The Basics of Beer

By Bryce Eddings, About.com Guide to Beer

Ready to expand your knowledge of beer? Want to explore some more styles of beer? Curious about the history of beer? Here are the basics.

1. Beer Styles
2. Beer History

Beer Styles

Did you know that all beer is either a lager or an ale? This is the most important distinction of beer and all beer styles fall into one of these two categories.

• Beer Styles 101 - Ale or Lager?
• Know Your Ale - Ale Styles
• Know Your Lager - Lager Styles

Beer History

Humans have been making beer for longer than recorded history. Some historians even claim that the needs of beer production led to the first human settlements when nomadic hunters had to stay in one place to watch their grain crops. Beer and humanity have been inseparable since.

• Beer In Recent American History - An Interview With Historian Maureen Ogle
• The History of the Beer Can