Beer styles refer to the wide range of categories that distinguish beers based on their ingredients, brewing method, color, strength, flavor, and origin, creating a structured way to understand and compare the world’s many brews. The two major parent categories are ales and lagers, determined by the type of yeast and fermentation temperature used—ales are typically warm-fermented and offer more fruit and spice notes, while lagers are cold-fermented for a cleaner, crisper profile. Within these groups are numerous styles: IPAs, stouts, porters, pilsners, saisons, wheat beers, sours, amber ales, dunkels, tripels, and more, each with specific historical and regional roots.