elements
such as chocolate or coffee are added to give flavour.
Strong ale/Dark ale: Full-flavoured, often bitter tasting beers. Fermented and conditioned at higher temps than lagers, using top-fermenting yeasts.
Vegetable/spiced beer: The addition of fruits, vegetables or spices to beer for flavouring.
Winter warmer: Higher-alcohol ale made with lots of malt.
