Announcing the Brewers Association 2008 Beer Style Guidelines

The Brewers Association recently released their 2008 Beer Style Guidelines. Eleven categories were added to the guidelines this year, reflecting the industry's direct focus on helping develop craft beer. Of the 11 new categories being introduced into the guidelines, five new additions were added just for barrel-aged beers.

"These guidelines help to illustrate the growth of craft brewers in the United States and also offer insight and a foundation for helping appreciate the hundreds of beer types brewed for the beer lover," said Brewers Association President, Charlie Papazian.

Since 1979 the Brewers Association has provided beer style descriptions as a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers. Much of the early work was based on the assistance and contributions of beer journalist Michael Jackson. The task of creating a realistic set of guidelines is always complex. The beer style guidelines developed by the Brewers Association use sources from the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses, and consultations with beer industry experts and knowledgeable beer enthusiasts as resources for information.

2008 Added Categories:

Fresh Hop Ale
Ales which are hopped exclusively with fresh and un-dried ("wet") hops.

American-Belgo Styles Ales
These beers portray the unique characters imparted by yeasts typically used in fruity and big Belgian-style ales.

Leipzig-Style Göse
The original versions of this style of beer were spontaneously fermented German ales, similarly to Belgian-style gueuze/lambic beers.

Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
Belgian-style blonde ales are characterized by low yet evident hop bitterness, flavor and sometimes aroma.

Australasian-Style Pale Ale
This style is a mild, pale, light-bodied ale with a color varying from light to amber. Hop bitterness and flavor range from very low to low.

Out of Category- Traditionally Brewed Beers
There are many excellent and popular beers that are brewed with traditional ingredients and processes, yet their character may vary from styles currently defined or included in these guidelines.

Barrel Aged Beer categories:

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Beer
Any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Pale to Amber Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Dark Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental style of dark beer beer can be wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Strong Beer
Any strong classic style or unique, experimental style of beer can bee wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel- Aged Sour Beer
A wood- or barrel- aged beer is any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood and has developed a bacterial induced natural acidity.