Favorite styles from various countries

My argument was really about ESB and the fact that it's not particularly different from all the other bitters I see on a bar.It certainly doesn't warrant being called a style.

 

Good luck trying to get Marquis to 'change with the times'!

Cheers!

 

Why? If some people are more into the history, culture and tradition surrounding beer than they are into the latest trends, then so what?

And also, does anyone really believe that being sticklers for style definitions is going to lead to better beer?

 

I believe that I am tired d of guessing whats in that brown bottle with a non descript label that only says pale ale.

 

Keeping in mind i'm such a novice that I'm basically trying a new style of beer several times a week. I have, for example, only had one (!) beer from Scotland (Harviestoun Brewery Ola Dubh 12 Year Special Reserve). I'll get there.

Germany: Bock
Belgium: Tripel or BSPA
USA: IIPA
England: Porter

 

Belgium - any
Germany - most
UK - anything hand pumped, barely wines, old ales, wee heavy
US - most, especially anything imperial or double, or from a bourbon barrel

 

IPA and DIPA: NorCal

 

But don't you think that reviews on websites like this one are more effective at describing what's in the bottle than the labeling ever would be? Isn't that why we use them?

Edit: Not only that, but I don't see how more and stricter style definitions are going to increase the accuracy of labeling. If there's already heated debated as to the differences between different styles, and how to classify beers in the styles we already have, it seems that using more categories is only likely to exacerbate the problem.

 

Germany - Rauchbier
USA - Wild Ale
UK - English Bitters
Scotland - Wee Heavy

 

This is tough...
Germany: Alt, helles, or doppelbock
Belgium: Trappist ales (Orval and Westmalle!)
U.S.: American Pale Ale (extra pale ale included) or American porter/stout
England/UK: Mild (brown or ruby colored)
Ireland: Red ale (dry stout is a close second)
Austria: Amber/red lager(or, Vienna lager)

 

Wow, I can't limit myself to 1 each country......
Let me try though:
Germany: Rauchbier
Belgium: Geuze
Austria: Märzen
France: biere de garde
Poland: Porter
czech republic: kvasnicove
UK: cask conditioned real bitter
US: .......tricky one.......APA perhaps.
But somehow I feel like I betrayed lots of favorite styles right now........like dubbel, lambic,Helles,Kölsch,Bock,witbier,there are just to many great classic styles.

 

I dont shop with ba reviews in my hand.

 

No, a brief description is far more useful than any name derived from feverish marketing guff. And we're not talking about the mere distinction between American and English IPAs, because only you brought that up, but the pigeonholing of pale ale into multiple subgenres.

 

US imperial stout, Apa
England barleywine, RIS
Belgium saisons
Germany bock, hefeweizen