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The style of a beer is often indicative of the region of the world in which it was originally brewed. The factors affecting the style of beer produced include the quality of the water available, the range of locally-grown ingredients, notably cereal grains and hops, yeast strains and ambient temperature.

Certain towns within a country are well known for their water supply and the fine beers that are produced from this water; Burton on Trent, in England, is one of these places. Cereal crops vary from country to country, although most brewers around the world have used barley as the basis for their beers, giving rise to regional variations from the use of other malted grains and adjuncts.

Hops are a crucial ingredient in determining the style of a beer; the variety of hops grown in an area will greatly influence the taste and aroma of the beer made from those hops. The Bavarian region is renowned for its range of beers, and the floral hop flavours and aromas, particularly those attributed to the noble hop varieties, contribute to the style of beers brewed in that region. Eastern European regions and the south east of England, notably Kent, were also favoured hop growing areas, each with their distinctive varieties, which helped to determine the styles of beer brewed in the surrounding districts.

Yeast, particularly its fermentation characteristics, contributes much more to the flavour of a beer than is widely acknowledged. The naturally occurring yeast strain in a region affects the type of beer produced in that region; top-fermenting yeasts create different beers to bottom-fermenting yeasts. Before the advent of sophisticated temperature control systems the ambient temperature of a region would have determined how the beer was brewed. Colder climates would have tended to utilize yeasts which could operate at lower temperatures with longer fermentation times, resulting in beers with different flavours to those using top-fermenting yeasts.

Hops, along with alcohol content, contribute to the storage life of a beer; heavily hopped beers keep longer and are capable of travelling further than lightly hopped beers. The term IPA, which stands for India Pale Ale, refers to the strong, heavily hopped beers brewed in England which were sent out to the members of the military serving in India. This term is often misused by modern brewers who sometimes apply the title to low-gravity pale beers.

Taxation has also affected the type of beer brewed in a country, as high alcohol content beers often have attracted higher levels of duty, which is ultimately reflected in the price of the beer. This was particularly true in Ireland where the Guinness stout consumed there was of a lower alcohol content than the stout which was exported in order for it to be cheaper for local people to buy.