Discover the world’s beer styles - and how data brings them to life

From crisp German lagers to hop-forward IPAs and classic Belgian ales, explore what defines each beer style — and how they compare across colour, bitterness, body, aroma, and more.
All insights are built on the GlobalBeerIndex sensory model and competition-derived benchmarks.

Start with a beer family

Beer styles don’t exist in isolation – they sit inside broader families that share similar colour, bitterness, body, and aroma profiles.
Pick a family to see how its styles relate to each other in the Explorer, then drill down into individual styles or comparisons.

Want to see all 13 style families? Visit the Beer Style Families page →

Families are built using shared sensory characteristics across the GlobalBeerIndex framework.
Learn how beer styles are analysed →

Discover and Explore Beer Styles

The Beer Style Explorer combines structured sensory data, colour/bitterness metrics, and style-family logic to help you understand how beer styles relate to each other.
Use the interactive filters to explore the world of beer — from pale lagers to dark ales and from classic European styles to modern craft interpretations.

What you can do:

Filter styles instantly using 15 sensory elements, families, ingredients, clarity, colour, or ABV.

Compare two styles side-by-side, including their full sensory ranges, technical parameters, colour scales, and family classification.

Visualize styles in the Colour–IBU chart to see bitterness, intensity, ABV, and colour relationships at a glance.

Browse all beer styles

Filter beer styles by family, search within names, or open full style guides with sensory profiles, colour/bitterness ranges, and typical examples.

Style Family Guide
Brett Saison Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Dark Saison Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Dubbel Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Farmhouse IPA Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Grisette Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Quadrupel Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Sahti Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Saison Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Table Saison Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
Tripel Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
White IPA Variant Belgian Spicy Ales Open style guide
American Pale Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Australian Sparkling Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Belgian IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Belgian Pale Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Brut IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Cold IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
English IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
English Pale Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Hoppy Pale Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
IPA Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
IPL (India Pale Lager) Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Milkshake IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Pale Ale Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Red IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Rye IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Trappist Pale Ale Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Weizen IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
West Coast IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
Wild IPA Variant Bitter & Hoppy Ales Open style guide
American Wheat Beer Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Dunkelweizen Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Hopfenweizen Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Kristallweizen Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Roggenbier Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Weizen Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Weizenbock Variant Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
Witbier Fruity & Yeasty Ales Open style guide
New England IPA Variant Hazy & Juicy IPAs Open style guide
Czech Pilsner Variant Hoppy & Bright Lagers Open style guide
Dortmunder Export Variant Hoppy & Bright Lagers Open style guide
German Pilsner Variant Hoppy & Bright Lagers Open style guide
Italian-Style Pilsner Variant Hoppy & Bright Lagers Open style guide
Pilsner Hoppy & Bright Lagers Open style guide
American Adjunct Lager Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
American Light Lager Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
American Malt Liquor Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Helles Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Helles Export Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Kellerbier Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Pale Lager Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Zwickelbier Variant Light & Crisp Lagers Open style guide
Amber Ale Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Amber Lager Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
American Amber Ale Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Bière de Garde Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Bière de Mars Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
California Common (Steam Beer) Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Czech Amber Lager Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Düsseldorf Altbier Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
English Bitter Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
English ESB Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Irish Red Ale Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Munich Dunkel Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Märzen Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Oktoberfest Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Pumpkin Ale Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Scottish Ale Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Scottish Export (80/-) Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Vienna Cream Lager Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Vienna Export Lager Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
Vienna Lager Variant Malty Amber Beers Open style guide
American Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Black IPA Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Brown Porter Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Dry Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Irish Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Milk Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Oatmeal Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Pastry Stout Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Porter Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Robust Porter Variant Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Stout Roasty Dark Beers Open style guide
Grodziskie (Grätzer) Variant Smoky Beers Open style guide
Rauchbier Smoky Beers Open style guide
Smoked Märzen Variant Smoky Beers Open style guide
Smoked Porter Variant Smoky Beers Open style guide
American Blonde Ale Variant Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
Belgian Blonde Variant Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
Blonde Ale Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
Cream Ale Variant Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
Kuit Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
Kölsch Variant Smooth Golden Beers Open style guide
American Wild Ale Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Berliner Weisse Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Dry-Hopped Lambic Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Faro Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Flanders Brown Ale Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Flanders Red Ale Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Framboise Lambic Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Fruit Lambic Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Gose Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Gueuze Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Kriek Lambic Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Lambic Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Lichtenhainer Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Modern Sour Ale Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Oude Gueuze Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Oude Kriek Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Sour Ale Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
Sour IPA Variant Sour & Funky Beers Open style guide
American Barleywine Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
American Strong Ale Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Baltic Porter Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Barleywine Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Belgian Strong Golden Ale Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Bock Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Doppelbock Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Eisbock Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
English Barleywine Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
English Strong Ale Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Export Porter Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Foreign Extra Stout Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Imperial IPA Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Imperial Porter Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Imperial Stout Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Meibock (Helles Bock) Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Old Ale Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Scotch Wee Heavy Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Strong Ale Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Strong Saison Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Tropical Stout Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
Wheatwine Variant Strong & Warming Beers Open style guide
American Brown Ale Variant Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Brown Ale Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Czech Dark Lager Variant Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Dark Lager Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Dark Mild Ale Variant Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Kentucky Common Variant Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Mild Ale Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Schwarzbier (Black Lager) Variant Toasty Brown Ales Open style guide
Open the Beer Style Explorer

Built on the GlobalBeerIndex sensory model (15 dimensions), real-world style guidelines, and competition-derived benchmarks.

New to tasting? Learn how to taste beer →

Featured style guide: India Pale Ale (IPA)

India Pale Ale has become one of the most influential categories in modern craft brewing. Known for its hop-forward character and wide range of substyles — from bright, bitter West Coast IPAs to soft, hazy New England IPAs — the style showcases how hop aroma, bitterness, and fermentation profile can shape a beer’s identity.

The guide covers:

  • Core IPA benchmarks: colour, bitterness, ABV, and body
  • Differences between classic, modern, and regional IPA variations
  • The role of hop varieties and late/dry-hopping
  • How IPAs compare to related hoppy styles
Read the full IPA guide
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