We decipher the craft beer code so you can discover your favourite style.

Have you been to the craft beer section of your local bottle shop lately? Odds are it's doubled since you last visited, as if there's a new style of craft beer appearing daily. Not that we're against the idea of more beer, of course, but it can get confusing. That's why we put together this simple, and by no means exhaustive, guide to some of the more common craft beer styles out there right now. Read on to discover the difference between an IPA and NEIPA, a Hazy and a DEIPA, and more essential info like how to pronounce the controversial 'gose'.

What is an IPA?

The India Pale Ale, or IPA, was the spark behind the craft beer explosion. It's a style of beer that's been around since the 18th century, when hops were added to beer as a preservative for the long sailing journeys from Britain to India, but it's the modern expressions of IPA that have become a global phenomenon. Also known as West Coast IPAs, these beers are packed with hops and have fuller flavours of citrus and tropical fruits. They're also known for their bitterness, though this varies from beer to beer.

What is a DIPA?

A DIPA is a Double IPA, which is essentially a stronger version of the IPA. It's brewed with more hops, which means more malt is needed to balance out the flavours so the alcohol percentage is higher than your normal IPA – hence 'double'. The alcohol content can sit anywhere between 7.5–10.5%, though some ales will surpass that mark and dip into what some people call Triple IPA territory. If you love IPAs, it's worth trying a DIPA.

What is a NEIPA?

A NEIPA – or New England IPA – takes your regular IPA and dials down the bitterness while upping the tropical fruit flavours. They tend to be fruity and super juicy with a creamy mouthfeel, so it's no surprise that they've become one of the most popular styles of craft beer despite only appearing around 2015. They're sometimes known as Hazy IPAs because of their cloudy, or hazy, appearance as a result of the brewing process.

What is a stout?

Dark, thick and heavy – there's nothing quite like a stout, and there's more to stouts than Guinness (as good as it is). Though most would associate craft beer with the pale ale and its offshoots, dark beers have reaped the rewards of brewer experimentation over recent years.

Take the Imperial stout, which was brewed in the 18th century for Catherine the Great and re-emerged in the US craft-beer scene towards the end of the 1990s. These are big beers – over 9% ABV – and often aged in whisky or bourbon barrels, allowing the stout's rich coffee and chocolate notes to mingle with whatever spirit has soaked into the barrel's oak. There are also milk stouts, which use lactose to add volume and sweetness, and can be brewed with raspberry, cherry, coconut or whatever else to make really interesting, unique beers.

What is a sour?

Sour beers have made a real splash in recent years and are sometimes – perhaps unfairly – described as the beer for people who don't like beer. Fortunately, they're also the beer for people who love beer, thanks to a mind-bogglingly large variety of examples and no real rules to their production.

Though Australia's infatuation with sours kicked off in the latter part of the decade, sour beers happen to be the world's oldest style and most beers were, at one stage, sour. The sourness is a result of bacteria and wild yeast affecting the brewing process, giving the beer a tart acidity and funkiness. From strawberry to guava and mango to blueberry, the flavours on offer means that there's a sour that'll appeal to every beer drinker, if you're willing to look hard enough.

What is a gose?

First off, the pronunciation – it's 'goes-uh'. A traditional German wheat beer flavoured with coriander and salt. Sounds divisive? It can be, but it's certainly a style that's on the up in Australia. A classic gose should have some sourness, salinity and citrus notes from the coriander, which are often paired with tropical fruit flavours to make something like a mango or passionfruit gose.

What does nitro mean?

Though nitro isn't a specific style of beer, it does deserve a mention in its own category here. A nitro beer is one that's been infused with nitrogen – Guinness is the classic example – which makes for a smoother texture and a creamier head than your regular carbonated brew. Nitro stouts are particularly popular, but the process can be applied to any type of beer, and there are several examples of nitro lagers in Australia. It's a process that's best avoided for IPAs and other hoppy beers, because the nitro infusion tends to mask the big aromas and bitterness for which IPAs are loved. But stouts and lagers? Now that's a match made in craft heaven.