International Beer Day: 19 types of beer you are too inhibited to ask the bartender about

Did you know there are a variety of beers, each one with a different flavor characteristic to the ingredients used in its formation? Let's take a look at the types and special qualities of each of these beers.

Ale: Ale is a type of beer and it is brewed from malted barley, using the warm fermentation method with a strain of brewers' yeast. Ale yeast ferments quickly and produces a sweet and fruity taste. Hops in ales help preserve the beer. The bitter herbal flavor taste that hops impart, balances the sweetness of the malt.

Boza: Boza is a malt drink made using different ingredients and combinations in different places. For example in Albania it is made using maize (corn) and wheat whereas it is made using fermented wheat in Turkey and wheat or millet in Bulgaria and Romania. The consistency of Boza is thick; it has a low alcohol content of usually around 1%, and a slightly acidic sweet flavor.

Cask ale: Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer refers to unfiltered and unpasteurized beer. Cask ale is served from a cask without adding nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure.

Cauim: Cauim, a traditional alcoholic beverage or beer of the indigenous peoples in Brazil is made by fermenting manioc (a large starchy root), or maize, sometimes flavored with fruit juices. In the Cauim, to ensure that enzymes present in human saliva can break down the starch into fermentable sugars the starting material is cooked, chewed, and fermented.

Chhaang: Chhaang is an alcoholic beverage popular in Nepalese and Tibetan and also in parts of the eastern Himalayas.

Chicha: Chicha is a fermented or non-fermented beverage usually derived from maize. It is made in different regions different grains or fruits.

Fruit and vegetable beer: A beer brewed with a fruit or vegetable adjunct or flavouring is a fruit/vegetable beer. Adjuncts supplement the main mash ingredient in order to cut down on the cost. However, these adjuncts help in imparting additional properties, such as better foam retention, flavours or nutritional value or additives. In fruit beers cherries, raspberries, and peaches are a common addition.

Gotlandsdricka: Gotlandsdricka has got its name from the island of Gotland, Sweden, where this traditional homebrewed alcoholic beverage is made. It has a smoky, bitter/sweet, spicy flavor.

Gruit: Gruit is the old-fashioned herb mixture used for making the beer bitter and imparting a different flavor to it. It was popular even before the extensive use of hops began.

Herb and spiced beer: Many traditional beer styles are brewed with spices. Depending on the desired tastes of beers spices may be added at different stages. A variety of spices are used in brewing, for example; cinnamon, clove, coriander ginger, hot pepper, nutmeg etc.

Kvass: Kvass, which is commonly made from black, or regular, rye bread is a traditional Slavic fermented beverage. The colour of the resulting drink depends on the colour of the bread used. It’s alcohol content is only 0.5–1.0%. Fruits such as strawberries and raisins, or herbs such as mint are usually used in it for flavoring.

Lager: Lager, may be a pale, golden, amber, or dark beer that has been fermented and conditioned at low temperatures. The most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world is the pale lager.

Oshikundu: Made from fermented millet, Oshikundu or Ontaku is a traditional Namibian drink. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties of Oshikundu, which is made by women from cereal, are available. A fresh fact about this beer is that it is drunk the same day.

Pulque: Pulque, traditional to central Mexico, is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey (agave) plant whose color is like that of milk. It has a slightly viscous consistency and tastes sour like yeast.

Purl: Purl/wormwood ale, originally made by infusing ale with the tops of the wormwood plant is an English drink. Orange peel or senna, are some other other purgative or bitter herbs, which might be used.

Sahti: Sahti, made from a variety of grains, malted and unmalted is a traditional beer from Finland usually flavored with juniper berries.

Strong ale: Strong-ale, is a strong pale-ale brewed in England. Its strength is, above 5% abv.

Sour ale: Sour beer with an intentionally acidic, tart or sour taste is most common sour beer.

Wheat beer: Usually top-fermented, wheat beer is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley.