Boulder, CO • May 6, 2010—The Brewers Association recently released its 2010 Beer Style Guidelines. Updated annually, the guidelines currently describe 140 styles of beer.

For 2010, American-style Imperial Porter, American-Style India Black Ale, Belgian-Style Quadrupel and Fruit Wheat Ale or Lager categories were added and defined, reflecting the emergence of these styles as popularly available in the U.S. and other beer-drinking countries.

Since 1979 the Brewers Association has provided beer style descriptions as a reference for brewers and beer competition organizers. The beer style guidelines developed by the Brewers Association use sources from the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses, and consultations with beer industry experts and knowledgeable beer enthusiasts as resources for information. Much of the early work was based on the assistance and contributions of beer journalist Michael Jackson.

“These guidelines help to illustrate the growth of craft brewers in the United States and also offer insight and a foundation for helping appreciate the hundreds of beer types brewed for the beer lover,” said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association.

The style revisions and additional styles will be used as the basis for the 2010 Great American Beer Festival℠ competition. The 2010 Beer Style Guidelines are available for download [pdf] in the Publications section of BrewersAssociation.org.

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Based in Boulder, Colorado, USA, the Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade and education association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their craft beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. Visit BrewersAssociation.org to learn more. The association’s activities include events and publishing: CraftBeer.com, World Beer Cup®; Great American Beer Festival℠; Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America®; National Homebrewers Conference; National Homebrew Competition; SAVOR: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience; American Craft Beer Week; Zymurgy magazine; The New Brewer magazine; and books on beer and brewing. The Brewers Association has an additional membership division of 20,000+ homebrewers: American Homebrewers Association.

Consumers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com.