1. Brewers Information

2021 Style Categories – Coming soon!

Remember: styles and category numbers change each year. The 2020 Competition Categories below are for reference only!

2020 Competition Beer Styles – Detailed PDF

Hybrid/Mixed Beer Styles

  1. American-Style Wheat Beer
    1. Subcategory: Light American Wheat Beer without Yeast
    2. Subcategory: Dark American Wheat Beer without Yeast
    3. Subcategory: Light American Wheat Beer with Yeast
    4. Subcategory: Dark American Wheat Beer with Yeast
  2. American-Style Fruit Beer
  3. Fruit Wheat Beer
  4. Field Beer
  5. Pumpkin/Squash Beer or Pumpkin Spice Beer
    1. Subcategory: Pumpkin/Squash Beer
    2. Subcategory: Pumpkin Spice Beer
  6. Chili Beer
  7. Herb and Spice Beer
  8. Chocolate Beer
  9. Coffee Beer
  10. Coffee Stout or Porter
  11. Specialty Beer
  12. Rye Beer
    1. Subcategory: Rye Beer
    2. Subcategory: German-Style Rye Ale
  13. Honey Beer
  14. Session Beer or N/A Beer
    1. Subcategory: Session Beer
    2. Subcategory: Non-Alcohol Beer
  15. Session India Pale Ale
  16. Other Strong Beer
    1. Subcategory: Other Strong Beer
    2. Subcategory: American-Style Imperial Porter
    3. Subcategory: American-Style Wheat Wine Ale
    4. Subcategory: India Pale Lager
    5. Subcategory: American-Style Malt Liquor
  17. Experimental Beer
      1. Subcategory: Experimental Beer

    Hack so that we don’t have to reletter the whole list

    1. Subcategory: Fresh Hop Beer
    2. Subcategory: Ginjo Beer or Sake-Yeast Beer
    3. Subcategory: Wild Beer
    4. Subcategory: Aged Beer
  18. Experimental India Pale Ale
  19. Historical Beer
    1. Subcategory: Historical Beer
    2. Subcategory: Grodziskie
    3. Subcategory: Finnish-Style Sahti
    4. Subcategory: Adambier
    5. Subcategory: Dutch-Style Kuyt Beer
    6. Subcategory: Swedish-Style Gotlandsdricke
    7. Subcategory: Breslau-Style Schoeps
  20. Gluten-Free Beer
  21. American-Belgo-Style Ale
  22. American-Style Sour Ale
  23. Fruited American-Style Sour Ale
  24. Brett Beer
  25. Mixed-Culture Brett Beer
  26. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
    1. Subcategory: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber Beer
    2. Subcategory: Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer
  27. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
  28. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout
  29. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
  30. Fruited Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
  31. Kellerbier or Zwickelbier
    1. Subcategory: Unfiltered European-Style Ale
    2. Subcategory: Unfiltered European-Style Lager
  32. Smoke Beer
    1. Subcategory: Bamberg-Style Weiss Rauchbier
    2. Subcategory: Bamberg-Style Helles Rauchbier
    3. Subcategory: Bamberg-Style Maerzen Rauchbier
    4. Subcategory: Bamberg-Style Bock Rauchbier
    5. Subcategory: Smoke Porter
    6. Subcategory: Other Smoke Beer

Lager Beer Styles

  1. American Lager
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Lager
    2. Subcategory: Contemporary American-Style Lager
  2. Light Lager
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Light Lager
    2. Subcategory: Contemporary American-Style Light Lager
    3. Subcategory: German-Style Leichtbier
  3. American Pilsener
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Pilsener
    2. Subcategory: Contemporary American-Style Pilsener
  4. International Pilsener
    1. Subcategory: International-Style Pilsener
    2. Subcategory: Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager
  5. American-Style Cream Ale
  6. American Amber Lager
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Amber Lager
    2. Subcategory: California Common Beer
    3. Subcategory: American-Style Maerzen/Oktoberfest
  7. German-Style Pilsener
  8. Bohemian-Style Pilsener
  9. Munich-Style Helles
  10. Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest
    1. Subcategory: Dortmunder/European-Style Export
    2. Subcategory: German-Style Oktoberfest/Wiesn
  11. Vienna-Style Lager
  12. German-Style Maerzen
  13. German Dark Lager
    1. Subcategory: Franconian-Style Rotbier
    2. Subcategory: Munich-Style Dunkel
    3. Subcategory: German-Style Schwarzbier
  14. International Dark Lager
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Dark Lager
    2. Subcategory: European-Style Dark Lager
    3. Subcategory: Baltic-Style Porter
  15. Bock
    1. Subcategory: Traditional German-Style Bock
    2. Subcategory: German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock
  16. German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock
    1. Subcategory: German-Style Doppelbock
    2. Subcategory: German-Style Eisbock

