Top 5 Beer Styles 2025

[Cheshire Cat]

Just to create discussion here are my top 5 beer style and country and beer

1. British Bitter, Sussex Best Bitter
2. American Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada
3. Czech Lager, Urquell
4. Belgian Blonde, Leffe
5. German Weiss, Erdinger

 

[HM-2]

1. Hefeweizen (Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan)
2. Hazy IPA (Right Brain Feeds The Left Brain, DEYA Brewing)
3. Belgian Dubbel (Trappist Dubbel, Brouwerij Westmalle)
4. Golden Sour (Goats For Ukraine, Holy Goat Brewing)
5. Strong Bitter (Old Spot, Uley Brewery)

Damn, that was hard.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

1. Hefeweizen (Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier, Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan)
2. Hazy IPA (Right Brain Feeds The Left Brain, DEYA Brewing)
3. Belgian Dubbel (Trappist Dubbel, Brouwerij Westmalle)
4. Golden Sour (Goats For Ukraine, Holy Goat Brewing)
5. Strong Bitter (Old Spot, Uley Brewery)

Damn, that was hard.

Hi do you have a recipe for Old Spot?

 

[An Ankoù]

Just to create discussion here are my top 5 beer style and country and beer

1. British Bitter, Sussex Best Bitter
2. American Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada
3. Czech Lager, Urquell
4. Belgian Blonde, Leffe
5. German Weiss, Erdinger

No stouts or milds in there, CC ?

 

[Willy]

Just to create discussion here are my top 5 beer style and country and beer

1. British Bitter, Sussex Best Bitter
2. American Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada
3. Czech Lager, Urquell
4. Belgian Blonde, Leffe
5. German Weiss, Erdinger

I am down with 1,2 and 3. My top five would add 4) Irish Stout (Guiness) and an 5) American Brown/ to a Porter style. Local craft beer from Charlotte called Birdsong.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

No stouts or milds in there, CC ?

I would have stout at about 7, but not mild. But I would have American Brown in top 10.

 

[HM-2]

Hi do you have a recipe for Old Spot?

Not a full one. I need to do some iteration around it but there are a few things I'm certain or very sure of.

They exclusively use Warminster maltings, primarily their floor malted Maris Otter but also CaraGold and Crystal 150. I'm not sure on percentages but would guess at around 2-4% of the former and 3-5% of the latter. That would get around the right EBC by eye for the "chestnut red" finish Old Spot has.

Primary aroma and flavour hops are Fuggle and EKG, but they also use Challenger for bittering. All hops are whole leaf from Hereford, Hawkins Farming I think. At a guess they bitter to around 40-45 IBU. I'm unsure as to whether they dry hop the core beers.

They have their own onsite well and I believe their own yeast strain. The yeast accentuates a distinctive nutty character that all of their beers have that I've never quite been able to replicate but I've had the closest approximation with a 50/50 Nottingham/Windsor copitch. Whatever strain it is, it probably attenuates around high 70s to 80% as their 5% beers are typically around 1.010-1.011 FG, and they use no sugar.

 

[An Ankoù]

I am down with 1,2 and 3. My top five would add 4) Irish Stout (Guiness) and an 5) American Brown/ to a Porter style. Local craft beer from Charlotte called Birdsong.

I don't think I've ever had an American brown. I imagine it's quite different to an English brown or a French or Belgian brune. I've got plenty of recipes in American homebrew books so I think I'll give it a whirl- I quite enjoy the darker beers.
Could anyone suggest a recipe which is absolutely middle-of-the-road for the genre?

 

[Willy]

I don't think I've ever had an American brown. I imagine it's quite different to an English brown or a French or Belgian brune. I've got plenty of recipes in American homebrew books so I think I'll give it a whirl- I quite enjoy the darker beers.
Could anyone suggest a recipe which is absolutely middle-of-the-road for the genre?

