BEER STYLES
so you know what to order.

Pilsner

Clean, herbal, with a dry finish.

A golden lager from Bohemia and Germany with more hops than a standard lager: floral or herbal aroma and a dry, bitter finish.

With food: Patacones and mild cheeses.

Pale Ale

Citrus and malt in balance.

Golden to amber ale with hops up front and malt in support. A good first step into craft beer.

With food: Burgers or grilled vegetables.

IPA

Bold aroma, assertive bitterness.

A pale ale with far more hops: citrus, tropical fruit or pine aromas and firm bitterness. Hazy IPAs are cloudy and juicier; Double IPAs go above 8%.

With food: Spiced tacos or curry.

Weissbier

Wheat, banana and a hint of clove.

German wheat beer: hazy, with generous foam, banana and clove notes and low bitterness.

With food: Roast chicken and salads.

Stout

Roasted notes, coffee and cocoa.

Black and roasty, suggesting coffee or chocolate, with notable bitterness. In Costa Rica they often include local coffee.

With food: Roast meats or cocoa desserts.

Lager

Crisp, clean and easy-drinking.

Cold-fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast. Clean, refreshing and low in bitterness: the style of almost every mass-market beer, and of many craft ones too.

Witbier

Wheat, orange and coriander.

The Belgian wheat beer: hazy and soft, brewed with orange peel and coriander seed.

Amber / Red Ale

Caramel, bread and copper colour.

More toasted malt than a pale ale: caramel and bread notes, copper colour and moderate bitterness.

Porter

Chocolate, coffee and caramel.

Dark ale made with roasted malt: chocolate, coffee and caramel flavours with a medium body. Gentler than a stout.

Sour

Tart, fruity and refreshing.

Intentionally tart beers made with bacteria or wild yeast. Many include fruit, and in the tropics passion fruit, guava or cas are common.

Dubbel / Tripel

Strong Belgian ales, fruity and spicy.

Ales in the monastic tradition, with yeasts that give fruity and spicy notes. They drink smooth but are strong.