BJCP · Category 34 · 3 styles
Specialty Beer
The catchall for whatever doesn't fit any other category. 34A is for re-creating unique commercial beers, 34B for blending two existing styles and 34C for truly experimental beers.
The 3 Specialty Beer styles
The numbers at a glance
| BJCP style | ABV | Bitterness | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Specialty Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Mixed-Style Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Experimental Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
How to tell the styles apart
This is the category for what doesn't fit anywhere else, and each subcategory has its own logic. Commercial Specialty Beer (34A) is for re-creating a specific commercial beer that doesn't fit the styles in the guidelines, and it's judged against that reference beer.
Mixed-Style Beer (34B) combines two or more existing styles and should show the traits of each, not a blend where none is recognizable. Experimental Beer (34C) is for what's truly new: techniques, ingredients or combinations that have no place anywhere else. Before entering a beer here, check that it doesn't fit the fruit, spice, alternative fermentables, wood, smoke or wild families, because this is the option of last resort.
Brew it yourself
Which one to brew first
If you want to start here, Mixed-Style Beer (34B) is the most manageable: you begin with two styles you know and decide which traits to take from each, so you know what the result should taste like. Commercial Specialty Beer (34A) requires having the original beer on hand to compare, and Experimental Beer (34C) only makes sense once you've mastered the techniques you're going to push.
Common mistakes
- Using 34C for any beer that didn't turn out the way you wanted. A failed beer isn't experimental; what's expected is a clear idea, well executed.
- Packing so many traits into a Mixed-Style Beer that none can be recognized. Pick two styles with something in common and decide in advance what each one contributes.
- Not describing the beer properly when you enter it. In this category the brewer's description is the judge's only reference, so explain the base, the ingredients and the intent.
- Re-creating a commercial beer from memory. Keep a bottle of the original on hand and taste both side by side to dial in color, bitterness and aroma.
How to serve them
There's no single rule: use the base or the closest style as your guide. In general, pale, light beers go at 5-8 °C (41-46 °F), and dark or strong ones at 10-14 °C (50-57 °F). A tulip works for almost all of them because it concentrates the aroma. Choose food based on the dominant trait: roast calls for meat or chocolate; acidity, for fresh cheese or shellfish.
Frequently asked questions
Which styles make up the Specialty Beer category?
According to the BJCP 2021 guidelines, 3: Commercial Specialty Beer, Mixed-Style Beer, Experimental Beer.
Classification and statistics: BJCP category 34 (Specialty Beer), 2021 edition.