American Brown Ale's often use some "exotic" hops in lieu of more traditional hops. (I use Magnum,
like a regional craft brewery named Lonerider on their brown ale Sweet Josie. )

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Here’s my clone of Moose Droool

Moose Drool​

American Brown Ale
5.3% / 13 °P

All Grain

Klarstein Mundschenk 30 L​

75% efficiency
Batch Volume: 22 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Mash Water: 22 L
Sparge Water: 8.84 L
Total Water: 30.84 L
Boil Volume: 27.44 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.045

Vitals​

Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU (Tinseth): 27
BU/GU: 0.51
Colour: 21.5 SRM

Mash​

Temperature — 67 °C — 60 min

Malts (5 kg)​

3 kg (60%) — Crisp Finest Maris Otter® Ale Malt — Grain — 3.3 SRM
1.6 kg (32%) — Crisp Light Munich Malt — Grain — 11 SRM
200 g (4%) — Castle Malting Chateau Special B — Grain — 150 SRM
100 g (2%) — Crisp Chocolate Malt — Grain — 530 SRM
100 g (2%) — Crisp Dark Crystal 400 — Grain — 230 SRM

Hops (57 g)​

20 g (14 IBU) — East Kent Goldings (EKG) 6% — Boil — 60 min
12 g (10 IBU) — Chinook 12.5% — Boil — 15 min
25 g (2 IBU) — Willamette 5.1% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand

Hopstand at 85 °C

Yeast is CML Five

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Not a full one. I need to do some iteration around it but there are a few things I'm certain or very sure of.

They exclusively use Warminster maltings, primarily their floor malted Maris Otter but also CaraGold and Crystal 150. I'm not sure on percentages but would guess at around 2-4% of the former and 3-5% of the latter. That would get around the right EBC by eye for the "chestnut red" finish Old Spot has.

Primary aroma and flavour hops are Fuggle and EKG, but they also use Challenger for bittering. All hops are whole leaf from Hereford, Hawkins Farming I think. At a guess they bitter to around 40-45 IBU. I'm unsure as to whether they dry hop the core beers.

They have their own onsite well and I believe their own yeast strain. The yeast accentuates a distinctive nutty character that all of their beers have that I've never quite been able to replicate but I've had the closest approximation with a 50/50 Nottingham/Windsor copitch. Whatever strain it is, it probably attenuates around high 70s to 80% as their 5% beers are typically around 1.010-1.011 FG, and they use no sugar.

Thanks HM
I’ll knock up that recipe in Brewfather

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Great thread to start Cat!

I brew to my own recipes but my top five are, and not in order of preference:

1. Doppelbock, including Blonde
2. Kolsch
3. Porter
4. Wheat, also fruit additions
5. Amber

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Great thread to start Cat!

I brew to my own recipes but my top five are, and not in order of preference:

1. Doppelbock, including Blonde
2. Kolsch
3. Porter
4. Wheat, also fruit additions
5. Amber

Very good OB but we’ll have to get you brewing British Best Bitter.

 

[HM-2]

Thanks HM
I’ll knock up that recipe in Brewfather

Sorry, one omission on process: they open ferment their beers.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Sorry, one omission on process: they open ferment their beers.

I could leave the lid off my plastic bucket lol.

 

[Pennine]

Here’s my clone of Moose Droool

Moose Drool​

American Brown Ale
5.3% / 13 °P

All Grain

Klarstein Mundschenk 30 L​

75% efficiency
Batch Volume: 22 L
Boil Time: 60 min
Mash Water: 22 L
Sparge Water: 8.84 L
Total Water: 30.84 L
Boil Volume: 27.44 L
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.045

Vitals​

Original Gravity: 1.053
Final Gravity: 1.013
IBU (Tinseth): 27
BU/GU: 0.51
Colour: 21.5 SRM

Mash​

Temperature — 67 °C — 60 min

Malts (5 kg)​

3 kg (60%) — Crisp Finest Maris Otter® Ale Malt — Grain — 3.3 SRM
1.6 kg (32%) — Crisp Light Munich Malt — Grain — 11 SRM
200 g (4%) — Castle Malting Chateau Special B — Grain — 150 SRM
100 g (2%) — Crisp Chocolate Malt — Grain — 530 SRM
100 g (2%) — Crisp Dark Crystal 400 — Grain — 230 SRM

Hops (57 g)​

20 g (14 IBU) — East Kent Goldings (EKG) 6% — Boil — 60 min
12 g (10 IBU) — Chinook 12.5% — Boil — 15 min
25 g (2 IBU) — Willamette 5.1% — Aroma — 15 min hopstand

Hopstand at 85 °C

Yeast is CML Five

This one is good, more similar to an English brown. @An Ankoù if you want a hoppier version Janet's is very well received.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/janets-brown-ale-big-brew-2021/

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I hadn’t drunk a Brown Ale since the early 70’s (warm Newcastle Brown at Uni) until I brewed Moose Drool. Since then I’ve brewed a British Brown Ale called Brickfields a clone of the Five Points beer.

