Can carbonation change style?

[BARL Brewing]

I picked up a Guinness clone recipe to brew (Feel like typing that last sentence is going to bring a lot of mixed thoughts). Anyhow, after it was finished I used my little Brew Pal itouch app to compare my brew to the BJCP styles it would be similar to based upon the ingredients I used. With a strict search it compared to a Sweet Stout. With a slightly less strict comparison it gave me five different: American Brown Ale, Robust Porter, Baltic Porter, Sweet Stout, and Oatmeal Stout.

Having said all that. Can carbonation change style?
With style comparisons ranging possibly from American Ale to Porter and Stout. Where should I dial in the keg pressure, and by carbonation the same beer differently is it possible to change the beer style?

[bwarbiany]

No. Carbonation won't change the beer style.

Guinness is a dry irish stout. If you end up nearer to sweet stout territory, it'll definitely be different. I'd suggest posting your recipe, though, and we can take a look at the style. But changing carbonation won't make it less sweet.

But the real question is simpler: does it taste good? If the recipe is a poor clone for Guinness (a nitro-carbed beer that requires special carb equipment to replicate), so be it. If the beer tastes good but not like Guinness, then you're just fine.

[BrewMasterBrad]

While carbonation alone won't change the style of a beer, the wrong carbonation level can certainly put a beer out of style. There is some overlap in styles for many types of beer and you will often run into beers that can fit into more than one category. I have brewed porters that fit into more than one porter category. The key is if the beer tastes good to you. I would only worry about the style issue if you are going to be entering the beer into contests. Then you should have the appropriate level of carbonation as listed in the BJCP style guide. There are several resources out there that list the appropriate CO2 pressure and beer temperature to reach the desired level of carbonation.