Since there are so many Joe/Jane sixpacks on this board, just which beer is the best? There was some pretty good discussion on the too much sports thread, but I am curious just what the tastes of all who post here would be. I'll start off by saying that I am partial to all styles, hence my passion for homebrewing.
1. Pale Ale-Avalanche or Sierra Nevada
2. Amber-Alaskan of course
3. Brown-Moose Drool (domestic), Newcastle (imported)
4. Lager-Sam Adams Boston
5. Porter-Black Butte
6. Stout-Guiness

You don't have to have a favorite in every category, but just let me know what you drink.

Well, since Corrs is scab beer and owned by anti-union neo-con nutcases, we can rule it right out.

GoU

The only time I drank Coors was when I lived in Denver and would stop by the brewery to take a tour. Of course I was young and didn't know any better. The one good thing that came of my visits was an appreciation of hops and their contribution to beer. Thanks Coors family for awakening my beermaking interests, but no thanks to your beer.

So GoU, what beer to you drink, if you imbibe?

I'm a Guinness man myself

New Glarus has some real good beers-Spotted Cow, for instance.
Boddington
Smithwicks
microbrewery in Montana (Big Sky Brewing, I think) makes Moose Drool (brown ale) and a good Oatmeal Stout, but I don't remember what they call it
Newcastle
St. Pauli Girl Dark
Petes Wicked Ale
Paulaner

I know I've forgotten some, but I'm getting thirsty now.

LIFE'S TOO SHORT TO DRINK CHEAP BEER!

RC

For me ... nothing beats a Dos Equis. Of course, I always feel a little guilty drinking beer from Mexico. While not a member of a union, I have worked for a few unions as a consultant ... so it bothers me a tad. But I don't drink beer all that often ... mostly with Mexican Food, hence, Dos Equis.

Grain Belt would be a very, very close second. Grain Belt is a MN Beer. I live about a 1/2 mile from their old brewery. They closed the brewery, and moved the beer down to New Ulm. But is still taste the same.

oh yes, I forgot that and Negro Modelo.....nothing like that with a big plate of mexican food.

RC

My tastes are blue collar in this area.

Ale: Pete's Wicked Summer Ale
Black & Tan: Yeungling (consumed as I post)
Cheap Lager: Labatts
Expensive Lager: Michael Sheas or Sam Adams (tie)
English Beer: Newcastle
Local Beer: Honeoye Falls Brewery
Scottish Beer: Tennants (I'm part Scottish)
Stout: Guiness (as Plunderer says, it's like a milkshake)

Mostly Miller and MGD. Used to love Michelob, back in the day, when I did a lot of drinking. I've got a two-beer limit now, easily self-imposed. But I still love the taste of beer.

Oh, and I drink Harp in March or at an Irish Pub.

GoU

Big Sky stout is Slow Elk. Not bad stuff.

Those English and their Boddington's is hard to beat.

Do you like any American stouts. There are plenty you know.

Lessee...

Lager -- Hollande

Pilsener -- Pilsner Urquell ( The original, accept no substitutes )

Hefeweizen -- Widmers ( Local Brewski )

India Pale Ale -- Bridgeport ( Ditto )

Stout -- Guinness

Amber Ale -- MacTarnahan's

Belgian White Ale -- Blue Moon ( Which I am enjoying, even as I post this. )

ESB -- Rogue Brewery, Younger's Special Bitter

Red Ale -- St. Rogue Red

Oh, and favorite name for a beer...

"Alimony Ale, The Bitterest Brew In America."

'Nuff said,

As some of those are east coast beers, I am not familiar with them. Sam Adams is hard to beat. I forgot about Tennants when I initially posted; good stuff. Here on the west coast we have Grant's Scottish Ale which is very good as well.

Free & Cold are my favorites

Some good Oregon brews in your list, which I also enjoy from time to time. Rogue (for the rogue in all of us) is a great brewery to visit. You forgot Dead Guy Ale though. Did you know that Blue Moon is a Coors product brewed under a pseudonym? Most people aren't aware of that.

Grant's is pretty good- it was carried exclusively at the Village Tavern in Hammndsport (where I grew up) but they haven't carried it for years now. Do you like any brands for Black & Tan?

