Brewers Association Adds Four New Styles To Its 2019 Beer Style Guidelines

The Brewers Association, a Boulder-based trade organization recently released their updated style-guidelines for 2019 and it’s always indicative of industry trends to see what they add and what they subtract…

Here’s the deal…

Every year since 1979, Brewers Association has issued new guidelines that serve as a resource for brewers, beer judges and competition organizers, and recognize the ever-evolving diversity of beer styles around the world.

“As brewers continue to innovate and evolve styles, so must the criteria which reflect their passion and their beers in the U.S. and global marketplace,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Brewers Association…

 “The annual audit of the Brewers Association’s Beer Style Guidelines is a complex undertaking and a truly collaborative process allowing for robust dialogue and a great final product. We’re proud to put forth such an important resource for the global community of brewers, drinkers, and beer lovers.”

The 2019 update includes over 1,000 edits, revisions, formatting changes, and general housekeeping updates, as well as the addition, deletion and combination of several beer style guidelines made for brevity.

First, the association added four new beer styles:

• • Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
  • Contemporary Belgian-Style Gueuze Lambic
  • Franconian-Style Rotbier
  • American-Style India Pale Lager

And existing beer style categories were combined as well

• • Pale and Dark American-Belgo-Style Ale styles consolidated into one guideline
  • Kellerbier or Zwickelbier Ale and Lager styles consolidated into one guideline
  • Breslau-Style Pale and Dark Schoeps styles consolidated into one guideline
  • American-Style Light and Dark Wheat Beer styles consolidated from four guidelines to one
  • Wood-and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber, Dark and Strong into one guideline

And the American-Style Ice Lager category (pale to golden lagers that are chilled before filtration so that ice crystals are formed) was removed as a category in 2019

The updated 2019 Beer Style Guidelines, which will officially take effect for the 2018 Great American Beer Festival competition, are available HERE.