Even though National Beer Day originates in the U.S., we think all the peoples of the world should join in a day celebrating our favourite bubbly brew.

The Cullen-Harrison act was enacted on April 7th, 1933, allowing beer once again to be sold after it was made illegal during prohibition. Upon signing the act, President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously remarked ‘I think this would be a good time for a beer.’

While there are dozens of styles of beer and even more substyles, we’ve tried to narrow the list down to ten types for you. It is National Beer Day after all, we kinda just wanna drink beer instead of spending hours and hours of research on writing an article about beer which in turn would make us wanna drink beer even more. It’s a vicious cycle.

Come on, let’s find out what kind of beer you are!

Lager

Beer can broadly be broken down into two categories: lager and ale. Lager is the most produced and consumed kind of beer in the world. Brewers in 15th century Bavaria found a special type of yeast that fermented at the bottom of their beer, differentiating these bubbly beverages from ale. These brewers also stored their product in cool caves to prevent from spoiling in the summer. Lager comes from the German word ‘lagern’ meaning to store.

What it says about you:

You’re not complicated, fussy, nor pretentious. You can be very popular and are well-liked by most people you encounter. You like to go in, pop open a dozen ice-cold brews, and have fun. You like the outdoors, grilling, and watching sports. Cool.

Pale Ale

The term ‘pale ale’ first appeared in 1703 to describe an ale that was made from malts dried with coke (a high carbon fuel usually derived from coal) which resulted in a lighter coloured beer. Nowadays, it refers to beers that are made with predominately pale malts and hops.

What it says about you:

You’re not the biggest fan of the outdoors. Your paleness means you are easily sunburnt and prefer to stay inside. You enjoy inviting guests over, cooking up a storm, and listening to Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes, and The Black Keys on vinyl. If you’re not hanging out, you like browing the web and reading books. You’re slightly rebellious and love to have fun, but prefer to do so in the comfort of your own home. Darned skin condition.

IPA

IPA stands for India Pale Ale, so while it actually is a subtype of pale ale, the taste is definitely different. The British made this beer in the 1800s with the aim of making it able to survive the long sea voyage to India. During the brewing process, they made sure the wort was well-fermented, leaving behind few residual sugars, and then strongly hopped. This style is powerful, bitter, and delicious.

What it says about you:

You’re strong, assertive, and know what you want. You couldn’t imagine living far away from the sea and enjoy long walks on the beach, sailing, and swimming. You’re also a big fan of spicy curries and can’t resist a meal of proper fish ‘n chips. You’re in the zone when matching a football (you know, the football where you actually use your feet to kick the ball) match with your mates.

Stout/Porter

The history and development of stouts and porters are intertwined. Both are dark and heavy beers, made with roast malts and brown malts, that originated in 18th century England. In modern times, a wonderful variety of stouts including coffee stout, milk stout, oatmeal stout, and chocolate stout have come about.

What it says about you:

You’re a morning person who could never skip out on a hearty breakfast, needs coffee, and often has a stout in the A.M. as an accompanient to the perfect start of the day. You prefer to hang out in dark places like ancient corner pubs and basements. You enjoy a good campfire and like to go camping, but only if you can sleep in a cave.

Märzen

Meaning March (the month, not the thing you do with your feet) in German, the Märzen style orginated in 16th century Bavaria. At the time, there was a law decreeing beer could only be brewed between September 29th and April 23rd. Märzen was brewed in (you guessed it) March and made with more hops and a slightly higher alcohol content which helped preserve the beer through the summmer. These dark brown, full-bodied, malty, and hoppy brews were then cracked up for (drumroll, please) Oktoberfest!

What it says about you:

You like to party and you like to party well. You party with friends, family, and especially with tons of strangers, as long as it’s under a tent. Your favourite season is the fall. You love to pair hearty sausages, schnitzel, and pretzels with your beer and, for some reason, you have a propensity to say prost at the end of every sentence.