I didn't list Rogue Dead Guy Ale ( or Yellow Snow Ale, for that matter ) coz I have no idea what category it falls under. Rogue's got some real off-the-wall stuff that they brew. Morimoto Soba Ale, for example. ( Which I've seen, but have not tried. )

As for Blue Moon...yeah, I know. But what the heck, I like it

Black & Tan ale is pretty much an unknown quantity here on the Left Coast.

A friend of mine, of Irish extraction tells me that the only true Black & Tan is 1/2 Guinness and 1/2 Bass Ale -- on draft, not from the bottle.

Amongst the mass-market quasi-beers, the best one is often the coldest IMHO. I used to like Miller, back in the days when I drank beer. Sam Adams is not bad, and out California way they got this stuff called Henry Weinhart's, which is pretty good.

But I stopped drinking beer when I started drinking gin and tonic, and I more or less stopped drinking that about 7 or 8 years ago. My hiatal hernia acts up when I drink alcohol. I remember telling the doctor not to tell me I couldn't drink beer; I told him to just go get the gun, now. He replied that he wasn't telling me not to drink beer; he was telling me that when I did there would be consequences.

I drink perhaps twice a year now, usually just one when I do, and maybe, just maybe, half the time it's one beer.

Never liked wine. I cook with it often enough, though. You can cook sausages in beer; that's wonderful. And for that, DAB.

My understanding is that is indeed the definition of a "black and tan".

New Castle, without any doubt. Nectar of the Gods.

Trivia - Some beer manufacturers use brown/amber bottles. This is because that color blocks out UV rays while others (clear or green) do not. UV rays are the culprit that skunks your beer. Also, Coors was the first to cold filter their beer and they claim to keep it cold from brewery to store, otherwise the cold filtration is negated.

Since some of you hate Coors, maybe you could at least give this a shot: Every year around October (I think) their Brewmaster goes into hiding and makes a secret recipe. It's called Winterhaven. Some years it's bad, other years it's good to great. But every year it's different. It's worth giving a shot around the holidays, if you like to gamble.

I know it seems like I'm a big Coors fan, but I'm not. My late aunt used to be their librarian in their chemistry library in Golden. I can drink regular coors as a standby, but the only products they make that I truly like are Killian's Red and their old Coors Extra Gold (does anyone know what I'm referring to? Is it still around?)

New Castle simply can't be beat in my opinion.

Of course and Irish Car Bomb with Guinness ain't so bad either, when I'm feeling punchy.

I've been known to enjoy a little g&t from tome to time, but never at home. It's a social drink. Sorry to hear you can't drink anymore- even 1 ior 2 beers causes problems?

Oh yeah, boil those sausages in beer. I also like whiskey in my homeade chili con carne.

This seems to be a popular one among us. If some of us ever get together, this should be a drink to toast the occasion.

Oh yeah- I recall an advertisement from Sam Adams discussing that in the early or mid'90s. They beat up Heineken pretty good with that one.

Killian's is pretty good, too. Coors Extra Gold- I think I drank that in college ('87-'91) among other beers. IIRC, it was very smooth.

Irish Car Bombs make a lot of folks feel punchy- the liquid muscles that develop when too many are consumed!

Well, it isn't that I can't. But yes, one alcoholic drink gives me pain. This just up and happened when I was 35. Hot chocolate also gives me grief, but not as bad. I find it easier to avoid than beer!

Yeah, it's been years since I've seen Extra Gold on the shelves. I miss it. I loved it. I guess it's gone for good though.

Now Keystone, that's a disgusting lot!

Yes, Heineken, Becks, Dos Equis all get skunked very easily. I remember Lowenbrau used to STINK something feirce!

PBR, hands down.
its good. its cheap. its easy to drink. its cheap. it doesn't have a bad after taste. and its cheap.

Cig, normally I'd agree with ya- but if I wanted to drink water, I'd pour it from the tap. Having said that, you are entitled to drink whatever you want.

Hey, on a slightly different note: Does anyone know what this drink is called on the east coast or in the south? It's: a shot of Southern Comfort with lime juice in it, about 50/50.

I was in Miami a couple years ago and drank with a N.J. cop and his girlfriend. He kept ordering them up for us. FYI - The Clevelander is a nasty hotel but the partying is GREAT!

I drink MGD in the bottle. Having said that, if you blindfolded me I most likely wouldn't be able to pick it out. It all tastes good, but I tend to get headaches from it. The whiskey seems to treat me better. I like a good beer or drink, but I never got serious about trying different beverages. From the looks of this thread I've got a lot in common with Holmey. The rest of you make me look like a rank amateur.

