Malt aroma & flavor
Varies with underlying style
All Origin Hybrid/Mixed Lagers or Ales
Other Strong Ale or Lager
Mixed / specialty · Varies with underlying style
What to expect
Malt, hops, and body depend on the underlying style or ingredients. Read the guideline details for the character that defines this category.
Reading guide · The complete guideline attributes below preserve the source’s qualifications.Color · SRM
Varies with style
Varies with style. No numeric color range is assigned.
Pale / strawBlack
Varies with underlying style · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Return to color discoveryAlcohol · ABV
8%+
›
Reference scale, not a limit on official guideline values.
Bitterness · IBU
Varies with style
No numeric range is specified.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 63 · PDF page 72. Color graphics are illustrative.
The guideline, in detail
Official style attributes, including what may be present and what should be absent.
Hop aroma & flavor
Varies with underlying style
Perceived bitterness
Varies with underlying style
Body & mouthfeel
Varies with underlying style
Clarity
Varies with underlying style
Color
Varies with underlying style
Fermentation characteristics
Within the framework of these guidelines, beers of any style intentionally brewed to a higher alcohol content than defined within that style’s guidelines are categorized as Other Strong Beer. These beers should achieve a balance between the style's characteristics and the additional alcohol and are not wood- or barrel-aged. All Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beers that meet the criteria for elevated alcohol content shown below are categorized as any of several Wood- and Barrel- Aged Beers.
Additional guideline notes & competition context
For the purposes of competition, entrants should review all other Strong/Imperial categories (Strong Porter, Imperial Red, Belgian Strong, etc.) first before entering this category to ensure their entry should not be classified elsewhere. IPA entries that fall outside of the standard Imperial IPA category specifications and/or have added ingredients such as fruit or spices should be entered as Experimental IPA. 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(s) being made to higher alcoholic strength, or other information unique to the entry such as ingredients or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes such as microflora, fruit, spices, or other ingredients, etc.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 6.4%+ (8%+) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) Varies with style • Color SRM (EBC)