Every beer
has a story.
From 13,000-year-old brewing traces to today's hazy IPAs: explore styles, origins, history and the science in your glass. Thirsty minds welcome.
- 56 styles
- 19 beer nations
- 120 facts
Babylon's Code of Hammurabi (c. 1750 BC) included laws regulating tavern keepers and the beer they sold.
The colour of beer
Brewers measure colour on the SRM scale, from a pale 2 to an opaque 40+. Tap a glass to meet the style.
Iconic beer styles
American IPA
Citrus, pine and a bitter bite — the beer that launched the craft revolution.
Belgian Tripel
Golden, spicy and deceptively strong — the monk's beer that sneaks up on you.
Czech Pilsner
The golden original from Plzeň — soft, spicy, and richer than you remember.
Hefeweizen
Banana, clove and a cloud of foam — Bavaria's sunny, yeasty wheat beer.
Imperial Stout
Huge, velvety and fit for an empress — dark beer at its most decadent.
Irish Dry Stout
Jet-black, creamy and surprisingly light — the pint that's practically a national symbol.
A brief history of beer
- c. 11,000 BCE
Neolithic Origins and the "Beer Before Bread" Hypothesis
Did our ancestors start farming grain because they wanted a drink? Stone mortars in a Natufian cave and vast vessels at Göbekli Tepe keep the question alive.
- c. 1800 BCE
The Hymn to Ninkasi
A Sumerian poem to the goddess of beer doubles as one of the oldest surviving recipes.
- 23 April 1516
The Reinheitsgebot of 1516
A Bavarian ordinance limiting beer to barley, hops and water became the world's most famous beer law, though its story is more complicated than the legend.
- 1920–1933
Prohibition in the United States, 1920–1933
For thirteen years, America outlawed the sale of beer, wine and spirits. Breweries shut, speakeasies flourished, and the industry that emerged looked very different.
Pour yourself another
Famous breweries
Legendary breweries, from Trappist abbeys to craft pioneers.
🌿Hop encyclopedia
Hop varieties: aroma, bitterness and the styles they shine in.
🏠Brew at home
Kits, checklists, costs and step-by-step guides for your first batch.
🛒Homebrew shop
Buyer's guides to kits, fermenters and kegging gear.
🌍Beer around the world
19 countries and cultures, from Belgian abbeys to Andean chicha.
⚗️Brewing school
16 lessons on malt, hops, yeast, water and more.
🎪Beer festivals
Plan your year of beer, month by month.
🎯Which beer are you?
Six questions to find your beer soulmate.