A brewery tasting is a great way to refine your palate and explore a wide variety of beer styles you might not have encountered before. Whether you’re a seasoned beer lover or have recently developed an interest, tastings offer plenty of opportunities to sample exciting experimental craft beers alongside treasured classics. Here are a few beer styles you can expect to encounter when you visit a brewery.

What Are Some Craft Beer Styles You Should Try?

1. IPA

India pale ale, or IPA, is an umbrella term referring to a wide range of beers noted for their heavy use of hops, wide range of flavor profiles, and often bitter aftertaste. Originally brewed for export to India and other tropical countries, where their high hops content would prevent spoilage in hot weather, today there are nearly a dozen different varieties.

During a brewery tasting, you might encounter American IPAs, West and East Coast IPAs, English IPAs, double IPAs, and other varieties. These varieties also differ in strength, with many session IPAs having an alcohol by volume of 3% to 5%, whereas robust triple IPAs can have an ABV of 10% or more.

2. Kölsch

Kölsch is a type of lager, or beer brewed using a bottom-fermenting yeast at lower temperatures. Unique to Cologne, or Köln, in Germany, kölsch shares traits of both ales and lagers, with fruity flavors as well as a crisp finish and a golden or straw-like color. 

Because kölsch is a protected designation inside the European Union, American brewers may offer some surprising variations on traditional kölsch recipes with different flavor profiles and appearances.

3. Sours

In recent years, sour beers have made a major impression on craft beer lovers everywhere. These are ales containing lactic acid, which gives the finished drink a distinctly tart, sour flavor which many find refreshing on warm days. 

American varieties include wild ales and fruit-flavored brews. Belgium is another important source of sour beers, with centuries-old styles such as Flanders red ale and lambic ales finding new fans in the United States.

If you’re interested in exploring new styles of craft beer, book a brewery tasting with Laughlin Tours in Nevada. They offer tours of local breweries, wineries, and distilleries throughout the Laughlin, NV, area, along with trips along Route 66, the town of Oatman, the Hoover Dam, and the famous Grand Canyon itself. Call (702) 420-5345 to ask about upcoming brewery tasting events and visit their website to learn more about their tours.