There are a large variety of beers, but they can be divided into three categories. The first two - lagers and ales - are much more common than the third category, which is steam beer, (aka California common). This latter category is really a hybrid of lagers and ales.
Once divided into the lager and ale category, there is a second differentiation among beers. Gaining in popularity are "craft" or "artisinal" beers i.e. those brewed by microbreweries and often not widely sold. These tend to be more expensive than the mainstream beers as they use 100% barley malt, expensive hops and few if any additives. There are over 1,000 microbreweries in the U.S. and Canada alone.
An excellent site on the Web for information about beer styles and these microbreweries is the Microbrewed Beer Month Club - where you can learn about craft beers and even join a beer of the month club.
Lagers:
Lagers are more popular than ales. They differ from ales in both fermentation technique and aging. Lager is bottom fermented, i.e. the yeasts are in the bottom of the barrel. It is a moderately hopped beer which is aged under refrigeration for 6 weeks to 6 months. Most lagers are fairly light in color, highly carbonated, and have a light to medium hop flavor. Most beers consumed in the U.S. are lagers. Budweiser is a lager as are beers made by Coors and Miller. Imported lagers include Foster's, Corona, and Heineken.
There are relatively few lager beer styles. They include:
- Pilsner: These are pale, dry, and crisp beers; most imported lagers are pilsner style. They're designed to be thirst quenching.
- Amber: These are light bodied and mild flavored. This is the style associated with the big American breweries like Bud or Miller.
- Bock: This is a strong flavor for a lager. It is a traditionally German beer with a high malt flavor.
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