Beer

Definitions

Ale
The English-language term for a brew made with a top-fermenting yeast, which should impart to it a distinctive fruitiness.
Bitter
English term for a well-hopped ale, most often on draught.
Bock
The German term for a strong beer. If unqualified, it indicates a bottom-fermenting brew from barley malt.
Brown Ale
In the south of England, a dark-brown ale, sweet in palate, low in alcohol.In the northeast, a reddish-brown ale, drier.
India Pale Ale
British pale ales for the Indian Empire were made to a higher than normal strength, and given more hops, to protect them on the journey.
Lager
Any beer made by bottom-fermentation. In Britain, lagers are usually golden in colour, but in continental Europe they can also be dark.
Mild
English term indicating an ale that is only lightly hopped. Some Milds are copper in colour, but most are dark brown.
Pale Ale
Pale in this instance means bronze or copper-coloured, as opposed to dark brown. Pale ale is a term used by some English brewers to identify their premium bitters.
Pilsner
Loosely, any golden-coloured, dry, bottom fermenting beer of conventional strength might be described as such (in its various spellings abbreviations) though this most famous designation properly belongs only to a product of "super-premium" quality.
Porter
A London style that became extinct, though it has recently been revived. It was a lighter-bodied companion to stout,
Scotch Ale
The term "Scotch ale" is something used specifically to identify a very strong, and often extremely dark, malt-accented speciality from that country.
Stout
An extra-dark, almost black, top-fermenting brew, made with highly roasted malts.

Definitions for styles of beers were taken from: Michael Jackson's Beer Styles

 

Hierarchical view 

      Beers
         Ale
            Bitter
            Brown Ale
            India Pale Ale
            Mild
            Pale Ale
            Scotch Ale
         Bock
         Lager
         Pilsner
         Porter
         Stout
            Sweet Stout
            Dry Stout
            Imperial Stout
   Ingredients
      Hops
         Cascade
         Chinook
         Galena
         Hallertau
         KentGoldings
         MountHood
         Perle
         Saaz
         Tettnang
         Willamette
      Malts
         Black
         Caramel
         Carapils
         Chocolate
         Munich
         Pale
      Grains
         
      Yeast
Someone asked the question: What's the difference between stout, ale, porter, lager, pilsner, and the other types of beer?
 
All beer can be classified as either a lager or an ale. The differences begin during the brewing process. Whether the beer is an ale or lager is defined by the type of yeast used in the brew and the temperature at which fermentation takes place. Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeast which allows for rapid fermentation at warmer temperatures;
Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeast which ferments more slowly and at colder temperatures.
 
Lagers
- Lager means to store or put aside.
- This beer is made with bottom yeast, so-called because it flocculates to the bottom of the vat.
- Traditionally bottom yeast will ferment at cold temperatures less than 10 deg C. Now fermentation takes place at 12 to 18 deg C. This cold or deep fermentation allows the malt and hops to assert their fine flavours.
- Lager tends to be paler, drier and less alcoholic than ales.
- Pilsener or pils beer originated in Bohemia where brewers first found beer that was over-wintered or lagered improved if stored in cool caves and kept on ice.
- German lagers, including beers such as bock and marzen, are made according to the Bavarian Purity Laws of 1516 to ensure the beer is all-malt (no sugar) and hopped with bitter and aromatic varieties (noble hops).
- Some German-style beers are described as "helles" meaning pale or blonde. Pale beers grew in popularity following the adoption of the glass for drinking in the 19th Century.
 
Ales
- Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeasts at temperatures from 15 to 25 deg C.
- Ales are matured for shorter periods and at warmer temperatures.
- Ales include a wide range of beer styles from porters and stouts (porter is a heavy beer of pronounced bitterness, reddish-brown to a very dark brown, but is usually lighter in body and malt character than stout) to pale ales and wheat beer.
- Generally, ales are higher in alcohol, more robust and complex than lagers.