OK, we're getting somewhere now! If you're a fan of Dogfish Head and a Sierra Nevada's various pale ales, then you are on your way to being a hophead. Here are a few more to try. You might not have all of these in your area. Such is the craft brew market, just move onto the next. Also, you mentioned HIGH alc content, but still pale. In that case, you should look into a belgian Tripel.
Great Divide Brewing Co - Titan IPA, Denver Pale Ale
Oskar Blues - Gordon Pale Ale, all Oskars' brews are tasty.
New Belgium - Trippel, Fat Tire, many more, they're all really good.
Avery - IPA
Anything from Stone Brewing Co, especially Ruination or Stone IPA
Anything from Rogue Brewing Co
Now for some imports, because let's face it, not ALL good beer is from USA:
Newcastle Brown Ale
Guinness EXTRA Stout (Not the normal stuff, look for a "old fashioned" brown paper label)
Boddington's Pub Ale
Anything from Samuel Smith's
normal Warsteiner - also try Warsteiner Dunkel.
Hoegaarden
Pilsner Urquell
Kulmbacher - Any variety
Spaten Optimator
Really, you could pick up almost anything in the Import section besides Heineken, and get a unique experience. Hell, you could even pick up Heineken if you want, I'm not a hater.
But in short, you are asking us for the impossible. If you can tell us "I really like xxx style, Can you suggest beers from other craft breweries that match this style" then I am sure you'll get a million replies. (Well, not a
million, per se.)
Honestly, since you are still feeling out what you like or don't, I recommend just grabbing whatever you see. Try everything possible. After all, you don't know till you try it. Every beer on those shelves is just a little different from every other beer on those shelves, that's why this is such a glorious world to get into.
Best of luck.
As far as the board's favorite? Go to Beer Advocate and display the full list of every beer known to BA's site. That's about the approximation I can give you of our tastes.
Some of us like DFH60, others prefer DFH120, others like Three Philosophers, or HeBrew Bittersweet Lenny's Rye IPA or Hop Rod Rye, and then some of us like Mephistopheles and Pliny the Elder and anything with the word "Double" amplifying the strength. Then, there are guys like Biermuncher that prefer to drink session beers, many of which are even under 4% alcohol. Some of us like Guinness, some of us even like Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller High Life.
It seems like a large number of people on HBT really like Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. As for
why they like it.... well, that's a long story.