Style Tag Reference

To assist with regrouping styles for other purposes, we have added informational tags to each style. These tags indicate certain attributes of the beer that may be used for grouping purposes. The ‘meaning’ column explains the general intent of the tag, but is not meant to be rigorous, formal definition. In no way do the tags supersede the actual descriptions of the style.

Category	Tag	Meaning
Strength
	session-strength	<4% ABV
	standard-strength	4-6% ABV
	high-strength	6-9% ABV
	very-high-strength	9% ABV
Color
	pale-color	straw to gold
	amber-color	amber to copper-brown
	dark-color	dark brown to black
Fermentation/Conditioning
	top-fermented	ale yeast
	bottom-fermented	lager yeast
	any-fermented	ale yeast or lager yeast
	wild-fermented	non-Saccharomyces yeast/bacteria
	lagered	ale yeast or lager yeast
	aged	long conditioning before release
Region of Origin
	british-isles	England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland
	western-europe	Belgium, France, Netherlands
	central-europe	Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Scandinavia
	eastern-europe	Poland, Baltic States, Russia
	north-america	United States, Canada, Mexico
	pacific	Australia, New Zealand
Style Family
	ipa-family
	brown-ale-family
	pale-ale-family
	pale-lager-family
	pilsner-family
	amber-ale-family
	amber-lager-family
	dark-lager-family
	porter-family
	stout-family
	bock-family
	strong-ale-family
	wheat-beer-family
	specialty-beer
Era
	craft-style	developed in the modern craft beer era
	traditional-style	developed before the modern craft beer era
	historical-style	no longer made, or very limited production
Dominant Flavor
	malty	malt-forward flavor
	bitter	bitter-forward flavor
	balanced	similar malt and bitter intensity
	hoppy	hop flavor
	roasty	roasted malt/grain
	sweet	noticeable residual sweetness or sugar flavor
	smoke	flavor of smoked malt or grain
	sour	noticeable sourness or intentionally elevated acidity
	wood	wood or barrel age character
	fruit	noticeable flavor and/or aroma of fruit
	spice	noticeable flavor and/or aroma of spices