Boulevard wheat was my drink of choice in college (St. Louis, MO) :D .

I now have to update my list. I spent a week in Kodiak, AK and had some of the best beer out there. The local brewery is the hightlight of Kodiak. There is not much else to do in the town. The brewmaster makes about 7 or 8 beers and all are abvailable to sample on tap. After sampling all 8 you can buy up to 2 pints for $4 each. My favorites were Liquid Sunshine and the oatmeal stout (cant think of the name, had too much of it.) We actually bought a growler of the stuff back to los angeles. Great beer. He also will give you a tour of his brewery. If anyone is in that neck of the woods, this is a sure place not to miss

I enjoy good Pilsners, IPAs, stouts...how the heck can I pin it to one favorite?

I recently enjoyed a Saison Dupont winter brew. Delicious!

Well, I work for all the major breweries so whichever is paying my tab while traveling is the beer of choice.
They're all about the same anyhow.:rolleyes:
Although my favorite is free.:D

I am generally not a beer drinker, but I still have a few that I prefer.

1. Stella Atois
2. Guiness draught
3. Romulan Ale (Quark Bar, LV Hilton) Blue, but still tasty.

Okay, good to know. Since I did not get an answer before I left for the weekend, I went with St. Arnold's Spring Bock. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste that you don't get with Shiner Bock, but quite tasty nonetheless. ;)

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

Glad to hear that somebody talks about old school US beers... Schlitz is factually one of the best beers in the USA, but after the reformulation flap in the 1970s it has a very bad reputation... try it... it comes again in a glass bottle in some markets like FL

Pizza Port's Seaside Stout

sdcarver

i recently had a paulaner, i thought it was quite good

Miller Lite (award winning BTW)
Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat
Pilsner Urquel
Cristal (Peru)
any seasonal from New Glarus Brewing Co.

I bought a sixpack of Landshark Lager for Easter. Ended up mixing mai-tais instead and cracked the first bottle of Landshark tonight. Disappointment. Too sweet and a little syrupy. Just another no flavor American brew. If it comes out in a lite version, it's sure to be popular.

Favorite hands down because I can't get it all the time: Stone Russian Imperial Stout. Local specialty beverage store is getting some in, had to have them set aside a dozen for me. Hopefully I can hide a few from myself to age.

If I"m feeling hoppy, Dogfish Head 120min IPA or Rogue Hoppy Froggy IPA when I visit home back in Seattle.

When its blisteringly hot and I just want to down as much liquid as I can: Moosehead.

Guinness.

1. TsingTao
2. Stella

I think I need to make a trip to Dogfish Head soon. :D

Even when I'm not working on a story there are advantages to being a professional beer drinker -- um, I mean, to writing about beer. :D

I visited Dogfish Head's Rehoboth Beach brewpub while relaxing at that Delaware beach over Easter weekend and I was invited to try an early taste of their third ancient beer revival, Theobroma. It's Aztec-style fermented chocolate, at about 10% alcohol.

I'd describe it as moderately sweet with a complex flavor that (I'm speculating) comes at least in part from the chilies in the recipe and a distinct chocolate aftertaste. A glass of this would make an excellent dessert all by itself. Theobroma is scheduled for release in August

DFH has done this before, working with an archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania who does chemical analysis of residues found in cooking pots and drinking vessels to determine what people ate and drink.

The first is Midas Touch, which is a beer/wine/mead blend that is as best they can recreate what was served around 700 B.C.E. at the funeral feast for King Mithras, the Phrygian king who inspired the King Midas myth. This was supposed to be made as a one-time thing for a U. of Pennsylvania fundraiser that recreated the funeral feast, but the demand for it has turned Midas Touch into an award-winning part of Dogfish Head's regular lineup.

The second ancient beer recreation is Chateau Jiahu, which is a modern version of an ancient Chinese beer made from a blend of rice, hawthorne fruit and chrysanthemum flowers. The first time I tasted this, I described it as "Belgian sake".

Mmm, that sounds wonderful!

Word.^

My number one beer is Cascade from Tasmania, it's as far as I know not available outside Australia. It,s brewed with natural spring water and is all natural ingredients. When flying you can make me happy with a Tooheys New or a Hahn Lager.

Paulaner Helles and/or Münchner HB Helles ^

When in Germany : Kloster Andechs, Krombacher Pils and most Dunkles Weizen
In California : Henry Weinhard
In Thailand : Beer Chang
In Copenhagen : Carlsberg Elephant
In England : Double Diamond
In Australia : will be there next month and looking for a good brew.
Preferably a Bitter type.

