Malt aroma & flavor
Very low to medium-high
All Origin Hybrid/Mixed Lagers or Ales
Field Beer
Mixed / specialty · Can range from pale to very dark depending on the underlying style and is often influenced by the color of added field ingredients (vegetables, nuts, etc.)
What to expect
Malt character: Very low to medium-high. Hop character: Very low to medium-high.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.Color · SRM
5–50
Pale / strawBlack
Can range from pale to very dark depending on the underlying style and is often influenced by the color of added field ingredients (vegetables, nuts, etc.) · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Explore styles overlapping this color rangeAlcohol · ABV
2.5–13.3%
Reference scale, not a limit on official guideline values.
Bitterness · IBU
5–70
Measured bitterness; perceived bitterness is described in the guideline below.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 50 · PDF page 59. Color graphics are illustrative.
The guideline, in detail
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Hop aroma & flavor
Very low to medium-high
Perceived bitterness
Very low to medium-high. Vegetable character should not be muted by hop character.
Body & mouthfeel
Varies with underlying style
Clarity
Clear to hazy is acceptable
Color
Can range from pale to very dark depending on the underlying style and is often influenced by the color of added field ingredients (vegetables, nuts, etc.)
Fermentation characteristics
Varies with underlying style
Additional guideline notes & competition context
Vegetable aromas, ranging from subtle to intense, should be present and should not be overpowered by hop aromas. Field Beers are any beers incorporating vegetables as flavor or carbohydrate adjuncts in either the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation. The vegetable character should be in harmony with other attributes and can range from subtle to intense. Within the framework of these guidelines, coconut is defined as a vegetable, and a beer containing coconut is categorized as Field Beer. However, within the framework of these guidelines, India Pale Ales brewed with vegetables are categorized as Experimental India Pale Ale. All beers containing chili peppers are categorized as Chili Beer. Nuts generally impart much more flavor than fermentables; within the framework of these guidelines, beers containing nuts are categorized as Field Beer. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include the underlying beer style upon which the entry is based, or other information unique to the entry such as vegetable(s) used or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.030-1.110 (7.6-25.9 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.006-1.030 (1.5-7.6 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 2.0%-10.5% (2.5%-13.3%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) 5-70 • Color SRM (EBC) 5-50 (10-100 EBC)