Fruited sour ales are the style category where I’ve had more failures and more successes than any other.
Belgian Quadrupel is the pinnacle of what I think brewing can achieve: a beer that tastes like it shouldn’t exist, where 10–12% ABV is completely hidden behind layers of dark fruit, chocolate, plum, and complex spice.
Schwarzbier is the dark lager that surprises people most — it looks like a stout, pours almost black, but tastes nothing like one.
American Cream Ale is the style I brew when I want something that everyone at a summer gathering will drink without reservation.
Coconut Porter is the specialty adjunct beer that converted several of my friends who claimed to dislike porters.
Honey Blonde Ale is the style that consistently gets the best reception from people who aren’t regular beer drinkers. The honey addition — when done correctly — doesn’t make the beer taste sweet or cloying.
Scottish Ale is a style I return to every autumn without fail. There’s something about the deep amber color, the caramel and toffee malt sweetness, and the lack of hop assertiveness that fits the season — it’s a contemplative beer, …
Japanese Rice Lager is the style I brew most often for large gatherings because it’s genuinely crowd-pleasing without being boring to brew.
Imperial IPA — Double IPA — was the style that convinced me I could brew commercially competitive beer at home.
The Hazy Pale Ale versus Hazy IPA distinction confuses a lot of homebrewers because the techniques overlap almost completely — both use oats and wheat for haze, both use whirlpool and dry hops heavily, both favor tropical hop varieties and …