Different types of beer

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doreilly

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Hello all, I am very new to this and just have my first batch of beer fermenting in primary right now. So far it seems like it is going to come out great, I have hit all my gravities almost dead on. Snuck a taste last night and am very happy with the progress so far. This board has been extremely helpful to me already.

Anyway, I apologize if this has been covered here somewhere already but I have not been able to find it..

Would someone be willing to give a brief simplistic (something my simple mind can handle) description of different types of beer.. How does an IPA differ from an ESB and an Indian Pale Ale from a Belgian. Is it the yeast the amount of hops the region of the ingredients, all of the above? I know this question could and probably does fill several books but if someone could put up just a basic outline of the differences for me to wrap my Brain around that would be helpful.


Thank you
 
This is probably more detail than you wanted but it's a great resource. Most all competitions follow BJCP style guidelines.

http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/

If you are looking for very very simple descriptions this might work for you.

http://www.beerhunter.com/beerstyles.html

To answer the examples you put forward; An IPA will differ from an ESB in many ways. An IPA is less malt forward and more about hop presence with the American version being even more so. An ESB although has the word bitter in it, is really not bitter in comparison to an IPA. This is by the addition of more hops. Generally speaking an IPA and ESB will have different specialty malts, yeast and hop quantities.

The variances between the various styles is based on many many things that would honestly (like you mentioned) take a book to answer. Brewing Classic Styles is a good book to read if you want something printed.
 
doreilly said:
Hello all, I am very new to this and just have my first batch of beer fermenting in primary right now. So far it seems like it is going to come out great, I have hit all my gravities almost dead on. Snuck a taste last night and am very happy with the progress so far. This board has been extremely helpful to me already.

Anyway, I apologize if this has been covered here somewhere already but I have not been able to find it..

Would someone be willing to give a brief simplistic (something my simple mind can handle) description of different types of beer.. How does an IPA differ from an ESB and an Indian Pale Ale from a Belgian. Is it the yeast the amount of hops the region of the ingredients, all of the above? I know this question could and probably does fill several books but if someone could put up just a basic outline of the differences for me to wrap my Brain around that would be helpful.


Thank you
Click to expand...

IPA is short for India Pale Ale. ESB is a British Pale Ale. IPA's are generally lighter in color, drier (less sweet), more bitter, and higher in alcohol than ESB. American IPAs will use characteristic hops (Cascade and its relatives) and are often even lighter, drier, hoppier, and higher in alcohol than British IPAs. Belgian beers have an enormous diversity but in general are high in alcohol, are less hoppy than pale ales, and have distinct yeasty flavors.
 
Great resources and fast responses. I know might seem like a stupid question, but when I hear people brewing to one category or the other I was wondering what it was that influenced the category. Thanks
 
I like the BJCP style guidelines myself. They're easy to read,so no worries there. They'll set things straight on color,aroma,flavor,ABV,mouth feel,etc.
 
Don't forget to root around the net and books for the histories of different styles. It's fun learning how we got 'em.
 

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