Beer expresses it's flavors wih a large number of taste elements:  malty-sweet, malty-dry and hoppy, which can be bitter, herbal, or both.  These flavors can be found in beer of light, medium, or full body.  These variants are expressed in dozens of beer styles, each with it's own unique characteristics.  The beer styles in the chart below are listed from sweetest to driest, with a description of body and suggested food pairings.