 

[fluketamer]

i cant get good commercial beer anymore it seems.

but my top 5 that i brew in no particular order are

1) lagers
2) west coast pale ales
3) west coast pilsners
4) kolsch
5) stouts

 

[An Ankoù]

Thanks for the pointers to the Aerican Brown Ale . As well as you suggestions, I've checked through the relevant section of BYO book of Clone Brews and I see that one common factor is a goodly portion of crystal malt of which I'm not a great fan. Nevertheless, nothing ventured noting gained and I'll try a 10 litre batch. I also observe that it's quite a strong beer.
While leafing through the same book, I came across Mexican Honey Imperial Lager (p. 204). I'm well impressed. Mexican braggot!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Very good OB but we’ll have to get you brewing British Best Bitter.

You and few others (you know who) have already inspired me to expand my brewing base!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I hadn’t drunk a Brown Ale since the early 70’s (warm Newcastle Brown at Uni) until I brewed Moose Drool. Since then I’ve brewed a British Brown Ale called Brickfields a clone of the Five Points beer.

I brewed a Moose Drool clone type recipe a few years back, it was actually very good. I've had the real thing on a few occasions, not even sure if it's still available.

I'm sure your recipe is quite good too, looks good anyway.

 

[Pennine]

1. Czech pils - Staropramen, wish Coors would make it here
2. Bitter - Old Speckled Hen, sentimental value, first cask ale I had in England. Used to live near the brewery. I'll spend all my money on cask ales...
3. Belgian - Westvleteren 12, another sentimental one for the many trips I made to pick up my two cases. However this is the best beer made in Belgium hands down.
4. Pale ale - snpa
5. Baltic Porter - Zywiec Porter, I buy it whenever I see it.

 

[Snuffy]

Hi do you have a recipe for Old Spot?

I saw this and was intrigued. I searched for a recipe for Old Spot and was unsuccessful. I ended up emailing the proprietor of a Brew Supply store in Colchester, UK ( colchesterhomebrew.co.uk) who offered some other good recipes on his site and asking if he had one for Old Spot. He was not familiar with the beer, but did some searching and was able to find it on one of his sources.
He also added:
“Any standard 6 row pale malt would be fine as a replacement for the Devonshire Malt and the Crystal is likely to be 150 EBC / 75 SRM for English Recipes. Fuggles and Goldings are standard English hops that usually have AA ratings of around 4.5% and 5.6% respectively. If you aren’t familiar with them, Goldings come in 3 “standard varieties” - Goldings (also called Worcester Goldings), East Kent Goldings (EKG) and Whitbread Goldings Variety (WGV). All 3 are virtually interchangeable in terms of characteristics, though that do have differing AA% strengths. Aim for about 30-32 IBU and you should be ok.

If you can get a Safale SO4 or similar yeast, you should be fine.

Having looked at Uley’s website and seen their picture/description I would suggest that it sounds quite similar to a favourite of mine, Ruddles County. Nowadays, RC is brewed by a large corporate brewer called Greene King and the current version is no longer as good as the original version. A much closer approximation to original County is a beer called Grainstore 1050. This is brewed by a small local brewery run by the previous head brewer at Ruddles before they were purchased by Greene King. If you can find an original Ruddles County or Grainstore 1050 recipe, I think your friend would enjoy it.”

 

[Snuffy]

Super nice guy who went out of his way to help. Thanks, Andy.

https://www.colchesterhomebrew.co.uk/recipes.html

 

[Kickass]

i cant get good commercial beer anymore it seems.

but my top 5 that i brew in no particular order are

1) lagers
2) west coast pale ales
3) west coast pilsners
4) kolsch
5) stouts

This is mine, with the exception of #2. I’d replace that with cider. If that doesn’t meet the intent of the thread, then I’m going generic amber (ale and/or lager).

