a guide to texas craft beer styles

Real Ale Lost Gold IPA

With all of these prominent out-of-state breweries popping up in Texas, it made me think about all of the amazing beer we already have here and made in-state. 'Texas doesn't offer up certain styles though' you might say. Oh really? Well check out the list we have compiled below. On any given day, we Texans have almost every single beer style available to us. Some are seasonal, some are one-offs, but a lot are year-round and can be enjoyed at all times. This beer style list comes from the Beer Judge Certification Program (with a few additions) and we tried to include as many breweries as possible. If your beer isn't listed within a certain category, please let us know and we can add it.


Lite American Lager - Shiner Light
Standard American Lager - Shiner Blonde
Premium American Lager - Pedernales Lobo, Twisted X Premium Lager
Dortmunder Export - Shiner Dortmunder Spring Ale

German Pilsner - Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap Pils, Real Ale Hans’ Pils
Bohemian Pilsener - Live Oak Pilz
Classic American Pilsner - Deep Ellum Rye Pils(ner)

Austin Beerworks Pearl-Snap Pils

Vienna Lager - Lakewood Lager, Community Vienna Lager
Oktoberfest/Marzen - Rahr & Sons Oktoberfest, Live Oak Oaktoberfest, Real Ale Oktoberfest

Uncle Billy's Vienna Lager

Dark American Lager - Shiner Bock
Mucich Dunkel - Franconia Dunkel
Schwarzbier - Live Oak Schwarzbier, Austin Beerworks Black Thunder, Shiner Black

Shiner Bock with Lockhart BBQ

Maibock/Helles Bock - Rahr & Sons Bucking Bock
Traditional Bock - Revolver Bock
Doppelbock - Live Oak Liberator, Real Ale 16th Anniversary
Eisbock - I don’t think there are any Texas breweries doing this style unfortunately (hint hint, get to it brewers!)

Cedar Creek Lawn Ranger

Cream Ale - Infamous Hijack, Wimberley Brewing Co., Cedar Creek Lawn Ranger, Wicked Beaver Cream Ale
Blonde Ale - Southern Star Blonde, Circle Alibi, Real Ale Fireman’s #4, Deep Ellum Dallas Blonde
Kolsch - Saint Arnold Lawnmower, Peticolas Golden Opportunity
American Wheat or Rye - Circle Wryteous Rye IPA, Guadalupe Americano, Revolver Blood and Honey, Karbach Weisse Versa, Black Star Co-op Elba, Lakewood Rock Ryder

Circle Wryteous Rye Wheat IPA

Karbach Weisse Versa

Northern German Alt - Hops & Grain Alt
California Common - None that I can think of. Again, hop to it brewers!
Dusseldorf Alt - Rahr & Sons Gravel Road (might be considered Northern German Alt)

Standard Bitter - Check your local brewpubs
Special Bitter - Check your local brewpubs
ESB - Independence ESB, Real Ale Phoenixx (best when served as cask), Circle Envy

Scottish 60-80 - Flix Brewhouse 10 Day Scottish Ale, Peticolas Great Scott!
Irish Red - Check your local brewpubs
Strong Scotch Ale - Texas Big Beer Renaissance Cowboy, Real Ale Highlander or Real Heavy, Guadalupe Scotch Ale

American Pale Ale - Uncle Billy's Axe Handle Pale, Hops & Grain Pale Dog
American Amber Ale - Thristy Planet Thirsty Goat, Branchline Evil Owl, No Label Ridgeback
American Brown Ale - Firewheel A Better Brown, Brewpubs
American Red Ale - Martin House Imperial Texan, Real Ale Brewer's Cut Imperial Red

Hops & Grain Pale Dog

English Pale Ale - Peticolas Royal Scandal, Pinthouse Pizza Iron Genny (hybrid American/English)
Mild - Jester King Commericial Suicide, Brewpubs (Draught House, Barber Shop)
Southern English Brown - ??
Northern English Brown - Real Ale Brewhouse Brown

