Fruit / Vegetable Beer
Primarily a catch all for any beer less than a Dark Ale in color, ranging from amber (duh) to deep red hues. This style of beer tends to focus on the malts, but hop character can range from low to high. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. The range can run from a basic ale, to American brewers who brew faux-Oktoberfest style beers that are actually ales instead of lagers.
Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-7.0%
Herbed / Spiced Beer
This style takes on and beer that is specially herbed and or spiced. This is anything from the common spiced Fall Pumpkin beer to Christmas beers with nutmeg and cinnamon to ginger beers to heather ales. Some brewers will throw just about anything into the brew kettle; hot peppers, hemp, ginseng or spruce needles. Keep you mind open when you are trying some as brewers will always keep on trying to expand the limits of what beer is.
Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-8.0%
Smoked Beer
Not to be confused with a traditional Rauchbier, a Smoked Beer can be quiet a robust, even an overpowering beer, more so with versions that use peat smoked malt which carries a cloying smoked flavor that can ruin a beer in excess. Peat smoked malts are used in many other styles, like Scotch Ales in a liberal way though many American brewers use more typically in Porters. The flavor of peat smoke tends to be much stronger and more assertive so brewers use very modest amounts in the mash.
Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.5-7.0%
