Beer Styles 101: IPA, Stout, Lager and Everything In Between

Walk into any good bottle shop these days and the beer section can feel genuinely overwhelming. IPAs, stouts, lagers, pilsners, hazies, sours, saisons. The names come thick and fast, and unless you know what they actually mean, choosing a beer becomes a guessing game.

It does not need to be. Once you understand the main beer styles and what sets them apart, the whole world of beer opens up. You will know what you are reaching for, why you like it, and what to try next. This guide is your plain-English tour through the major beer styles, from crisp lagers to bold stouts and everything in between, so you can shop with confidence and find exactly what suits your taste.

The Two Great Families: Ales and Lagers

Before the individual styles, there is one fundamental split that explains almost everything. Nearly every beer in the world belongs to one of two families: ales or lagers. The difference comes down to the yeast and how the beer is fermented.

Ales are made with top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures. This produces fruity, complex, and often bolder flavours. IPAs, pale ales, stouts, and wheat beers are all ales.

Lagers are made with bottom-fermenting yeast at cooler temperatures, then aged, or "lagered", for a period. This produces cleaner, crisper, and more refreshing beers. Pilsners, helles, and most mainstream beers are lagers.

Once you know whether you are drinking an ale or a lager, you already understand a lot about what to expect in the glass.

The Major Beer Styles Explained

Here is a quick reference to the main styles, then we will go through each one properly.

Lager: The Crisp Classic

Lager is the world's most popular beer style, and for good reason. Clean, crisp, and refreshing, it is the easy-drinking beer that suits almost any occasion. A good lager is all about balance and drinkability rather than bold flavour, with a gentle malt character and just enough hops to keep it fresh.

Lager is the perfect starting point for anyone new to beer, and a reliable go-to for a warm afternoon or a casual session.

King Tide Pre-Prohibition Lager 375ml Can

A characterful take on the classic lager, crisp and refreshing with a touch more depth than a standard drop. A great example of how good a well-made lager can be.

Pilsner: Lager With More to Say

A pilsner is a type of lager, but with more hop character and a distinctive crisp bitterness. Originating in the Czech town of Plzeň, the style is golden, clean, and refreshing, with a noticeable hop bite that sets it apart from softer lagers. If you like lager but want a little more flavour and bite, pilsner is your style.

Stoic NZ Pilsner 375ml Can

A New Zealand take on the classic pilsner, crisp and clean with a lovely hop lift from Southern Hemisphere hops. Refreshing and flavourful in equal measure.

Pale Ale: The Balanced All-Rounder

Pale ale is where many people first fall for craft beer. It sits in the sweet spot between the easy drinkability of a lager and the hop intensity of an IPA. Balanced, approachable, and flavourful, a good pale ale offers gentle hop character alongside a supportive malt backbone. It is one of the most versatile and food-friendly styles going.

Philter Luna Hazy Pale 375ml Can

A soft, juicy hazy pale ale with tropical fruit character and an easy, approachable finish. A brilliant introduction to the hazy side of the style and a genuine crowd-pleaser.

IPA: The Hop Lover's Favourite

The IPA, or India Pale Ale, is the beer that launched the craft revolution. Bold, hop-forward, and full of flavour, it is defined by its assertive hop character, which can range from piney and citrusy to tropical and resinous. IPAs are usually higher in bitterness and often higher in alcohol than pale ales. For anyone who loves big, punchy hop flavour, the IPA is the destination.

Reckless Session IPA 375ml Can

A lighter, lower-alcohol take on the IPA that keeps all the hop flavour while staying easy to drink. Perfect for the hop lover who wants a beer they can enjoy more than one of.

Wayward IPA 375ml Can

A classic, full-flavoured IPA with bold hop character and a satisfying bitterness. A great example of the style done properly for anyone ready to dive into the world of hops.

Hazy IPA: Juicy and Soft

The hazy IPA, also known as the New England IPA, is the style that took the beer world by storm. Cloudy in appearance, soft in texture, and bursting with juicy tropical fruit character, it trades the sharp bitterness of a traditional IPA for a smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel and big fruit-forward flavour. If a traditional IPA feels too bitter, a hazy might be exactly what you are after.

Behemoth Lid Ripper Hazy IPA 330ml Can

A soft, juicy hazy from New Zealand's Behemoth, packed with tropical fruit and a smooth finish. A great demonstration of what makes the hazy style so popular.

