A common mistake about beer is that there are basically two types: the super-drinkable variety and the super-hoppy and bitter variety. For the first type you have your Bud Light and Corona, and for the second you have any IPA.

There’s so much more to try though, spanning a wide range of taste, flavors, and malt.



The Beer Judge Certification Program lists 100 styles with defined ranges of alcohol by volume (ABV), bitterness (measured in IBUs, or International Bittering Units), and color (measured using SRM, or Standard Reference Method).

Below is a series of charts for all 100 styles. Mouseover any style for more details and commercial examples. Rectangles to the top right corner represent beer that is high in alcohol and high in bitterness. In contrast, a rectangle in the bottom left corner represents a beer that is low in alcohol and low in bitterness.

You’ll notice that the lighter beers tend to have a tighter range of ABV and IBUs, whereas the bigger beers tend to vary more.