Okay, so let’s say for giggles that we’ve piqued your curiosity just enough to warrant whetting your whistle. Below is a brief and generic description of the most common beer styles. Take a peek and then sample. A few tips to remember are to pour your beer into a glass. Much like wine, craft beer often benefits from oxidation, allowing some of the great flavor to make its way to your palate. Also, some beer is best when it is not served super cold – by that, I mean, save your frozen beer mug for a root beer float, not craft beer.

Ale: Typically a more aromatic and fruity product, compared to lagers. Ales also have a lower amount of carbonation and should be served at a warmer temperature. Strong ales should be served at room temperature.

Amber: Malty, hoppy beers have a rich golden color. They tend to be fuller bodied due to the addition of specialty grains.

Bitter: Highly hopped for a more dry and aromatic beer, bitter is pale in color but strong in alcohol content. Very popular in British pubs around metro Atlanta.

Black & Tan: A mix of a dark and light beer such as a porter and lager or a porter and a pilsner. Think Guinness and Harp!

Bock: Strong and malty. A lager that is copper to dark brown colored with lots of toasted, bready flavors and mildly sweet.

Double Bock: Extra strong Bock

Lager: Lager beers are light in color, high in carbonation and tend to be less alcoholic than ales. Lagers are best served chilled.

India Pale Ale: Usually shortened to IPA, this ale is not a great one for beginners to the craft beer scene due to its high levels of hops. Originally brewed in England for export to India, IPAs have large quantities of hops that were intended as a preservative and to mask potential off-flavors that might develop during the long voyage. For me, these have a strong grapefruit flavor.

Irish Red Ale: Sweet, medium-bodied, reddish amber ale with a caramel malt flavor and medium hop bitterness.

Kolsch: A lighter-colored version of alt bier, so it has medium bitterness and a light to medium body with a delicate flavor.

Pale Ale: Light-colored ales that are typically full-bodied and fall on the bitter side of the spectrum.

Pilsner: A pale, golden-hued, light beer after which many mass-produced American beers are modeled. Pilsners should be served very cold.

Porter: Often confused as stouts, porters get their color from black or chocolate malt. They are hoppy and heavily malted but as a medium-bodied beer, they can also be sweet as the hoppiness can range from bitter to mild.

Stout: Easily identified by its deep, dark brown to black color, medium-bodied brew with hints of roasted unmalted barley and, often, caramel malt or sugar. Think chocolate and espresso flavors. Said to be invented by Guinness as a variation on the traditional porter. Serve Guinness at a cool temperature.

Trappist Ale: Strong, bottle-conditioned ale with aromatic bouquet and complex palate of fruit, spices and earthiness. Brewed originally by Trappist Monks.

Wheat Beer (Weizen): A German-style beer made with malted wheat and barley. Light-bodied, low in alcohol with high carbonation and a crisp, clean, tart flavor.