Best beer

Way too many to pick from these days. Given the number of fantastic micro-breweries on the West Coast (and everywhere else), there is no longer any reason to ship what are mostly over-hyped, mediocre beers from Holland, Germany, Belgium and Czech.

Drink Local!!

@Lloydc - ale is a type of beer

@everyone else. I'm a bit surprised that a group that is so knowledgeable about esoteric audio equipment is drinking so much beer from large breweries.

If you live on the West Coast (U.S.) try breweries like Stone, Firestone Walker, Bruery, Craftsman, Mammoth, Telegraph, Bootleggers, Lost Coast, Green Flash, Taps, Hangar 24, Mad River, Lost Coast, Rogue, Indian Wells Brewing, Kern River Brewing, Moylan's, Bear Republic, and many others.

On the East Coast, I highly recommend Ommegang (from Cooperstown, NY, specializing in Belgian style) and Unibroue (Quebec) and Allagash (Maine).

This is just a tiny sample. Recommending specific beers from these breweries is almost impossible. You need to narrow down the style.

@Philjolet - not sure if we can get Bell's in California. I've never seen it here, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

@Kennyt - I can't believe I forgot to mention Lagunitas brewery - that's one of my favorites.

@Dopogue - Brother Thelonious is made by North Coast brewing, which is another fantastic brewer I forgot to mention

Arrogant Bastard is Stone Brewery, based in Northern San Diego County. All of their beers are excellent. I must admit that I find Arrogant Bastard excessively hoppy, but that's been the trend the last few years. I think the market is finally moving past that. Nonetheless, Arrogant Bastard is one of the great beer names.

@Tmsorosk - sounds like a great business opportunity -- start selling micro-brews in Alberta!

Mission Brewery (from San Diego) Blonde Ale has become my recent go-to, everyday beer. Nice flavor, good body, but goes down smoothly. Also tried some Magic Hat #9 (from Vermont) and Brooklyn Summer Ale while I was in NY, as well as Bronx Brewery American Ale. All were good -- especially the Magic Hat.

Keep Drinking Local!

Just drank a few new beauties from Mammoth Brewing Company (located in Mammoth Lakes, CA). These are all new, limited releases. Descriptions below from MBC's web site. Good luck finding these outside of Mammoth, but if you can get there (the powder is dumping as we speak), they are top notch (and strong enough to knock you down pretty quickly):

• Devils Post Pale Ale: Originally brewed for the centennial celebration of Devils Postpile, we superheat volcanic rock to start the boiling process. The result is earthy, caramelized wort, giving this ale its unique flavor. We then generously hop with Centennial hops (of course!) to create this double pale ale.
7.5% ABV, 70 IBUs

• Owens Valley Wet Harvest Ale: Mammoth Brewing Company is proud to offer our third annual wet harvest beer. This year, we chose to brew an Imperial Double Red Ale. Drink this limited wet harvest ale today at the peak of freshness to enjoy the aromatic qualities of these high altitude wet hops.
8.0% ABV, 70 IBUs

• Lair of the Bear: A true winter warmer to sip by the fire, Lair of the Bear is a hefty Russian Imperial Stout with an O.G. of 22 Plato. Our brewers fermented this stout with our proprietary yeast in stainless for two weeks then racked into freshly emptied Heavenly Hills Bourbon barrels and allowed the beer to rest for seven months. Enjoy now or age for as long as you like, but be aware Lair of the Bear may put you into hibernation.
9.5% ABV, 70 IBUs

• Fire & Eisbock: Brewing in the land of fire & ice (the Eastern Sierra) since 1995 has brought us to this style of beer, where we use a long intense boil to concentrate color, flavor, and natural sugars. Then, after fermentation, we freeze no more than 2% of the water content out of the beer. This concentrates the alcohol and smooths out the flavor for a true winter seasonal. Like the bliss of a “one swing stick” into ice, this beer will distill your attention down to the single focus of the bend of your elbow. Fire & Eisbock will age well, but do drink one now to compare with our barrel-aged eisbock.
10.0% ABV, 27 IBUs