Your guide to the best types of beer

Beers come in a range of styles and flavours, from rich, creamy stouts to refreshing lagers, sour beers and complex IPAs. Some of the most popular styles include:

• Lager

• Bitter

• Stout

• Pale Ale

• IPA (India Pale Ale)

• Low and no-alcohol beer

Read more about what makes these different types of beer unique, according to the M&S beer buyer, plus our top picks to try in store, beer food pairing ideas and recipe inspiration for what to cook with beer.

Lager

"Lager is a clean, crisp style of beer that's fermented slowly at cold temperatures, which creates a smooth, refreshing finish," says Rob Grimes, M&S beer buyer. "The name 'lager' comes from the verb for storing the fermented beer 'Lagering', and is a unique feature of the style of beer, giving the clean crispness that the beer is synonymous with!" Styles include Pilsner, Helles and Kölsch. Tasting notes: Clean, crisp and smooth with a light malt fruitiness and subtle bitterness.

Bitter

"This traditional British beer is made with ale yeast and fermented at warmer temperatures," says Rob. Tasting notes: A balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness.

Stout

"This dark beer is made using roasted malts, giving it deeper flavours," says Rob. "It's made using ale fermentation and uses roasted barley malt. It can also be nitrogenated, as our Nitro Stout, for a smooth texture." Tasting notes: Coffee and chocolate, with a smooth or dry finish and low sweetness.

IPA (India Pale Ale)

"This hop-forward style focuses on bold aroma and flavour, often thanks to the large hop additions late or after fermentation to boost the aroma – a technique called dry hopping," says Rob.

Tasting notes: Citrus, tropical fruit and pine, with a noticeable bitterness and aromatic finish.

Pale Ale

"Made using ale fermentation and moderate hopping, pale ale is a balanced, easy-drinking ale that sits between bitter and IPA in terms of flavour intensity," says Rob. Tasting notes: Light caramel and biscuit with gentle citrus or floral hops.

Low and no-alcohol beer

"These beers deliver all the flavour of traditionally made beer, just minus the alcohol," says Rob. "They're brewed like normal beer, then the alcohol is restricted or removed." Tasting notes: Lighter in body, with the best examples retaining hop aroma and richness.

The diverse flavour profiles in different beers mean they can pair well with a range of foods. Check out some of M&S beer buyer Rob's top pairing ideas.

• Lager: "It's super versatile," says Rob. "It will complement, and not overpower, dishes like spring greens and pasta, while its crispness will cut through the richness of fish and chips or curries."

• Bitter: "Pair this traditional British beer with traditional British dishes, such as shepherd's pie and bangers and mash, where its balanced malt and gentle bitterness will complement savoury, Gastropub flavours.

• Stout: "Depending on the style, stouts can range from deep and malty to sweet and creamy. Pair with a range of dishes from sticky toffee pudding to beef stew and grilled steak."

• IPA: "With its bold hop character, IPA will stand up to strong flavours – try with a fiery curry, Buffalo chicken wings or pulled pork."

• Pale Ale: "With moderate hops, this is a versatile, easygoing pour that will add interest to dishes like roast chicken, salmon, burgers or tacos."

With more people shifting towards mindful drinking, mid-strength beer is having a moment, and our range of zingy sours, refreshing fruit beers and popular regional styles is just the ticket. "We're really proud of our new mid-strength beers, which are all under 3.5% but still full of flavour," says Maddie Love, M&S drinks product developer. Add these sips to your basket:

• Table Beer: Available as a crisp, refreshing 2.8% lager or tropical, juicy mid-strength 3.2% pale ale, these are a must for your match-day feast or family barbecue.

• Shandy: Our Lemon and Lime Shandy is a refreshing citrus IPA with subtle hoppy notes and natural lemon and lime flavours, while our Raspberry Shandy is a blend of crisp lager with raspberry-flavoured cordial.

• Fruit beers: Try our Raspberry Fruit Beer, brewed in Suffolk in collaboration with Adnams, or Belgian Cherry Fruit Beer.

• Sour beers: Adventurous beer drinkers will love the tangy flavour of our sour beers, available in a hazy Tropical Pineapple Sour Beer or Raspberry Ripple Sour with a hint of vanilla.

While you can't go wrong with sipping beer straight-up, it's also delicious in cocktails. Try a spicy beerita – a longer, sessionable twist on a margarita made with Mexican Style Lager, tequila and lemon and lime soda, or a Mexican-inspired michelada with chipotle and pineapple hot sauce.

Beer can add a depth of flavour and complexity to all sorts of recipes, so embrace it in your cooking.

• Fire up your summer barbecue with this beer can chicken recipe.

• Try using ale to make an oozy rarebit sauce, to top toasts or smoked haddock.

• Cook up a hearty steak and ale pie.

• Use ale to lend richness to this honey soda bread recipe.

• Combine stout with chocolate and peppermint in this rich stout cake.