The annual update of the Brewers Association (BA) official Beer Style Guidelines have been released for 2021. The style guide is largely considered to be fairly definitive, atleast when it comes to classification and competitions, and the BA does not often immediately add trends until they have been established enough to go beyond a flash in the pan. Meticulously revised and updated, the guides change to reflect current flavors and sometimes drop or add styles. The 2021  Beer Style Guidelines add new beer categories for Kentucky Common Beer, New Zealand-Style Pale Ale and India Pale Ale, and Belgian-Style Session Ale.

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Since 1979 the Brewers Association has provided annual beer style descriptions as a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers. Much of the early work was based on the assistance and contributions of beer journalist Michael Jackson; more recently these guidelines were greatly expanded, compiled, and edited by Charlie Papazian. The task of creating a realistic set of guidelines is always complex. The beer style guidelines developed by the Brewers Association use sources from the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses, and consultations with beer industry experts and knowledgeable beer enthusiasts as resources for information.

Hundreds of revisions, edits, format changes, and additions were made to this year’s guidelines, including updates to existing beer styles and the creation of new categories. New additions to the beer styles include:

• Kentucky Common Beer

• New Zealand-Style Pale Ale and India Pale Ale

• Belgian-Style Session Ale

The Belgian-origin ale styles group was significantly revised based on numerous comments from judges and Belgian beer experts. The previous Belgian-Style Pale Ale was renamed as Belgian-Style Speciale Belge. There were no style deletions.

“Craft brewers in the U.S. and around the world continue to push the boundaries of beer by reviving long lost styles and by innovating in new beer flavor spaces,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Brewers Association. “The 2021 Beer Style Guidelines reflect many exciting trends in brewing with numerous additions and updates for accuracy.”

The Brewers Association's Beer Style Guidelines reflect, as much as possible, historical significance, authenticity, or a high profile in the current commercial beer market. The addition of a style or the modification of an existing one is not undertaken lightly and is the product of research, analysis, consultation, and consideration of market actualities, and may take place over a period of time. Another factor considered is that current commercial examples do not always fit well into the historical record, and instead represent a modern version of the style.

“The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines are a trusted resource for the brewing industry worldwide,” said Swersey. “The guidelines have fostered a lexicon that has allowed the community of drinkers and brewers to talk about beer and celebrate beer across diverse cultures, around the world.”

The 2021 Beer Style Guidelines are available for download at BrewersAssociation.org.

Note: New styles will take effect for the 2021 Great American Beer Festival® competition. Constructive comments and suggestions for adding or updating a beer style guideline may be submitted online at BrewersAssociation.org.

About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 5,400-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®, SAVOR™: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew Con™, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications® is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association® and the free Brew Guru® mobile app. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.