Tulip glass

The strongest of the bitters, with pronounced malt richness, firm bitterness and noticeable fruit from warm fermentation.

The beer that defined American craft brewing: clean pale malt under bright citrus and pine hop character, balanced rather than extreme.

The bottled British pale ale tradition: biscuity malt, earthy and floral English hops, and a firm, dry, mineral finish.

An everyday Belgian ale, toasty and biscuity, with restrained yeast character compared with the stronger Belgian styles.

The original IPA: a strong, firmly bitter English pale ale with earthy, floral hop character and a dry, mineral finish.

The defining modern craft beer: intense citrus, tropical and resinous hop aroma over a lean malt base, finishing firmly bitter.

The dry, clear, aggressively bitter interpretation of American IPA, built on pine and grapefruit with the malt stripped right back.

Hazy, soft and intensely aromatic: tropical and stone fruit hop character with deliberately low bitterness and a full, juicy body.

IPA scaled up: more strength, more hops and more bitterness, while staying dry enough to remain drinkable.

An IPA with dark malt for colour and a light roast edge, keeping full citrus and pine hop character.

An IPA built on caramel and amber malt, where toffee depth sits underneath full American hop character.

A hybrid of witbier and IPA: wheat and Belgian yeast spice underneath American hop aroma.

American hop intensity fermented with expressive Belgian yeast, producing pepper and fruit alongside citrus and pine.

A lean, dry IPA fermented with lager yeast at higher temperature, using maize or rice to strip body and expose hop aroma.

A hazy IPA with lactose and fruit added for sweetness and a fuller, creamier body.

Malt-forward Scottish ales with caramel depth and very restrained hopping, traditionally graded by shilling price.

A strong, intensely malty Scottish ale with deep caramel and dried fruit and almost no hop presence.

A matured English strong ale with dried fruit, treacle and often a trace of oxidative or wild character from age.

A broad category of strong English ales, malt-led and fruity, sitting between strong bitter and barley wine.

The original dark British beer: chocolate and light coffee over a nutty malt base, restrained rather than aggressive.

A stronger, more assertive porter with deeper roast, firmer bitterness and often American hop character.

A strong dark lager descended from exported English porter: deep roast and dark fruit, remarkably smooth for its strength.

Sharp roasted-barley bitterness over a light body and a very dry finish — much lighter to drink than its colour suggests.

A stout sweetened with lactose, giving chocolate and cream character over a full body and gentle roast.

A strong export stout, more intense in roast and body than a dry stout, historically brewed to travel.

A bold, hop-forward stout combining strong espresso roast with American citrus and pine hop character.

A moderately strong golden Belgian ale, soft and lightly sweet, with gentle yeast fruit and spice and a dry finish.

The low-strength pale beer brewed for the monastery’s own table, dry and hoppy with full Belgian yeast character.

A dark Belgian ale rich in raisin, plum and caramel from dark candi sugar, dry-finishing despite its sweetness of flavour.

A strong pale Belgian ale that is simultaneously rich and dry, with pepper, orchard fruit and a sparkling, deceptive drinkability.

Pale, very dry and highly carbonated, with intense pepper and fruit and a strength its lightness completely conceals.

Dry, peppery and highly carbonated, with a bracing finish — the most refreshing thing strong beer does.

A low-strength Walloon farmhouse ale, historically brewed for miners — dry, wheaty and gently peppery.

A malty, rounded French farmhouse ale brewed for keeping — richer and less peppery than its Belgian saison cousin.

Spontaneously fermented Belgian wheat beer, matured in oak for years — funky, acidic, dry and unlike any other beer.

A blend of young and old lambic, refermented in bottle — intensely complex, bone dry and Champagne-like in its carbonation.

Lambic refermented on whole fruit — traditionally sour cherry or raspberry — producing a dry, tart, intensely fruity beer.

A deep red sour ale matured for years in oak foeders, balancing sharp acidity against dark fruit and a vinous depth.

A broad New World category of mixed-fermentation and barrel-aged sour beers, often fruited, with no fixed base style.

Beer soured with Lactobacillus in the kettle over hours rather than months, then boiled and fermented normally — usually fruited.

An alcohol-free beer built around heavy dry hopping, since hop aroma is added after fermentation and survives the process intact.