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Beer Styles and Pairing

Practical guideBeginner6 min readEditorial draft

A quick tour of the styles you'll see most often, from lager to sour, and how to pair them with food.

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Lagers and pilsners

Lagers are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at cool temperatures, giving clean, refreshing beers. Pilsner, born in Pilsen (now Czech Republic) in the mid-19th century, is a golden lager with more hop bitterness and aroma.

Vienna lager: a Mexican story

Vienna lager, amber with gentle toasty and caramel notes, emerged in Vienna in the 19th century. It nearly vanished in Europe, but brewers of Austrian and German origin brought it to Mexico, where it survived and shaped several Mexican amber and dark lagers still found today.

Ales: IPA, stout and sours

Ales use top-fermenting yeast and tend to be more aromatic.

  • IPA: hop-forward, with firm bitterness and citrus, resin or tropical aromas.
  • Stout: dark, with coffee, cocoa and roasted malt notes.
  • Sour: tart and refreshing, often with fruit.

Pairing with beer

Carbonation scrubs the palate, which is why beer loves fried and fatty food. As with wine, match intensities and look for contrast or echoes.

  • Lager or pilsner: seafood, fish tacos, salty snacks.
  • Vienna lager: carnitas, tacos al pastor, grilled meats.
  • IPA: spicy food in moderation; bitterness can amplify chile heat.
  • Stout: mole, chocolate desserts, oysters.
  • Sour: ceviche, fresh cheeses, fruit salads.

Key terms

Lager
Bottom-fermented beer conditioned cold.
Ale
Top-fermented beer, usually more aromatic.
Vienna lager
Amber, toasty-malt lager closely tied to Mexican brewing history.
IBU
International Bitterness Units.

Related

Beer

Mexican Lager

Mexican lager ranges from light, refreshing pale beers to amber and dark Vienna-style lagers. It's the beer that accompanies everyday food across the country.

Beer

Craft Beer Styles

Craft beer spans very different styles, from hoppy ales to roasty stouts and tart sours. In Mexico the craft scene has grown strongly, with Baja California as one of its hubs.

Sources

  • The Oxford Companion to Beer
  • BARTENDER.MX Editorial

Updated October 20, 2026