The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) has identified and defined four new provisional styles. These provisional style definitions address additional styles that have emerged since the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines were introduced.
Provisional styles are drafts created in between producing new sets of official style guidelines, but they may be used by competitions as official styles. Competitions should allow for these styles to be mentioned in the comment field and judges should reference the style definitions during judging.
The four provisional styles are:
Burton Ale: A rich, malty, sweet, and bitter dark ale of moderately strong alcohol. Full bodied and chewy with a balanced hoppy finish and complex malty and hoppy aroma. Fruity notes accentuate the malt richness, while the hops help balance the sweeter finish. Category 17A
New England IPA: An American IPA with intense fruit flavors and aromas, a soft body, and smooth mouthfeel, and often opaque with substantial haze. Less perceived bitterness than traditional IPAs but always massively hop forward. This emphasis on late hopping, especially dry hopping, with hops with tropical fruit qualities lends the specific ‘juicy’ character for which this style is known. Category 21B
Catharina Sour: A light and refreshing wheat ale with a clean lactic sourness that is balanced by a fresh fruit addition. The low bitterness, light body, moderate alcohol content, and moderately high carbonation allow the flavor and aroma of the fruit to be the primary focus of the beer. The fruit is often, but not always, tropical in nature. Category X4
New Zealand Pilsner: A pale, dry, golden-colored, cleanly-fermented beer showcasing the characteristic tropical, citrusy, fruity, grassy New Zealand-type hops. Medium body, soft mouthfeel, and smooth palate and finish, with a neutral to bready malt base provide the support for this very drinkable, refreshing, hop-forward beer. Category X5
For more details on these styles, visit BJCP.org.
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