Ale Beer Styles

  1. Golden or Blonde Ale
  2. German-Style Koelsch
  3. English Ale
    1. Subcategory: English-Style Summer Ale
    2. Subcategory: Classic English-Style Pale Ale
    3. Subcategory: English-Style India Pale Ale
  4. International Pale Ale
    1. Subcategory: Classic Australian-Style Pale Ale
    2. Subcategory: Australian-Style Pale Ale
    3. Subcategory: International-Style Pale Ale
  5. American-Style Pale Ale
  6. Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale
  7. American-Style Strong Pale Ale
  8. Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
  9. American-Style India Pale Ale
  10. Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale
  11. Imperial India Pale Ale
  12. Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale
  13. American-Style Amber/Red Ale
  14. Strong Red Ale
    1. Subcategory: Double Hoppy Red Ale
    2. Subcategory: Imperial Red Ale
  15. English Mild or Bitter
    1. Subcategory: English-Style Pale Mild Ale
    2. Subcategory: English-Style Dark Mild Ale
    3. Subcategory: Ordinary Bitter
    4. Subcategory: Special Bitter or Best Bitter
  16. Extra Special Bitter
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Extra Special Bitter
    2. Subcategory: English-Style Extra Special Bitter
  17. Scottish-Style Ale
    1. Subcategory: Scottish-Style Light Ale
    2. Subcategory: Scottish-Style Heavy Ale
    3. Subcategory: Scottish-Style Export Ale
  18. Irish-Style Red Ale
  19. English-Style Brown Ale
  20. American-Style Brown Ale
  21. American-Style Black Ale or American-Style Stout
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Black Ale
    2. Subcategory: American-Style Stout
  22. German-Style Sour Ale
    1. Subcategory: Leipzig-Style Gose
    2. Subcategory: Berliner-Style Weisse
  23. Specialty Berliner-Style Weisse
  24. Contemporary Gose
  25. German-Style Altbier
  26. German-Style Wheat Ale
    1. Subcategory: South German-Style Hefeweizen
    2. Subcategory: South German-Style Kristal Weizen
    3. Subcategory: German-Style Leichtes Weizen
    4. Subcategory: South German-Style Bernsteinfarbenes Weizen
    5. Subcategory: South German-Style Dunkel Weizen
    6. Subcategory: South German-Style Weizenbock
  27. Belgian-Style Ale or French-Style Ale
    1. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Pale Ale
    2. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
    3. Subcategory: French-Style Biere de Garde
    4. Subcategory: Other Belgian- and French-Style Ale
  28. Belgian-Style Witbier
  29. Classic Saison
  30. Specialty Saison
  31. Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale
    1. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Lambic
    2. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Gueuze Lambic
    3. Subcategory: Contemporary Belgian-Style Spontaneous Fermented Ale
    4. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Fruit Lambic
    5. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ale
    6. Subcategory: Other Belgian-Style Sour Ale
  32. Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale
    1. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale
    2. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale
    3. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Quadrupel
    4. Subcategory: Other Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale
  33. Belgian-Style Abbey Ale
    1. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Dubbel
    2. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Tripel
    3. Subcategory: Other Belgian-Style Abbey Ale
  34. Belgian-Style Specialty Ale
    1. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Fruit Beer
    2. Subcategory: Belgian-Style Table Beer
    3. Subcategory: Other Belgian-Style Specialty Ale
  35. Brown Porter
  36. Robust Porter
  37. Stout
    1. Subcategory: Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout
    2. Subcategory: Export Stout
  38. Sweet Stout or Cream Stout
  39. Oatmeal Stout
  40. Imperial Stout
    1. Subcategory: American-Style Imperial Stout
    2. Subcategory: British-Style Imperial Stout
  41. Scotch Ale
    1. Subcategory: Unpeated Scotch Ale
    2. Subcategory: Peated Scotch Ale
  42. Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine-Style Ale
    1. Subcategory: Old Ale
    2. Subcategory: Strong Ale
    3. Subcategory: American-Style Barley Wine Ale
    4. Subcategory: British-Style Barley Wine Ale
  43. Fresh Hop Beer