Dessert beer is, in the most simple sense, beer that is brewed to taste like dessert.
Taking a more complex view, the term "dessert beer" can cover a variety of things, such as:
- Beer brewed to mimic or pay homage to a dessert
- Beer that is sweet or sour and reminds us of a candy or dessert
- Beer that is so decadent that it is dessert, whether it reminds us of any pre-existing dish or not
- Beer that is sort of dessert but not quite, yet nonetheless you decide it is "dessertish"
- Beer that is savoury yet, being a liquid, is novel enough to be classed as "dessertish"