Malt aroma & flavor
Generally, these beers are highly attenuated resulting in very low to low malt character. Maltier versions should display good overall balance with other flavor components.
All Origin Hybrid/Mixed Lagers or Ales
Wild Beer
Mixed / specialty · Any color is acceptable. Versions made with fruits or other flavorings may take on corresponding hues.
What to expect
Generally, these beers are highly attenuated resulting in very low to low malt character.
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
Any color is acceptable. Versions made with fruits or other flavorings may take on corresponding hues. · Illustrative colors on the shared, uneven SRM scale.
Return to color discoveryAlcohol · ABV
Varies with style
No numeric range is specified.
Bitterness · IBU
Varies with style
No numeric range is specified.
Brewers Association 2026 · Printed guideline page 62 · PDF page 71. 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 high
Perceived bitterness
Very low to low
Body & mouthfeel
Very low to medium
Clarity
Clear or hazy due to yeast, chill haze or hop haze.
Color
Any color is acceptable. Versions made with fruits or other flavorings may take on corresponding hues.
Fermentation characteristics
Aromas may vary significantly due to fermentation attributes contributed by various known and unknown microorganisms. The overall balance should be complex and balanced. Wild beers are spontaneously fermented with microorganisms that the brewer has introduced from the ambient air/environment near the brewery in which the beer is brewed. Wild Beers may not be fermented with any cultured strains of yeast or bacteria. Wild Beers may or may not be perceived as acidic. They may include a highly-variable spectrum of flavors and aromas derived from the wild microorganisms with which they are fermented. The overall balance of flavors, aromas, appearance and body are important factors in assessing these beers.
Additional guideline notes & competition context
Spontaneously fermented beers with fruit, spice or other ingredients should be categorized as Wild Beers. Within the framework of these guidelines, beers which hew to classic or traditional categories such as Belgian-Style Lambic, Gueuze, Fruit Lambic, etc. should be categorized as such, rather than as Wild Beers. 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) upon which the entry is based, or other information unique to the entry such as ingredients or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes. Competition organizers may create subcategories which reflect groups of entries based on color, microflora, fruit, spices or other ingredients, wood-aging, etc.
Technical specifications, including gravity
Original Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) Varies with style • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) Varies with style • Hop Bitterness (IBU) Varies with style • Color SRM (EBC)