 

[redrocker652002]

Not having read the whole list, here is mine:

1. IPA Hazy or not Sierra Nevada Hazy little thing, Racer 7, and a few others who's names escape me
2. Pale ale Sierra Nevada, Gummy Worms New Glory Hazy pale,
3. Helles Weihenstephaner Brewery
4. Marzen Gordon Biersch
5. Blonde ale 805 is the one I really only drink

Now, with that said, I have not actually brewed some of these. Helles is on my list for my next brew and I want to try either a porter or stout, so that is still a maybe. My end goal is to have a multi tap set up and have a few different styles available.

 

[An Ankoù]

1- English Golden Ale, Hopback Summer Lightning
2- Full-bodied, full-flavoured stout, not Irish dry, not sweet or milk stout. Don't know a brand, will publish recipe.
3- English dark mild, low abv, rich in flavour.
4- Czech Pilsner. Typified by Urquell, but Staropramen, Budweiser, Kozel are all good
5- Australian?? Cold IPA following John Palmer's process and views.

These are what i like to keep in stock for me, but The Wise One has different tastes although she likes 1 and 4, and I do so many experimental beers and styles that it can be a jon to keep up with all the drinking.

 

[HM-2]

I saw this and was intrigued. I searched for a recipe for Old Spot and was unsuccessful. I ended up emailing the proprietor of a Brew Supply store in Colchester, UK ( colchesterhomebrew.co.uk) who offered some other good recipes on his site and asking if he had one for Old Spot. He was not familiar with the beer, but did some searching and was able to find it on one of his sources.
He also added:
“Any standard 6 row pale malt would be fine as a replacement for the Devonshire Malt and the Crystal is likely to be 150 EBC / 75 SRM for English Recipes. Fuggles and Goldings are standard English hops that usually have AA ratings of around 4.5% and 5.6% respectively. If you aren’t familiar with them, Goldings come in 3 “standard varieties” - Goldings (also called Worcester Goldings), East Kent Goldings (EKG) and Whitbread Goldings Variety (WGV). All 3 are virtually interchangeable in terms of characteristics, though that do have differing AA% strengths. Aim for about 30-32 IBU and you should be ok.

If you can get a Safale SO4 or similar yeast, you should be fine.

Having looked at Uley’s website and seen their picture/description I would suggest that it sounds quite similar to a favourite of mine, Ruddles County. Nowadays, RC is brewed by a large corporate brewer called Greene King and the current version is no longer as good as the original version. A much closer approximation to original County is a beer called Grainstore 1050. This is brewed by a small local brewery run by the previous head brewer at Ruddles before they were purchased by Greene King. If you can find an original Ruddles County or Grainstore 1050 recipe, I think your friend would enjoy it.”


View attachment 874856

Thanks for this, really enlightening. Uley Brewery is very small (10bbl) and only delivers to pubs and venues withing about 30 miles of the brewery; the kind of tiny village brewery which I imagine would have been common in the not so distant past but almost nonexistent these days. Hence there being only relatively sparse, and often not very detailed, coverage of their process and recipes.

The Devonshire malt aspect is interesting, there are quite a few references to their use of Devonshire malt in more historic sources, but their current website lists Warminster as their exclusive supplier, providing both MO and Crystal. I can only assume they changed suppliers somewhere between 2007 (when that recipe was captured) and the website contents as it currently stands, perhaps when Chas handed over control in ~2018.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

1. English Bitter
2. English Porter/Stout
3. Belgian Saison


That's my top three. I class Golden ale as bitter, because I was drinking golden ales before they were called golden ales, in the form of low colour bitters.

I make and enjoy many other styles including and especially APAs, American Browns, American Ambers, Lagers, English Old and Strong ales, and Belgian Dubbels. I can't pick two from those to complete my five, sorry.

I'm only really just getting into lagers now, tbh, in my 60s. Been mostly a bitter man all my adult life!

