You’re standing at the bar. The menu stretches across a chalkboard like a wall of jargon – lager, pale ale, IPA, stout, pilsner, sour, hazy. The person next to you orders a “New England Hazy” with the confidence of someone who clearly knows what they’re doing. You nod as if you also know what they’re doing. You don’t. You order whatever’s on tap and quietly wonder what the difference between a lager and a pilsner actually is.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Australia has one of the most exciting beer cultures in the world right now. We’ve gone from a nation of loyal lager drinkers – Victoria Bitter, XXXX, Tooheys, full stop – to a country with over 700 independent craft breweries producing hundreds of different styles. It’s brilliant, and also a little overwhelming if you’re just starting to explore.
This is your friendly, no-nonsense guide to the 10 main styles of beer brewed and loved in Australia today. Consider it the foundation for everything that follows.
1. Lager – The Everyday Classic
Lager is Australia’s most-consumed beer style by a country mile. Light, crisp, clean, and refreshing – it’s what most people mean when they say they want “a beer.” Fermented cold and slow using bottom-fermenting yeast, a good Lager is a masterclass in subtlety. Great Northern, VB, Carlton Draught, and XXXX Gold are household names. The craft world has rediscovered lager in a big way too, with boutique breweries producing exceptional versions with far more flavour than the mainstream.
2. Pale Ale – Australia’s Craft Darling
If Lager is the old guard, Pale Ale is what started the craft beer revolution in Australia. Little Creatures Pale Ale from Fremantle helped ignite the movement in the early 2000s, and the style has dominated craft taps ever since. Pale Ales are hopped to give citrus, floral, or fruity aromas without overwhelming bitterness. They’re approachable, flavourful, and incredibly food-friendly. If you’re new to craft beer, start here.
3. IPA (India Pale Ale) – The Hop Lover’s Choice
More hops. More bitterness. More aroma. The IPA is the Pale Ale’s bolder, louder sibling, and it has a devoted following in Australia. Whether it’s a West Coast IPA (piney, bitter, dry) or a New England / Hazy IPA (soft, juicy, tropical), IPAs have a flavour intensity that rewards curious palates. Not always beginner territory, but once you’re hooked, you’re hooked.
4. Wheat Beer – Soft, Cloudy, Refreshing
Brewed with a significant proportion of wheat rather than just barley, Wheat Beers are typically cloudy, light-bodied, and delightfully easy to drink. German Hefeweizen styles bring banana and clove character. Australian interpretations tend to be fresher and fruitier. On a hot summer day, few things beat a cold wheat beer. Coopers Brewery’s Bavarian Lager is a local gateway; international brands like Hoegaarden have big local followings too.
5. Stout – Dark, Rich, and Surprisingly Drinkable
Dark as midnight and rich with roasted malt flavour – coffee, chocolate, toffee, and dark fruit notes are common. Stouts have an unfair reputation for being heavy and intimidating, but many are lighter in body than they look. The global Guinness boom has reached Australian shores in a big way, with Guinness sales jumping 47% overall in 2025. Local craft breweries are producing exceptional Australian Stouts worth exploring.
6. Pilsner – Lager’s Sophisticated Cousin
A Pilsner is technically a type of lager, but with a distinct character of its own. Originating from the Czech Republic and Germany, Pilsners are crisper and more hop-forward than a standard lager, with a clean, dry finish and a refined bitterness. The craft lager revival has put Czech-style pilsners front and centre in Australian bottle shops. If you love a lager but want something with more personality, the pilsner is your next step.
7. Sour Beer – Tart, Wild, and Adventurous
Sour beers are exactly what they sound like – beers with a deliberate tart or acidic character, achieved through wild fermentation or the addition of fruit. They range from gently tart Wheat Sours to intensely puckering Lambic-style Ales. Once considered niche, Sour Ales are gaining serious ground in Australia, moving well beyond seasonal releases to become a year-round staple in craft bars.
8. Amber and Red Ale – The Middle Ground
Not as light as a Pale Ale, not as dark as a Stout – Amber and Red Ales occupy a delicious middle ground. They’re malt-forward with a warm caramel or toffee character, and while they carry some hoppiness, the emphasis is on balance and drinkability. These are session beers that reward slow sipping. Perfect with hearty pub food.
9. Porter – The Stout’s Slightly Lighter Sibling
The Porter predates the stout historically, and in many ways the two styles overlap. Porters tend to be a touch lighter in body with a roasty, slightly sweet malt character. Think dark chocolate and coffee, but smoother and less intense than a big stout. An often-overlooked style that is well worth exploring if you want dark beers without full stout intensity.
10. Session Beer & Mid-Strength – Flavour Without the Fuss
Australia has a strong culture of mid-strength drinking, and breweries have responded with Session Beers – full-flavoured but lower in alcohol (typically 3–3.5% ABV). These aren’t a compromise; they’re a skill. Brewing something genuinely tasty at low alcohol is harder than it looks. The trend towards lower-alcohol craft options is one of the biggest in the industry right now, with 2025 and 2026 seeing a surge in quality Session Pale Ales, Session IPAs and even Session Sours.
Where to Start
Here’s the simple truth: the best beer is the one you enjoy. There are no wrong answers.
That said, if you’re building your palate from scratch, here’s a suggested path: start with a quality Australian pale ale to understand what craft beer can taste like. Then try a pilsner to understand the difference between lager refinement and mainstream mass production. From there, follow your nose – literally. Choose beers whose descriptions appeal to you and work your way through the styles.
In the series of posts that follow this one, we dive deep into each of the 10 styles covered above – where they came from, what makes them tick, and the best Australian examples to try. Consider this the map. Now let’s explore the territory.
Coming up in this series:
- Lager – The Beer That Built Australia
- Pale Ale – How One Fremantle Brewery Changed Everything
- IPA – The Hop Head’s Handbook
- Wheat Beer – Cloudy, Soft, and Summer-Ready
- Stout – Dark Beer for Bright People
- Pilsner – Lager’s Sophisticated Upgrade
- Sour Beer – Tart, Wild, and Worth It
- Amber & Red Ale – The Best Beer You’re Not Drinking Yet
- Porter – The Original Dark Beer
- Session Beer – Great Taste, Easy Does It