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Sweetwater IPA is a very delicious balanced ipa, especially when it is really fresh. Good People's Snakehandler's Double IPA is another good one but it is from a super micro brewery in birmingham if you can find it you should give it a try.
 
anything from oskar blues. their imperial stout is phenomenal as is dale's pale. their imperial ipa is hard to beat as well.
 
I couldnt pick 1 favorite beer, but I could pick a brewery: New Belgium. Oddly enough, not one of their beers would be my all-time favorite (although Fat Tire and 2* Below are good beers), but they are just so consistant as a whole - for all their styles.
 
Favorite would have to be Capital Breweries Island Wheat Ale. The wheat that they use is grown on my buddies land in Washington Island, WI. Since I've seen the wheat that they use being harvested while we're up relaxing and drinking beer at his place is probably why I'm a little partial to it (plus I've always loved wheat beer).
 
Threads like this make me so jealous of anyone who has access to Russian River, New Belgium and Bells. Of the three, the only beers I've sampled are Fat Tire and Oberon. Fat Tire on draft in Vegas and Oberon at Phish's IT festivale when I met some guys from MI who would only trade me for one after I produced ID proving that my first name is, in fact, Oberon. I was luckily able to later procure 2 cases when a friend took a road trip home to MI.

*END HIJACK*

At the moment:
DFH Burton Baton
Dale's Pale Ale
Anchor Steam
Long Trail Hibernator
Troeg's Dreamweaver

Offshore Ale (local brew pub) Hop Goddess and Barleywine
 
My Personal Favorites (with a bit of NW bias):

Russian River - My favorite brewery
Consecration
Damnation
Temptation
Pliney the Elder (and Younger)
Blind Pig
Plus a stout who's name is escaping me that they don't bottle...simply amazing.

Lagunitas
Maximus DIPA
Brown Sugga
Lil Sumptin Extra

Deschutes
Black Butte Porter
The Abyss...holy crap it's good
Mirror Pond PA

Elysian
The Great Pumpkin
Immortal IPA

Firestone Walker
DBA is amazing... the imperial version is f'n insane. Same thing for their IPA/DIPA

I'm not a huge fan of Widmer in general, but their Drifter APA is pretty tasty.
 
1. Southern Tier Imperial Pumpking (96.5/100)
2. Black Boss Porter (96/100)
3. Founders Breakfast Stout (95/100)
4. Three Floyds Dreadnaught (94/100)
5. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (94/100)
6. Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout (93/100)
7. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (92/100)
8. Bell's Third Coast Old Ale (91/100)
9. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (91/100)
10. Weihenstephaner Hefe (90/100)
11. Old Rasputin (88/100)
12. Buffalo Bills Oatmeal Blueberry Stout (88/100)
13. Pranqster Malt (88/100)
14. Unibroue Maudite (88/100)
15. Rogue Chocolate Stout (87/100)
16. Unibroue Trois Pistoles (87/100)
17. Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar (87/100)
18. Unibroue Don De Dieu (87/100)

Worth Mention:
Ten Pin Porter
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel
Dogfish head 90 minute
Weihenstephaner Hefe Original/Korbinian
Young's Double Chocolate Stout (Can)
 
the_bird said:
Too big a question.

The best microbrewery whose wares I've had the pleasure of sampling is Russian River. Pliny the Elder is the best IPA I've had, and Damnation is a pretty freakin' phenomenal example of a Belgian golden strong ale. Their brett-fermented blonde ale, whose name is escaping me, is another beer in my all-time top 10.
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We stopped at Russian River on a beer tour (Bear Republic, RR, Lagunitas, Moylands, Marin).
They had several beers on tap including Pliny Elder & Younger that were simply the best beer I ever had. Fantastic.

Grew up in Chico and drank/ate at Sierra Nevada frequently from early '90's. Great place.
 
Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout. Best beer I have ever had (09 version). Amazing.
 
Canadian Breakfast stout - Best stout I have ever had, maybe best beer.
Prima Pils - Could drink this all day every day till I am dead.
Blind Pig - Vinnie knows how to work those hops.
NG Enigma - The best sour beer ever made.
JP La Parcela - Super interesting, my favorite fall seasonal.
Really anything by Deschutes, they might make the most consistently clean and balanced beer in the entire country.
 
mixmasterob said:
anything from oskar blues. their imperial stout is phenomenal as is dale's pale. their imperial ipa is hard to beat as well.
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You know, I'd never seen Dale's Pale Ale around here until we went out for pizza last night and they had it on draft. Been one of those beers that I've been really wanting to try... and boy, it didn't disappoint. I could drink those all night!
 
