Beer is divided into the two broad categories – ales and lagers.

But what some may not know is that there are approximately 80 specific beer styles that fall within these two broad categories (source: Beer Judging Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines). 

LAGERS
Lagers that are more commonly found in Malaysia – Carlsberg, Anchor, Tiger, Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, Asahi, and Sapporo – all fall within the broader Light Lager category. In fact, this category makes up the majority of all beer sold around the world.

A craft beer equivalent would be the 2 Brothers (Australia) Kung Fu Rice Lager, Mikkeller (Denmark) American Dream or Victory Brewing (USA) Prima Pils.

ALES

Stout

Guinness Draught is another beer (stout) Malaysia is familiar with. Stouts fall into the wider ‘ale’ category and have many subtle variations. For example, Guinness is a Dry Stout whereas the Rogue Ales (USA) Chocolate Stout is classified as a Sweet Stout. Guinness Stout and Royal Stout however are Foreign Exports Stouts, which saddles the line between what one may consider a 'regular' stout and an Imperial Stout.

Imperial Stouts are stronger in ABV (alcohol by volume), such as Nøgne Ø (Norway) Imperial Stout or Mikkeller (Denmark) Black which comes in at a hefty 18%ABV. In comparison, Guinness Draught has an ABV between 4.1% and 4.3%.

Wheat Beer

Another beer gaining popularity in Malaysia is Hoegaarden – a Belgian Witbier, from the German wheat beer family which include Hefeweizens and Dunkelweizens. Some other examples are Weihenstephen Heffeweissbier and the Paulaner Hefe-weissbier Dunkel.

Craft brewers have taken a fondness to the classic old beer styles and have put a new spin on them. Kooinda Boutique Brewery (Australia) brews a Belgian Witbier as do Nøgne Ø (Norway). Craft beer examples of German wheat beers that are available locally are Bridge Road Brewers’ (Australia) Bavarian Wheat.

Lastly, Kilkenny is an Irish Red Ale found in many Irish themed pubs around the country. Kooinda’s English Red Ale and Bridge Road Brewers’ Celtic Red Ale, are craft beer equivalents.

Adrian Chong is a partner of Taps Beer Bar and aspiring beer nerd. He loves everything beer and has drunk over 5,000 beers to date. 

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