Best beer

-1 Sweet2ear.
I've brewed a bit as well. I've tasted many others' home brews. I've never tasted any home brew which even comes close to top beers. Better than Bud? Sure. But no comparison to the top brewers like Founders and others. Maybe I just need to get new home brew friends? ;^)

Well Rockadanny, I think it's your friends. With all respect, of course. ;)

To use your example, it should be pretty straightforward to brew an APA in the league of Founder's Centennial (a very good, but not great, APA). Not saying way better, or even better, but most certainly competitive. I've done this reliably, and I'm pretty casual brewer. (Other styles, like Lagers, are harder.)

IMHO, the most common cause of "amateur" homebrew is cloudy, sludgy beer, that just doesn't taste clean. The cure is patience: enough time in vat for particulate to settle out (and the clean beer to be "racked" off).

After that diatribe, another recommendation:

Schlafley's Tasmanian IPA, with all Australian hops. Pretty local to ST. Louis, but worth a look.

John

Fosters.

Tried a home made beer at friends that trounced all others. It was a pale Ale.

Nitro milk stout. Good stuff!