Ale statistics vary widely by style. The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines place pale ales around 4.4%–5.4% ABV, West Coast IPAs around 6.3%–7.5%, English pale mild ales around 3.4%–4.4%, and Belgian dubbels around 6.3%–7.6%. Original gravity, final gravity, bitterness, and color add useful context to those alcohol ranges.
Contents
- How to read the ranges
- Pale ale statistics
- IPA statistics
- Brown and black ale statistics
- Mild ale statistics
- Belgian dubbel statistics
- Quick comparisons for recipe planning
How to read the ranges
The figures in this article are style ranges from the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines. They describe beer categories rather than a prediction for every recipe. A beer can fit a style while landing anywhere within a stated range, and overlapping ranges mean that one measurement alone does not identify a style.
Original gravity (OG) is the gravity before fermentation, while final gravity (FG) is the gravity after fermentation. The supplied guidelines report alcohol in both ABW and ABV. ABV is the familiar percentage used on beer labels; ABW expresses alcohol by weight. Bitterness is reported in International Bitterness Units (IBU). Color is shown in SRM and its corresponding EBC range.
Several pairs of styles share identical numerical ranges. American-Style Pale Ale and Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale have the same published figures for OG, FG, alcohol, bitterness, and color. American-Style Brown Ale and American-Style Black Ale also share every listed range. The distinction between those styles therefore cannot be inferred from these statistics alone.
Pale ale statistics
American-Style Pale Ale has an original gravity of 1.044–1.050 and a final gravity of 1.008–1.014. The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines give it 3.5%–4.3% ABW, or 4.4%–5.4% ABV. Its bitterness range is 30–50 IBU, and its color is 4–7 SRM, equivalent to 8–14 EBC.
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale uses the same statistical boundaries in the supplied guidelines: OG 1.044–1.050, FG 1.008–1.014, 3.5%–4.3% ABW, and 4.4%–5.4% ABV. Bitterness is 30–50 IBU, while color is 4–7 SRM or 8–14 EBC. In other words, the published measurements place both pale-ale categories in the same gravity, alcohol, bitterness, and color bands.
| Pale ale style | OG | FG | ABV | IBU | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American-Style Pale Ale | 1.044–1.050 | 1.008–1.014 | 4.4%–5.4% | 30–50 | 4–7 SRM |
| Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale | 1.044–1.050 | 1.008–1.014 | 4.4%–5.4% | 30–50 | 4–7 SRM |
For home brewing, these ranges provide a compact target profile: moderate starting gravity, a relatively low finishing gravity, mid-range bitterness, and a light color band. The guidelines also show why a pale ale should not be classified by ABV alone: its published alcohol range overlaps other ale families, while its gravity and bitterness ranges help describe the intended balance.
IPA statistics
West Coast-Style India Pale Ale is listed at 1.055–1.070 OG and 1.005–1.012 FG. Its alcohol range is 5.0%–6.0% ABW, or 6.3%–7.5% ABV. Bitterness rises to 50–75 IBU, while color remains light at 2–6 SRM or 4–12 EBC.
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale has a higher original gravity range of 1.067–1.087 and a final gravity of 1.009–1.016. The listed alcohol range is 6.0%–8.4% ABW, or 7.6%–10.6% ABV. Its bitterness is 30–80 IBU and its color is 2–7 SRM, or 4–14 EBC.
American-Style Imperial or Double India Pale Ale has the same OG range, 1.067–1.087, the same FG range, 1.009–1.016, and the same alcohol range of 6.0%–8.4% ABW or 7.6%–10.6% ABV. Its bitterness is higher at 65–100 IBU. Color is 2–7 SRM or 4–14 EBC.
Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale also has OG 1.067–1.087, FG 1.009–1.016, alcohol at 6.0%–8.4% ABW or 7.6%–10.6% ABV, and color at 2–7 SRM or 4–14 EBC. Its bitterness range is 30–80 IBU, and the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines note that this numerical bitterness range may differ from perceived bitterness.
| IPA style | OG | FG | ABV | IBU | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Coast IPA | 1.055–1.070 | 1.005–1.012 | 6.3%–7.5% | 50–75 | 2–6 SRM |
| Juicy or Hazy IPA | 1.067–1.087 | 1.009–1.016 | 7.6%–10.6% | 30–80 | 2–7 SRM |
| Imperial or Double IPA | 1.067–1.087 | 1.009–1.016 | 7.6%–10.6% | 65–100 | 2–7 SRM |
| Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double IPA | 1.067–1.087 | 1.009–1.016 | 7.6%–10.6% | 30–80 | 2–7 SRM |
The comparison shows two useful separations. West Coast IPA starts lower and finishes lower than the two imperial categories in these guidelines. The imperial categories share gravity and alcohol boundaries, but their bitterness ranges differ substantially: 65–100 IBU for American-Style Imperial or Double IPA versus 30–80 IBU for Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double IPA.
