The Oregon Garden Brewfest Beer Guide

Beer has been around for centuries, and has evolved into many different types. All of the various flavors, body and colors of the many styles of beer generally fall under two classifications, either lager or ale. Together, these two classes of beer make up lots of different varieties of beer.

Lager - Lager uses yeast that ferments at cooler temperatures.

Ale - Ale uses yeast that ferments at warmer temperatures.

Both lagers and ales contain hops, malted barley, yeast and water.

There are four types of beer that fall under the lager category:

Pale lager - Pale lager usually contains more carbonation than the other types of beer. It tends to be light in color as well as in body. Brands such as Coors and Budweiser, are examples of a pale lager.

Pilsner - Pilsner is another type of lager that is pale in color. However, pilsners tend to have more distinct flavors and are often more bitter than Pale lager.

Light lager - light lager beer contains less hops and barleys, which reduces the caloric content of the beer. Light beer also has a slightly lower alcohol concentration than regular beers. In Europe, a light lager is a beer that is light in color rather than calories.

Dark lager - Dark lagers are made with roasted barley and hops, and therefore have richer flavor, a very dark color and a full-bodied taste.

There are three types of beer that fall under the Ale category:

Brown Ale - Brown ale is usually red or copper colored. It is the mildest flavor of Ale.

Porter - Porters are darker and more full bodied. Porters usually have a more noticeable barley flavor that is reminiscent of chocolate, along with a mild hop flavor.

Stout - Stouts are the darkest type of beer, almost black in color. They are thick and taste strongly of the barley and hops that they are made from.

Although there are generally only two types of beer, several thousand unique types of beer are created through different combinations of ingredients and added flavors. Fruit, vegetables, spices and so on are added to both lagers and ales to create beer with flavors like chocolate or pumpkin spice. The variety in these creative brews is amazing and many can be sampled at The Oregon Garden Brewfest.