BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) is a list of all styles of beer used both in the production of foamy drinks and tasting competitions. In the 2015 BJCP version, which is considered the most complete in the expert community, 120 beer styles are distinguished, this particular version is published in the table (Russian translation).
Beer can be classified according to many criteria: strength, taste, country of origin, etc. There is no single international system, therefore, the BJCP created in 1985 is considered the most universal base, since it takes into account several parameters at once.
To get a description of a style of beer, just click on the name link, the characteristic will open in a new window.
| Category (Type) | Beer styles |
| Pale lager is a bottom-fermented beer with a characteristic hop flavor. A distinctive feature is that it ripens during storage. | American light lager |
| american lager | |
| International Pale Lager | |
| Czech Pale Lager | |
| Munich Helles | |
| Festbir | |
| german lightbier | |
| German Export Helles | |
| Light kellerbeer | |
| Pilsner is a bottom-fermented beer from the Czech city of Pilsen. Distinctive features: mild taste, clear hop notes in the bouquet. | Czech light premium lager |
| german pils | |
| Pre-law camp | |
| Amber lager is an aromatic type of beer characterized by an original reddish color and intense malty notes in the bouquet. | International Amber Lager |
| Czech Amber Lager | |
| Märzen | |
| Rauhbir | |
| viennese lager | |
| Amber kellerbeer | |
| california regular | |
| Dark lager is a bottom-fermented beer, characterized by a distinct aroma of roasted malt, caramel notes in the bouquet. | International dark lager |
| Czech dark lager | |
| Munich Dunkel | |
| Schwarzbir | |
| Bock – other names: bockbeer, starkbeer. Strong German beer (both dark and light), the type of fermentation can be either top or bottom. | Light Side (Maibok) |
| dark side | |
| Doppelbok | |
| Icebook | |
| Pale ale is a traditional top-fermented beer. The technology involves the use of higher temperatures during fermentation, due to this, both costs and production time are reduced. | Crimea el |
| Kölsch | |
| British golden ale | |
| Australian sparkling ale | |
| blond ale | |
| American pale ale | |
| Belgian pale ale | |
| Belgian blonde ale | |
| Season | |
| Trappist regular ale | |
| IPA (Indian Pale Ale, Indian Pale Ale) is a heavily hopped, top-fermented beer. The style originated in England during the East India Company. According to legend, hops and a high alcohol content allowed the drink to survive a long sea voyage and safely get on the tables of British officers who yearned for their homeland and its cuisine. Less hopped varieties were also exported, but it was IPA that became the most popular. | English IPA |
| American IPA | |
| Special IPA | |
| Special IPA: Belgian | |
| Special IPA: black | |
| Special IPA: Brown | |
| Special IPA: Red | |
| Specialty IPA: Rye | |
| Special IPA: white | |
| Double IPA | |
| Amber ale is a flavorful top-fermented beer, most often made at craft breweries. | Altbier |
| Ordinary bitter | |
| Best Bitter | |
| strong bitter | |
| Scottish light ale | |
| Scottish strong ale | |
| Scottish export ale | |
| Irish red ale | |
| American amber ale | |
| Bier de Gard | |
| Belgian dubbel | |
| Kentucky regular | |
| Brown ale is a traditional English style of dark malt based beer that eventually spread to the New World and Europe as well. Type of fermentation – top, fortress – up to 6.5%. | American brown ale |
| British brown ale | |
| London brown ale | |
| dark mild | |
| Porter is a very dark beer with a pronounced malt profile. It can be quite strong, but historically this is not a mandatory attribute of style. Porter is often confused with stout, but these are not synonyms: the second style is a subspecies of the first. | Baltic porter |
| English porter | |
| American porter | |
| Dosuhozakonnyj porter | |
| A stout is a dark ale, that is, a top-fermented beer made from dark malts. Strictly speaking, it is a subspecies of porter, but according to the BJCP classification, it stands out as a separate style. The most famous representative of the class is Irish Guinness. | Irish stout |
| Irish extra stout | |
| Sweet stout | |
| Oatmeal stout | |
| tropical stout | |
| Foreign Extra Stout | |
| American stout | |
| Imperial stout | |
| Strong ale – as the name implies, a top-fermented beer of increased strength. | British strong ale |
| Old Ale | |
| Wee-heavy | |
| English barleywine | |
| American strong ale | |
| american barleywine | |
| Whitwin | |
| Belgian Golden Strong Ale | |
| Belgian tripel | |
| Belgian dark strong ale | |
| Wheat beer – is made on the basis of barley malt with the addition of wheat, and the share of the latter ingredient often exceeds 50%. Paradoxically, this category also includes varieties related to rye beer – Roggenbier and Sahti. This is due to the fact that if the brewer moves away from the “classical” base, then there may be several additives, and wheat often coexists with rye. | American wheat beer |
| Weissbird | |
| Dunkelwitzen | |
| Weizenbock | |
| Berliner Weiss | |
| Lambik | |
| Eye | |
| Fruit lambic | |
| Blanche (Witbier) | |
| Goze | |
| Grodzis beer | |
| Lichtenheiner | |
| Roggenbir | |
| Sahti | |
| Sour ale is a top-fermented beer with a pronounced acidity, most often acquired during malolactic fermentation. Depending on the classification, this category includes lambics, Berliner Weiss, gose, and other beer styles, but according to the BJCP, there are only two types of sour ales. | Flemish red ale |
| Flemish brown ale | |
| Specialty beers – This category does not mainly include original individual styles, but modifications of them through the addition of additional ingredients, fermentable sugars or aging. | Brett beer |
| Mixed fermentation sour beer | |
| Special wild beer | |
| Fruit beer | |
| Beer with fruits and spices | |
| Special fruit beer | |
| Beer with spices, herbs, vegetables | |
| Autumn seasonal beer | |
| Winter seasonal beer | |
| Beer with alternative grains | |
| Beer with alternative sugars | |
| Classic smoked beer | |
| Special smoked beer | |
| Wood-aged beer | |
| Special wood-aged beer | |
| pampas golden ale | |
| Argentine IPA | |
| Italian grape ale |
Terms that appear in the description of beer styles:
- The taste of dimethyl sulfide – a volatile sulfur compound DMS (dimethyl sulfide) brings the aroma of boiled corn and celery to the beer, is felt at a concentration of 0,01-0,15 mg / l. DMS is typical for lagers; if the flavor profile is too pronounced, it is considered a vice. Found in lightly toasted malts such as Pilsner and Pale Ales.
- Decoction (decoction) mashing – a method of saccharification of malt without the need for precise temperature control, improves the taste and clarity of beer. Part of the mash is poured into a separate container and brought to a boil. Then the boiling wort is brought into the general mash, raising the temperature.
- The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a sugar that occurs when heated, resulting in caramelization and non-enzymatic browning.
Attenuation – the amount by which the concentration of the wort is reduced during fermentation, expressed as a percentage. Affects the taste, body and alcohol content of beer.