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Not having read the whole list, here is mine:

1. IPA Hazy or not Sierra Nevada Hazy little thing, Racer 7, and a few others who's names escape me
2. Pale ale Sierra Nevada, Gummy Worms New Glory Hazy pale,
3. Helles Weihenstephaner Brewery
4. Marzen Gordon Biersch
5. Blonde ale 805 is the one I really only drink

Now, with that said, I have not actually brewed some of these. Helles is on my list for my next brew and I want to try either a porter or stout, so that is still a maybe. My end goal is to have a multi tap set up and have a few different styles available.

I can't say enough about have multiple beer taps, it's great. On deck now is Doppelbock, Amber and Helles.

I originally had five but now three. The holes and taps are ready should I decide I need more variety.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

1. English Bitter
2. English Porter/Stout
3. Belgian Saison


That's my top three. I class Golden ale as bitter, because I was drinking golden ales before they were called golden ales, in the form of low colour bitters.

I make and enjoy many other styles including and especially APAs, American Browns, American Ambers, Lagers, English Old and Strong ales, and Belgian Dubbels. I can't pick two from those to complete my five, sorry.

I'm only really just getting into lagers now, tbh, in my 60s. Been mostly a bitter man all my adult life!

A bitter man, not just grumpy?

I'd have Saison as #6, again not in order of preference.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Thanks for this, really enlightening. Uley Brewery is very small (10bbl) and only delivers to pubs and venues withing about 30 miles of the brewery; the kind of tiny village brewery which I imagine would have been common in the not so distant past but almost nonexistent these days. Hence there being only relatively sparse, and often not very detailed, coverage of their process and recipes.

The Devonshire malt aspect is interesting, there are quite a few references to their use of Devonshire malt in more historic sources, but their current website lists Warminster as their exclusive supplier, providing both MO and Crystal. I can only assume they changed suppliers somewhere between 2007 (when that recipe was captured) and the website contents as it currently stands, perhaps when Chas handed over control in ~2018.

Devon malt could mean Tuckers in Newton Abbot which closed in 2018, they still sell malt but the Maris Otter is Warminster Floor, same process as Tuckers was.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

A bitter man, not just grumpy?

I'd have Saison as #6, again not in order of preference.

Well done.

Both.

 

[tdf]

Love it!

1. British Bitter - Harvey's Sussex Best
2. American Pale Ale - Sierra Nevada (Ok, it'll change after this )
3. American IPA - Stone IPA, Russian River Blind Pig, Smuttynose Finestkind
4. German Pils - Weihenstephaner Pils, Russian River STS
5. Belgian Golden Strong - Duvel, Russian River Damnation

Lotta Russian River showing, I know. They had a really nice bitter on draft the last time I visited, too.

 

[Snuffy]

Thanks for this, really enlightening. Uley Brewery is very small (10bbl) and only delivers to pubs and venues withing about 30 miles of the brewery; the kind of tiny village brewery which I imagine would have been common in the not so distant past but almost nonexistent these days. Hence there being only relatively sparse, and often not very detailed, coverage of their process and recipes.

The Devonshire malt aspect is interesting, there are quite a few references to their use of Devonshire malt in more historic sources, but their current website lists Warminster as their exclusive supplier, providing both MO and Crystal. I can only assume they changed suppliers somewhere between 2007 (when that recipe was captured) and the website contents as it currently stands, perhaps when Chas handed over control in ~2018.

I just ordered ingredients for both Old Spot and Ruddles County. Could not find Devonshire anything so I just went with Rahr 6-row for the Spot and Maris Otter for the Ruddles County - which called for "Halcyon Pale". Couldn't find that either. Going to use Lyle's Golden Syrup instead of "white sugar". Using S-04 for both.

Ruddles County 1049 og 23 litres (5gal)
halcyon pale malt 4300gr (9.5lbs)
crystal 145gr (0.3lbs)
black 39gr (0.1lbs)
white sugar 335 gr (0.75lb or 12oz)
challenger 35gr 7.7 a/a 90 mins (1.25oz)
northdown 35 gr 8 a/a 90 min (1.25oz)
goldings 10gr 5.3 a/a 15 mins (0.3oz)
irish moss

mash 66c 90 mins (151F)
45 ibu
32 ebc
boil 90 mins
from gw book second edition 1998