The free smartphone app, BJCP styles, targets would-be beer judges and brewers. But it’s an excellent, albeit jargon-riddled, reference for anyone interested in the confusing range of beer now on offer. It also offers short sections on mead and cider.
The beer section covers 23 broad categories. And you can drill down through those categories for details of the major styles it covers.
Tap the “Sour ale” button, for example, to discover six more sub-categories: Berliner weisse, Flanders red ale, Flanders brown ales, unblended lambic, gueuze (see review below) and fruit lambic.
The definitions describe the overall impressions of each style, its history, ingredients, technical specification and details of colour, aroma and flavours we should expect. Each sub-section ends with commercial examples of the style – an invaluable tool for shoppers confronting too much choice. Search “BJCP” in the app store.
Copyright © Chris Shanahan 2013
First published 13 March 2013 in The Canberra Times