I may be a bit biased because I am from Louisiana, but I think the best microbrewery is Abita in Abita Springs, LA. If you have never had any of their beer before, I would suggest having an Abita Amber, Turbodog, or Purple Haze. The Abita flavor is so unique.
 
I just bought a sixer of the Abita Amber a week or so ago - very nice beer, although I'm not sure I really found it to be unique. Really nice beer, maybe a little lighter in body than I was expecting for an amber ale, but I'll definately buy it again.
 
Gotta say there are a few cause I'm boy always in the mood fe a certain style but,

Founders breakfast stout
Russian river pliney the elder
hoegaarden wit
dry dock vanilla porter
 
Synovia said:
I don't know if I've never gotten a good bottle or something, but my impression of Fat Tire was terrible.
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Its one of those beers that you absolutely cannot drink straight from the bottle, and even then I think its 10x better on tap.
Overral though I wouldnt rank it very high, but its not a bad beer
 
Good damn question... I would say favorite brew house is Lake Tahoe Brew Co. in Lake Tahoe.

Favorite beers right now: Delerium Tremmers (SP??), Guinness, Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada, Kona's brew co ale... forget the name
 
strohs said:
Its one of those beers that you absolutely cannot drink straight from the bottle, and even then I think its 10x better on tap.
Overral though I wouldnt rank it very high, but its not a bad beer
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It's true, better than macro's but too expensive to buy often. It's usually the only "good" beer I can get on tap around here. I don't mind it but I like NB's 1554 more. It's similar to fat tire but with chocolate and more roasted malt notes. The biggest complaint I have to NB's brews (which they cannot help) is that the initial taste when the beer hits your pallet is awesome, but that taste goes away immediately and becomes transparent (unless you drink their brew slowly).
 
I'm a fan of New Glarus, I try to pick up a bit whenever I'm up that direction, I quite enjoy the Fat Squirrel.

I'll throw in Bells Expedition stout, that was a delicious intense beer and Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat, pretty tasty, easy drinking and great fresh
 
Another fan of Deschutes' brews. Black Butte Porter is heaven in a bottle. Always love Sierra Nevada's products. Their Torpedo is a favorite. No love for Firestone Walker? Union Jack IPA is ridiculously good as is all their stuff. Ballast Point beers are sick as well.
 
Natural Light, Old Milwaukees Best, Keystone, Bud Ice and all the Bud craft brews(especially the lime), Colt 45, Steel Reserve, Corona(with a lime), Coors, Miller, Natty Boh, Pabst, Red Dog(remember that), Icehouse...could go on forever but Im getting thirsty doin this.
 
timmystank said:
Natural Light, Old Milwaukees Best, Keystone, Bud Ice and all the Bud craft brews(especially the lime), Colt 45, Steel Reserve, Corona(with a lime), Coors, Miller, Natty Boh, Pabst, Red Dog(remember that), Icehouse...could go on forever but Im getting thirsty doin this.
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Troll detected
 
Hm, it's tough to pick favorites on the "home appreciation" camp (New Belgium's Hoptober is the top of my mind right now)... but on the "pub pint" camp, nothing beats Manny's Pale Ale (Seattle).
 
My #1 seems to change over time but currently it's Stone Brewery's Sublimely Self Righteous. Of course that may change when my brother-in-law gets here for Thanksgiving and brings something new from up north...
 
I probably haven't tried as many craft brews as most here, but right now the two that have really impressed me the most are North Coast's Old Rasputin and Bell's Two Hearted Ale.
 
bethlehembrewer said:
I forgot about Fat Tire, I agree with that vote. That beer makes going out west very enjoyable. Not that it isn't already.
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Seriously? Fat Tire? That's the beer for people who don't like ales and usually drink Miller. There are many beers here better than that.

I kid, everyone's entitled to their opinion ;)

But seriously. There is a brew pub here called CooperSmiths and they make an english bitter called Albert Damn (I think). It's absolutely delicious.
 
The best beer I've ever had was the Arrogant Bastard I ordered at the Stone brewery restaurant.

I'm not sure that Stone counts as a microbrewery, though; it seems to large. When I think microbrewery, I think of someplace local, in which case, I'm a fan of North by Northwest's pale ale.

http://www.nxnwbrew.com/
 
ThinkinDavid said:
Seriously? Fat Tire? That's the beer for people who don't like ales and usually drink Miller. There are many beers here better than that.
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From what I've seen of fat tire (and we're talking a couple bombers poured into glasses in bars), its not something anyone who drinks american lager would come near. It has been decidedly "funky" every time I've tried it.
 

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