The Rose and Crown - Top of the Real Ale Pubs

More than just lager or bitter

Beer is so much more than just lager or bitter! There are over 2,000 beer brands available in the UK. These include light, crisp lagers, dark, intensely flavoured stouts and a whole gamut of styles and tastes in between: pale ales, barley wines, wheat beers and beers flavoured with spices, herbs and fruits. Here are some of the most popular styles of beer either brewed in the UK or widely available here.

Real Ale

These are top fermented beers – in contrast to lagers, which are bottom-fermented. There is an infinite variety of flavours within the ale category, but most will display caramel flavours, varying degrees of hoppy bitterness, as well as fruity aromas. The ale category includes bitter, mild, brown ales, Scottish and Irish ales as well as a variety of European and American ales.

Lager

Lager is a type of beer, the term deriving from the German ‘lagern’ meaning ‘store’ in reference to the time these beers spend in cold storage. Lagers are crisp, clean and lightly hoppy. They are best served very chilled and have great refreshing qualities.

Porters and stouts

These are almost black in colour and have a highly roasted taste. They have hints of chocolate and caramel and intense fruitiness.

Pilsner

A style of lager created in the Czech Republic. The best of these are buttery, slightly honeyed, and have a floral aroma, with a well-rounded flavour of hops, which gives the characteristic bitterness.

Wheat beers

These beers, brewed mainly in Germany and Belgium, are also known as ‘wit’ or ‘weiss’ because of their very pale colour. Unlike most beer styles, where clarity is desirable, wheat beers are intentionally cloudy. They are zesty, low in bitterness and may contain notes of orange peel, coriander, clove or banana.

Fruit beers

Fruit beers, produced in Belgium, use real fruit, which is macerated over a period of months. The beers have a dry, vinous quality, balanced by the sweetness of the fruit, which may be raspberry, cherry, or strawberry.