If you don't know a bitter from a hop, use this glossary as a quick study guide.  After you pass the test, treat yourself to an ale or a lager. Photo by Odelia | CSP.

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February 2005
Updated June 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Beer

Beer Glossary

Page 7: Beer Types ~ Q To S

This is Page 7 of an eight-page glossary of beer terms. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. Also see our 60 other food glossaries, chock-full of information about your favorite foods.

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QUAFF
To drink deeply.

RED ALE or IRISH RED ALE or IRISH ALE
An ale that has a slightly reddish color from the use of a small amount of roasted barley. In Ireland it is called Irish ale; elsewhere it is called red ale or red beer. In America, the term amber ale can be used, although this typically describes a darker beer.

RHEINHEITSGEBOT

Pronounced rhine-HEIGHTS-geh·bot, this is the German Purity Law that specifies that beer can only be made with 3 ingredients: barley, hops and water. The law dates back to 1516; at the time no one knew that the yeast in the air was involved in the process. Yeast, of course, is the fourth ingredient.

SCHWARZBIER

Black (schwarz) or very dark beer. The most famous is made in Kostritz, Germany.

SCOTCH ALE
A very strong, often extremely dark, malt-accented, Scottish specialty beer.

Photo at right: Scotch ale served with a rarebit of sharp Cheddar. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

SPICED ALE
An ale brewed with spices—often, what we would call “pumpkin pie spices,” such as clove and nutmeg. Not surprisingly, spiced pumpkin ale is a popular variation.

STEAM
While cream ale is an American invention, steam is considered the only classic American beer style. It has a deep amber color, a sharp flavor and a great deal of carbonation. Steam was invented in California during the Gold Rush days. It pairs well with moderately spicy sausage, like garlic bratwurst and Portuguese linguica.

STOUT
The darkest and heartiest of beers, a stout is top fermented and differentiated from a regular ale by its brown-black color, chocolate-coffee flavors and fuller body. This is achieved by brewing with barley that has been dark-roasted to the point of charring (think of espresso beans, compared to a medium-roast coffee). It is thus both darker and maltier than porter, has a more pronounced hop aroma, and may reach an alcoholic content of 6% to 7%. Stout originated in Ireland, where most traditional
stouts are very rich, yet sharp and slightly bitter. Stout is well-paired with strong cheese and a spicy sausage such as Andouille.

Photo at right: Stout served with Cheddar, Granny Smith apple and pretzels. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Chocolate Stout is a sub-category that uses different malts for an even more pronounced chocolate flavor. These days, some brewers add actual chocolate into the brew, or brew over cacao beans, or both.

Coffee Stout uses ark roasted malts to add a bitter coffee flavor. With the tandem growth of interest in microbrews and fine coffee, craft brewers have added specific ground beans to create, for example, “Breakfast Coffee Stout,” “Espresso Stout” and “Guatemalan Coffee Stout.”

Cream Stout or milk  stout is a style made sweeter with unfermentable lactose (milk sugar). See cream stout.

Dry Stout or Irish Stout Irish is very dark and toasty or coffee-note style, exemplified by the world-famous Guinness.

Imperial Stout or Russian Stout or Russian Imperial Stout has more of a rich, roasted quality and a higher level of alcohol. These are potent beers that can be almost as thickly textured as liqueur. Examples include Samuel Smith’s Imperial Stout at 7% alcohol and Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout, at 8.7% alcohol. The alcohol content of imperial stouts can go to 9% and 10%.

Oatmeal Stout adds oatmeal to the mash, which gives smoothness and creaminess to the stout. It has more restrained flavors and less alcohol than Imperial stout. Samuel Smith makes a benchmark oatmeal stout, with notes of fruit, licorice, chocolate and toffee.

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