Although there are thousands of different beers available, there are only two styles of beer. ALE and LAGER.

Ale is made using top fermenting. In top-fermenting the yeast rises to the top. This normally creates a natural fruit like flavor in the beer. Some popular styles of ales are wheat beers, porters, and stouts.

Lager is made using bottom-fermenting. In bottom fermenting they use cold storage which causes the yeast to settle at the bottom. Some popular styles of lager are Pilsners, Bocks, and Oktoberfest beers.

The flavor of beer is determined by the ingredients.  The key ingredients in beer are MALT (malted barley), HOPS (flower that grows on vines), WATER, and YEAST.

Malt gives beer that grain or bread flavor. It can also be sweet. Hops gives the beer it's bitterness. Hops can be spicy, flowery, or even fruity.  The bitterness of hops provides balance to the sweetness of the malt.  Water also plays a large key in determining the flavor of beer. Using pure water usually takes away from the flavor of beer. When you use hard water it actually accentuates the bitterness and dryness Yeast  determines the flavor based on whether top or bottom fermenting was used. It is also the micro-organism that converts sugar into alcohol.

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