Brown Porter - Brewpubs
Robust Porter - Rogness OST Porter, (512) Whiskey Barrel Double Pecan Porter, Texas Big Beer Texas Crude
Baltic Porter - Hops & Grain Baltic Porter

Dry Stout - Pinthouse Pizza Bearded Seal
Sweet Stout - Lakewood Temptress, No Label Elda M Milk Stout
Oatmeal Stout - Independence Convict Hill
Foreign Extra Stout - N/A
American Stout - (512) Cascabel Cream Stout, Revolver Mother's Little Fracker
Russian Imperial Stout - Austin Beerworks Sputnik, Real Ale 15th Anniversary, Southern Star Buried Hatchet Stout

Pinthouse Pizza Bearded Seal

English IPA - Pedernales Classic IPA
American IPA - Take your pick, almost everyone has one
Imperial IPA - Again, many have IIPAs ((512), Austin Beerworks, Rogness, Karbach, etc...)
Black IPA/CDA - (512) Black IPA, Austin Beerworks Heavy Machinery

Pedernales Hefeweizen

Weizen/Weissbier - Live Oak Hefe, Pedernales, No Label Hefe, Circle Blur, Guadalupe El Hefe
Dunkelweizen - Shiner Dunkelweizen
Weizenbock - NXNW, Live Oak Primus
Roggenbier - Live Oak Roggenbier

Witbier - (512) Wit, Soon-To-Be Celis (the original), Deep Ellum Farmhouse Wit, Community Witbier, Adelbert's Naked Nun (also Barrel Aged version)
Belgian Pale Ale - Hops & Grain BPA, Saint Arnold Icon
Saison - South Austin Brewing Saison D'Austin, Karbach Barn Burner, Freetail, Jester King Mad Meg
Biere de Garde - Rogness Beardy Guard, Adelbert's Scratchin' Hippo
Belgian Specialty Ale - Adelbert's Flying Monks or Black Rhino,

Berliner Weisse - Jester King Bonnie the Rare, Austin Beerworks Einhorn, Namaste Austinerweisse
Flanders Red - Jester King RU-55
Flanders Brown - Jester King Ol' Oi
Lambics - Jester King soon to have authentic lambic style beer

Jester King Boxer's Revenge

Belgian Blond Ale - Adelbert's Rambler Ale
Belgian Dubbel - Adelbert's Dancin’ Monks
Belgian Tripel - (512) 3, Namaste Brewing, Real Ale Devil’s Backbone, Peticolas A Lost Epic
Belgian Golden Strong - South Austin Brewing Belgian Golden
Belgian Dark Strong - Ranger Creek La Bestia Aimable, Adelbert’s Flyin’ Monks

Old Ale - (512) 4, Independence Jasperilla, Southern Star Potentate
English Barleywine - Ranger Creek Small Batch #3
American Barleywine - Real Ale Sisyphus, Live Oak Treehugger, Deep Ellum Numb Comfort

Fruit Beer - Ranger Creek Strawberry Milk Stout, Twisted X Fuego (Jalapeno Pilsner. Scientifically jalapenos are fruit, but this might go under American Pilsner as well)

Traditional Ale (Sahti, Gose) - Jester King Gotlandsricka/Viking Metal

Spice, Herb, Veggie Beer - Guadalupe Honey Ale, Rogness Yogi, Freetail Spirulina Wit, A lot of Freetail
Christmas/Winter - Almost all have a Holiday special beer (Rogness Holiday, Deep Ellum Darkest Hour)

Rauchbier - Circle Smokin’ Beech
Other Smoke - Thirsty Planet Franklin Smoked Porter, Live Oak Smoketoberfest, Deep Ellum Rocktoberfest
Wood Aged - So many now (Jester King, Hops & Grain, Real Ale, Pinthouse Pizza, Karbach, Lakewood, etc...)

Texas has a large selection of brewpubs and they usually offer up many different styles. This is a great way to not only support local, but to expand your palate and try different styles. Most breweries also offer tours/tasting rooms on the weekends which is another great way to try their beer fresh and get to know your brewers. Check 'em out, and drink up! And remember, support your local brewers. Cheers!