Trappist

Trappist beer includes several different styles under its wing, but there are only 11 official trappist breweries in the world. Trappist beer must be brewed in a trappist monastery by monks or under their supervision, the brewery must be of secondary importance within the monastery, and the brewery must not be a profit-making venture. The proceeds from the sale of the beer goes towards covering the living expenses of the monks and the maintenance of the grounds, all other proceeds are donated to charity.

What it says about you:

You’re very studious and absolutely love reading books. You can often be found listening to gregorian chants while donning your comfortable robes. You seek a simple life, with one exception: you won’t stand for a simple beer.

Wheat Beer

Hmm, can you guess where this style of beer got its name from? If you said that it uses more wheat, congratulations – you’re a genius. Also known as white beers, because they are usually unfiltered and have a gorgeous cloudy hue, the two main varieties include the German Hefeweizen and the Dutch Witbier. Hefeweizens are generally brewed with at least 50% wheat along with barley malt while Witbiers are based on the Dutch tradition of using raw unmalted wheat alongside orange peel, cilantro, and other spices.

What it says about you:

You’re cool and know about the mainstream, but you prefer to live life a little bit alternatively. If you were invited to a party with a blue dress code, you’d probably roll up wearing a seafoam green shirt. It’s almost blue, but not quite. You much prefer small gatherings of close friends and love to listen to Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Red Ale

Red Ale is a name used by a lot by Irish brewers to describe their specialty ales made with kilned malts and roasted barley which give them a distinctive amber colour. They have a medium caramel sweetness to them and a medium hop characteristic. American craft brewers also make a version of this with a dark red colour and plenty of delicious roast malt notes.

What it says about you:

You’re either Irish or like to claim you have Irish roots. You love to drink and when you get going, you drink a lot. You are passionate, a great friend, and prone to get angry. If people wrong you, you get revenge, but if people make friends with you, you’re a lifelong one.

Sours

An ancient beer style that has become a huge craze right now in the modern brewing world, there are six varieties of this awesome brew: Gose, Lambic, Berliner Weisse, Flanders Red Ale, Oud Bruin, and American Sour Ale. Sour beers are intentially made with an acidic, tart, or sour flavour by the use of wild yeast strains, bacteria, fruit, and/or microbes present on the fruit.

What it says about you:

You’re super cool and knowledgeable on all the latest trends and crazes, but are also well-versed in history that nobody else knows. You have a complete beer class collection specially made for each type and are always raving about unheard of, up-and-coming bands, black and white Norwegian crime films from the ’50s, and know everything about a restaurant before it even opens. You’re definitely a hipster and you are most definitely wearing flannel, round-rimmed glasses, and a have an impressive beard and ‘stache combo going on as you read this. Go look in a mirror. You know it’s true.

Imperial

English brewers started creating an exceptionally strong and hoppy version of a stout to impress Russian royalty in the late 1700’s. Flashforward to today, Imperial can be tossed in front of any beer style: Imperial Sour Gose, Imperial IPA, Imperial Brown Ale, and more. It denotes an exceptionally strong (think double-digit ABV) and robust brew that’s ready to kick your butt. They are usually sold in 4-packs, and you’ll probably only drink two of them in a session. Whew, good luck.

What it says about you:

You’re a beast and can handle your booze. You’ve got gigantic muscles, end up ripping your t-shirts whenever you flex, and can take anyone at the gym. You like to take everything to the extreme: extreme kayaking, extreme grocery shopping, extreme diaper changing, and extreme yoga. It makes sense that you’d drink an extreme beer.

Does your favourite style of beer match up with your personality? That would be pretty amazing, because we totally just made up all the ‘what it says about you’ stuff. Maybe we’re awesome geniuses. You never know.

But what we do know is that you should enjoy National Beer Day! Head over to one of the Beer Lady’s three locations to browse her mega collection and find something good. Make sure to use the (awesome) Untappd mobile app to check in a brew.

You’ll get a snazzy new badge to show off your beer pride.

Cheers!