Wheat Beer: Soft and Refreshing

Wheat beer is made with a large proportion of wheat alongside barley, giving it a soft, smooth body and a hazy appearance. German styles like Hefeweizen are known for their distinctive banana and clove character, produced by the yeast, while Belgian witbiers add coriander and orange peel. Low in bitterness and endlessly refreshing, wheat beer is a wonderful warm-weather choice.

Sunday Road Après Ski Bavarian Hefeweizen 440ml Can

A traditional Bavarian-style Hefeweizen with the classic banana and clove character, hazy and soft with a refreshing finish. A lovely introduction to the wheat beer style.

Stout: Dark, Rich and Roasty

Stout is the boldest of the mainstream styles, and one of the most rewarding. Jet black and full of roasted malt character, it delivers flavours of coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted grain. Despite its intense appearance, a stout is often smoother and more approachable than people expect. Imperial stouts push the style further with higher alcohol and even greater richness.

Nort Non-Alcoholic Stout 330ml

Proof that you can have the full stout experience without the alcohol. Crafted in Australia with premium malts, this alcohol-free stout pours deep mahogany brown with a creamy tan head, delivering roasted coffee, dark chocolate, and subtle caramel over a smooth, velvety body. It finishes clean, dry, and pleasantly roasted. A brilliant choice for the stout lover after a mindful alternative.

8 Wired IStout Imperial Stout 440ml Can

For those ready to explore the bigger end of the style, this New Zealand Russian Imperial Stout is a genuine heavyweight at 10% ABV. Luscious roasted coffee and chocolate malt balanced by a brisk hop bitterness and bold freshness. A rich, decadent night cap of a beer, superb on its own or even poured over vanilla ice cream as an Imperial Stout Float.

Sour: Tart and Refreshing

Sour beer is exactly what it sounds like: tart, acidic, and refreshing. Made using wild yeast or bacteria that produce a deliberate sourness, these beers range from gently tangy to mouth-puckeringly sharp, often with bright fruit character added. Sours are polarising but genuinely refreshing, and they have won a devoted following. A great palate-awakener and a fun style to explore.

Reckless Salted Peach Gose 375ml Can

A gose, a traditional German sour style, with salted peach for a tangy, fruity, and refreshing character. An accessible and delicious introduction to the world of sour beer.

Which Style Should You Try First?

Not sure where to start? Here is a quick guide based on what you already enjoy.

The best way to find your favourites is simply to taste widely. A mixed pack is one of the easiest ways to try several styles side by side, and it is a great way to buy beer online and explore without committing to a full case of any one style.

The Beauty of Australian Craft Beer

One of the best things about exploring beer styles today is the sheer quality of local brewing. The Australian beer scene has exploded over the past decade, with independent breweries producing world-class examples of every style on this list, from crisp lagers to bold imperial stouts. Many also put their own local spin on classic styles, using Australian and Southern Hemisphere hops to create beers with a distinctive regional character you will not find anywhere else.

Whether you are just starting your beer journey or looking to expand your horizons, there has never been a better time to explore what local brewers are producing.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between an ale and a lager?

The difference comes down to the yeast and fermentation. Ales use top-fermenting yeast at warmer temperatures, producing fruity, complex, and often bolder flavours. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast at cooler temperatures and are aged, producing cleaner, crisper, more refreshing beers. IPAs and stouts are ales, while pilsners and most mainstream beers are lagers.

2. What is the most popular beer style?

Lager is by far the most popular beer style worldwide, thanks to its crisp, clean, and refreshing character. In the craft beer world, however, the IPA is the flagship style and one of the most popular, prized for its bold, hop-forward flavour.

3. Which beer style is best for beginners?

Lager and pale ale are the most beginner-friendly styles. Lager is crisp, clean, and easy to drink, while pale ale offers a little more flavour without the intense bitterness of an IPA. Both are approachable starting points before exploring bolder styles like IPA or stout.

4. What is the difference between an IPA and a hazy IPA?

A traditional IPA is clear, with an assertive, often bitter hop character that can be piney, citrusy, or resinous. A hazy IPA, or New England IPA, is cloudy, with a soft, smooth mouthfeel and juicy tropical fruit character, trading sharp bitterness for a rounder, fruit-forward profile. Hazies are often a good choice for those who find traditional IPAs too bitter.

5. How should different beer styles be served?

Lighter styles like lagers, pilsners, and pale ales are best served cold. Hop-forward IPAs are best slightly less cold, so the aromatics come through. Richer styles like stouts and imperial stouts are best served cooler than room temperature but not ice cold, around 8 to 12 degrees Celsius, so their roasted flavours can open up.