Life

The Only Infographics About Beer You'll Ever Need

So, hey. It's the 4th of July. You know what that means, right? Well, obviously it means a lot of things — celebrating the day the United States achieved its independence; fireworks; fun with family and friends; tons of food; and so on and so forth. But what I'm thinking about here goes hand in hand with the “tons of food” bit: It means beer. Nothing goes with a barbecue quite the same way a cold, frosty one does — but how well do you really know your beers? If you could use a little schooling, this infographic guide to different types of beer might be just what you need.

The infographic seen here was posted to the r/Food subreddit earlier in the week, and perhaps surprisingly — or perhaps unsurprisingly, depending on your point of view — folks had an awful lot to say about it. While some praised it for its attractive formatting and easy-to-understand layout of essential info for beginners, others noted that arranging the beverages by color may not have been the best way to go about it. It also doesn't account for subdivisions within each type; however, I would argue that if you want to get really specific, then what you want isn't a general beer infographic; it's an infographic breaking down, say, all the different types of stout there are.

I think what I find most interesting about this particular image, though, isn't actually the image itself — it's the impressively wide-reaching discussion it prompted. Shortly after the thread containing it went live, for example, a second thread popped up, attempting to fill in the very important blank left by the first infographic: What foods one should pair each brew with.

And if, as a few commenters on Imgur pointed out, both of these graphics are too simplistic for your tastes, there's always this one:

Sure, you'll need to go over it with a magnifying glass for it to make any sense — but what can I say? Beer is a serious business. Or perhaps more accurately, good beer is a serious business.

So there you have it — a trio of infographics perfect for celebrating this magnificent day. Now go ahead and pour your favorite brew into a watermelon keg and have at. Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Images: GraceWarrenDesigns/Etsy; Imgur (3)