Cowboy

Do all of you really like the taste of beer? I think it's ghastly. The closest I can get is Mikes Hard Lemonade and Limeade. Doesn't count, does it.......

There is a friendly disagreement between my husbands brothers between Miller Light and Bud Light--lots of ribbing. One time my dear one went into a little store at the lake and grabbed a case of the wrong beer--Busch Light. This is meaningless to me, but he won't let me tell anyone he did that. That stupid Busch Light is still out in our garage.

Blanked out earlier; shouldn't have missed this.

Simmer those sausages slowly. Don't "boil" them. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat until the bubbles are very small. Incredibly great if you grill them afterwards. Then you can have a cold one with that, if you like!

Greatness requires patience. One of the things you pick up in a few decades of cooking!

Speaking of blindfolds...

My buddy and I did a data base for our Computer Applications class back in 1985 and we decided to do a blind taste test with beer. I probably still have that think floating around. I think Becks rated super high. Damn we were drunk by the end of it.

Ah yes, slow is the way to go. I learned the hard way the first time, but after that it was easy.

I always thought it was a 100% Irish concoction, Harp and Guinness. At least that's how they always poured 'em at Durty Nellie's in Palatine.

Chip

It's just called SoCo Lime.

LOL, that's funny LindyLou.

Well, I actually tend to agree with you about beer taste. That's why I'm so picky about it. That and it's an acquired tasted, as they say. I can't stand Budweiser and many others don't float my boat. I have a very small list of beers I like. But after about #3 or #4 you don't really taste them much anymore (or at least I don't).

I like things like Mike's Hard Lemonade but they are too hard on my stomach and after #1 or #2 they tend to taste horrible to me.

I hate to say this but your hubby ain't picky at all when it comes to his beers. He's what I call a Path of Least Resistance Beer Drinker. That applies to cost and ease of drinking, and weak alcohol content. But that's just my opinion.

Tell him to get that Busch Light story out in the open and off his chest. Only then can he really heal.

When in season.

Sam Adams Summer Ale.

Otherwise FAT TIRE.

cool, thanks!

now, have you heard of a drink called a Mexican Flag?

Or how about a Blood Clot, with Hot Ginger Brandy, Sloe Gin in a shot glass dropped into a bucket of 7UP? Hotstuff!

Yes! That's it, Harp not Bass. The Irish wouldn't be exactly inclined to drink an English ale, now would they? Nellie's was always too crowded for me, though.

I never liked FAT TIRE

must be something wrong with me, aside from everything else...

I have only run into a few people who liked it. I probably wouldn't hold it on such a pedestal if I could buy it in North Dakota. The only time I get to drink it is when I am home in California or happen to be in Wyoming/Colorado, so it seems like a big deal.

Ah, yes, a man after my own heart(burn). Definitely simmer, not boil, then grill over a mellow bed of real charcoal. (Propane is convenient, but real grillmasters get their hands dirty. A gas grill is nothing more than a stove kept outside that doesn't need to be cleaned.) I slow-cook the brats with onions in beer, then save the onions for a garnish.

And you've got to use the right mustard.

Chip

Cuba Libre. Dark rum, fresh lime, real Classic Coke. Ahhhh.

Chip

I made beer brats for the boys at the firehouse once, they loved them! Parboiled the brats in beer, french rolls, grilled onions and mustard. I should have had the mustard you showed though.

Damn they were good!

I'm probably going to completely alienate myself from both the Progressives and the Righties on this board by saying that water, fruit juice and vegetable juice (Spicy Hot V8 -- Yum!) are the only beverages that ever come near my lips.

Funny, I noticed New Castle is just catching on back east, I think. So if I'm over there I get pissed/pissy when they don't have it. I bet I'd be in the same boat as you if I didn't live in s. california, where it's abundant.

Shot of Jose with Tabasco layered on top. For when you need to punish yourself.

yep, sorry, boring. How about red wine? It's great for you!

A good chianti perhaps?

Not even milk?

Very rarely. I consider myself a bit of a chocolate milk connoisseur, and allow myself the occasional glass.

But I avoid dairy for the most part. It tends to slow me down. I like to keep myself in fighting shape.