With the plethora of fabulous American microbrews out there, who can have just one favorite? :confused:

Honorable mention goes to the Sleeman family of beers that I'm finding readily available in my temporary home of NE Ohio. My favorite is their Porter...the Cream Ale and Honey Brown aren't too bad either. At $6 a 6-pack, these are great everyday beers. ^

Among things that are available where I live (Tucson) here's what I like to keep "in stock":

Abbaye Des Rocs
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Cantillon Kriek / Saint Lamvinus
Gouden Carolus
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Stone IPA
Trappistes Rochefort 10
Tripel Karmeliet
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Westmalle Tripel

Big fan of the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, Colo. right now. Their Dale's Pale Ale is a good basic beer, very hoppy without being overwhelming. The Old Chub Scottish Ale and Ten Fidy, which is like (meaning maybe not exactly) a Russian Imperial Stout. Plus, they come in cans, making them easy to store and hard to skunk.

I recommend www.beeradvocate.com for all your beer research needs. They publish a great monthly magazine on American microbrews and review about 30 beers in each issues (domestic and import). They also aggregate all of the beer festivals around the country (and the world, to some extent) in the events section of the website, and even plan a few of their own like the American Craft Beer Festival at the Boston Seaport Hotel over the weekend of June 20 (http://beeradvocate.com/acbf/).

Okay, so I took the plunge on Shiner '97 this weekend. ;)

Pulled a frosted Pilsner glass out of the freezer and poured it. Have to say that the first thing I thought was, "Oh my...this looks exactly like Guinness Stout." But, encouraged by the words on the label, "Don't be afraid of the dark", I pressed on. :)

Very tasty and not at all as "strong-flavored" as Guinness, but still very much a different "presence" from the Shiner Bock, I normally drink.

So, I shall no longer be afraid of the dark or of lagers in general as long as it is Shiner Black Lager. :D

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

I'm not really much of a beer connoisseur, but given a choice, I like Asahi, Carlsberg, the Czech Budweiser, Staropramen, Shultheiss (which is a small German brewery), or just even a plain old regular Budweiser. Beck's, Foster's and Stella's are all good, too. :)

BridgePort IPA
Full Sail Amber
Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Beer Chang? Seriously? Yikes! Whatever works for you.

Tusker as of lately....

Apologies to Starwood Lurker
 

The Shiner Black Lager is an example of what Germans call "schwarzbier". Except for its color, it has nothing in common with Guinness or any other ale, dark or pale. A good German example of the style is made by Koestritzer. Several of the best schwarzbiers in the U.S. are made in Utah -- and, no, I can't explain why. At a guess, perhaps because it's a low-alcohol style, and Utah makes it difficult for local brewers to show off their abilities on more potent brews.

The other thing I'll note is that you should not drink lighter-flavored beers like a schwarzbier (heck, I'd argue ANY beers) from a frosted or frozen glass. That over-chills your drink and you don't get all of the flavors the brewer worked so hard to put into the beer. And the condensation of atmospheric moisture on the inside of the glass dilutes the beer, having a similar effect as the too-cold temperature.

Too often, especially in the U.S., beer is served too cold. A bar advertising "the coldest beer in town" wouldn't get my business.

While it is ultimately a subjective decision, the proper serving temperature to get the most flavor from a lager such as a pilsner would be around 7 degrees C/45 degrees F; a darker lager like schwarzbier or a wheat beer should be about a degree C/couple of degrees F warmer. Ales would be at their best when served at about 13 degrees C/55 degrees F, and really big strong beers like some of the Belgian Trappist ales or English barleywines show off their complexities when served at just below room temperature; call it 15 degrees C/60 degrees F.

Starwood Lurker, my thanks and my apologies for using your post to create a "teachable moment" -- and a little bit of a rant.

True, unless I was stepping into a bar with a Miller High Life on the mind. It does happen occasionally.

Definitely German Wheat Beer
 

Especially Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse

One beer that I really enjoy that not too many people drink/know about is Sol. Sol is the most refreshing beer on a hot day at the beach. I also love the artwork on the bottle.

I have a real soft spot for Cooper's Sparkling Ale (aka Cooper's Red).

A trip to Wisconsin isn't complete without some New Glarus Spotted Cow.

I haven't found a beer that I like better anyplace else.

Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
Smithwicks
Guinness
Staropramen
Stella

(in order)
stella artois
heineken
rolling rock (gotta have my 33)

Even after the brand got bought by Anheuser-Busch and production was moved from Latrobe, Pennsylvania to Newark, New Jersey?

Of course, once upon a time you did try to stop hockey pucks.... :p

if you ever make it to the southwest of Germany, try Rothaus Tannenzäpfle
(Small Fir Cone), brewed by a state owned brewery up in the Black Forest,. pretty potent brew with 5.1 %.
and quite a funny story about the girl on the label. check out wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothaus

The best beer is the beer you make yourself!

Relax and have a homebrew.

David.