Identifying styles

[booldawg]

I'm a bit stumped when attempting to identify what exactly makes up the many different styles of beer. In my simplistic understanding its either lager, bitter or stout!

I was looking at the blurb on the ale bottle labels a supermarket the other day. Waggledance was described as a Golden Ale and old Speckled Hen was a pale. TBH I cant really see the difference between the two. Again, a stout and porter - both dark beers cant tell the difference. Without getting into the technicalitys of lovibonds are there any good sources on the net to give me a basic understanding?

[steve_flack]

You could try the BJCP styles - they're an American attempt to categorise beer styles. Obviously there's a lot of beers that are tricky to categorise at all and some of the styles they do have seem a bit tenuous to me but they're about as good as there is.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.html

[booldawg]

cheers Steve! I dont get too hung up on what syle I'm brewing but its nice to know

[Calum]

You could try the BJCP styles - they're an American attempt to categorise beer styles. Obviously there's a lot of beers that are tricky to categorise at all and some of the styles they do have seem a bit tenuous to me but they're about as good as there is.

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.html

Oh my god Steve, you have opened up the hornets nest. The BJCP classifications are as controversial on this side of the pond as talking about religion or politics. Don't even start Mysterio on the Scotch Ale style

[steve_flack]

Oh my god Steve, you have opened up the hornets nest. The BJCP classifications are as controversial on this side of the pond as talking about religion or politics. Don't even start Mysterio on the Scotch Ale style

I know. I know. I hesitated posting it but, for all their faults, those style guidelines are the best we have. The CBA ones are just woeful (Sorry David ) - half a dozen British ale styles and a catch all rest of the world style for everything else (yes, lagers, wiezens, American and Belgian ales all in the one category). CAMRA really don't seem to give a toss unless your beer has lumps in....

I've seen plenty of ridicule of them on brewing blogs including where people that post here have joined in the piss taking....I don't see any better ideas or suggestions being put forward though.

[monk]

I've always thought of those categories as tools for competition. They are used to specify a certain ideal that can then be judged. For most of us, however, we have our own ideal. We are brewing something we'd like to drink. What we call it is only important as a guideline for others who might drink our beer. Most names for beer styles, after all, come from commercial brews, which are notoriously subjective.

[steve_flack]

Precisely. They are guidelines for judging competitions. If you want to make a Pineapple Porter then make one.

[mysterio]

Don't even start Mysterio on the Scotch Ale style

I had a look through them recently and they're not as bad as I'd maybe led myself to believe they were. I think, maybe, I was looking at the 1999 edition which says things like: "70/- Schilling version, Slight smoky or toasted flavor OK... Slight diacytl or sulfur OK." [sic].

For the purposes of answering the original poster's question they're good guidelines. The British definitions are still pretty narrow though. I've tasted many commerical Scottish ales that have a good dunt of hop flavour/aroma/bitterness which would be a flaw in a BJCP competition.

As others have said though, it's the best we have.

[steve_flack]

I had a look through them recently and they're not as bad as I'd maybe led myself to believe they were. I think, maybe, I was looking at the 1999 edition which says things like: "70/- Schilling version, Slight smoky or toasted flavor OK... Slight diacytl or sulfur OK." [sic].

There's a bit on the brewing classic styles book where Jamil says that smoked malt is just plain wrong in a Scottish ale. He apparently was involved in the 2008 revision.

For the purposes of answering the original poster's question they're good guidelines. The British definitions are still pretty narrow though. I've tasted many commerical Scottish ales that have a good dunt of hop flavour/aroma/bitterness which would be a flaw in a BJCP competition.

One may argue if they are Scottish ales though. Are they a Scottish brewery brewing an English style ale (Heaven forbid)?

[booldawg]

I've never been to a craft brewing competition and I guess the impetus behind the question was how do they set the criteria for the various classes that they judge? Also at the big CAMRA festival in London whereby beer in judged in classes.

[anomalous_result]

Are they a Scottish brewery brewing an English style ale (Heaven forbid)?

Things like this get my nugget too. I don't know much so this may be an easy question to answer but are the hop-bombs on t'other side of pond American IPAs or American PAs? And the BJCP guidelines still seem narrow (to me) as you get (in the 04 version at least) 08 - English Pale Ale (with 3 subcategoriess for abv) and 11 - English Brown Ale (with the same 3 subcats)... and that's meant to encompass all the variety that Brit brewers produce in their 'ordinary' beers, when there's huge variety of bitters i'd argue.

As someone above said, they are guidelines for competition, so if I was brewing for a competition I would look at them. However, you may find that categorisation stints your creativity. Man.

[mysterio]

There's a bit on the brewing classic styles book where Jamil says that smoked malt is just plain wrong in a Scottish ale. He apparently was involved in the 2008 revision.

I know, thats why I said I was thinking of the older one.

One may argue if they are Scottish ales though.

The one that springs to mind for me is Caledonian 80/-, I don't think anyone would argue that this is a Scottish ale and it has quite a pronounced Goldings flavour.