Brown and black ale statistics
American-Style Brown Ale has an OG of 1.040–1.060 and an FG of 1.010–1.018. Its alcohol is 3.3%–5.0% ABW, or 4.2%–6.3% ABV. The bitterness range is 30–45 IBU. Its color is 15–26 SRM or 30–52 EBC.
American-Style Black Ale has exactly the same published boundaries in the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines: OG 1.040–1.060, FG 1.010–1.018, alcohol 3.3%–5.0% ABW or 4.2%–6.3% ABV, bitterness 30–45 IBU, and color 15–26 SRM or 30–52 EBC.
English-Style Brown Ale is somewhat narrower in gravity and bitterness. Its original gravity is 1.040–1.050 and final gravity is 1.008–1.014. Alcohol is 3.3%–4.7% ABW, or 4.2%–6.0% ABV. Bitterness is 12–25 IBU, and color is 12–24 SRM or 24–48 EBC.
The measured ranges therefore put the American brown and black categories together at a darker 15–26 SRM, while English-Style Brown Ale spans 12–24 SRM. The American categories also reach 45 IBU, compared with 25 IBU for English-Style Brown Ale. These are category ranges, not a claim that every dark-looking ale has the same sensory profile.
Mild ale statistics
English-Style Pale Mild Ale is the lowest-alcohol style in this set aside from its dark counterpart. The Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines list OG 1.030–1.036 and FG 1.004–1.008. Alcohol is 2.7%–3.4% ABW, or 3.4%–4.4% ABV. Bitterness is 10–20 IBU, and color is 6–9 SRM or 12–18 EBC.
English-Style Dark Mild Ale has the same OG, 1.030–1.036, and the same FG, 1.004–1.008. Its alcohol range is also 2.7%–3.4% ABW or 3.4%–4.4% ABV, and its bitterness is 10–20 IBU to 10–24 IBU depending on the example. The color range is much darker: 17–34 SRM or 34–68 EBC.
| Mild style | OG | FG | ABV | IBU | Color |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English-Style Pale Mild Ale | 1.030–1.036 | 1.004–1.008 | 3.4%–4.4% | 10–20 | 6–9 SRM |
| English-Style Dark Mild Ale | 1.030–1.036 | 1.004–1.008 | 3.4%–4.4% | 10–20 or 10–24 | 17–34 SRM |
The mild-ale figures illustrate how color can separate two categories whose gravity and alcohol statistics are identical. They also show that bitterness needs careful wording: the dark mild range is given as 10–20 IBU to 10–24 IBU depending on the example, rather than one single universal upper limit.
Belgian dubbel statistics
Belgian-Style Dubbel has an original gravity of 1.060–1.075 and a final gravity of 1.012–1.016. Its alcohol range is 5.0%–6.0% ABW, or 6.3%–7.6% ABV. Bitterness is 20–40 IBU, and color is 16–36 SRM or 32–72 EBC.
Compared with English-Style Pale Mild Ale, Belgian-Style Dubbel starts at a higher OG range, 1.060–1.075 versus 1.030–1.036, and reaches a higher ABV range, 6.3%–7.6% versus 3.4%–4.4%. Its bitterness range also extends to 40 IBU rather than 20 IBU. The dubbel color range, 16–36 SRM, overlaps the dark mild range but extends beyond the pale mild range of 6–9 SRM.
These comparisons are based on the style statistics supplied by the Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines. They describe the stated category boundaries; they do not independently verify historical or legacy claims outside those guidelines.
Quick comparisons for recipe planning
For a lighter, lower-strength target, the mild styles occupy the lowest published OG and ABV bands: 1.030–1.036 OG and 3.4%–4.4% ABV. Pale ales move to 1.044–1.050 OG and 4.4%–5.4% ABV, with bitterness at 30–50 IBU. English-Style Brown Ale is similar in starting gravity but has a lower 12–25 IBU bitterness range.
For a stronger hop-forward target, West Coast IPA reaches 50–75 IBU at 6.3%–7.5% ABV. American-Style Imperial or Double IPA reaches 65–100 IBU and 7.6%–10.6% ABV. Juicy or Hazy IPA and its imperial counterpart have lower stated bitterness ranges than the American imperial category, but the guidelines specifically caution that numerical IBU may differ from perceived bitterness for Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double IPA.
Color separates several otherwise overlapping groups. Pale ales are 4–7 SRM, West Coast IPA is 2–6 SRM, American brown and black ales are 15–26 SRM, and Belgian dubbel is 16–36 SRM. English-Style Dark Mild Ale has the broadest dark range listed here at 17–34 SRM. Those figures make SRM a useful planning statistic, while OG, FG, ABV, and IBU describe the remaining boundaries supplied for each style.