But Hoegaarden is much, much better than Blue Moon, which needs half an orange stuffed down into the bottle before it can be considered drinkable.
There are a wide variety of Belgian-type ales, from sweet and light to syrupy and heavy. Chimay is a good place to start and the 750ml bottle is enough for dinner for two and classy enough to stand in for wine with the right dish. (They make Red, White, and Blue labels with different alcohol contents and different flavors; the blue is the premium.) Delirium Tremons is another good one, and Cheval is a nice lighter ale. I’ve started to see some Belgian ales coming out of Oregon and Washington so I guess someone in the States is picking up on it, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Bass is my standard default; as jrfranchi points out, it’s good at different temps, in different environs, and with a lot of different foods. I’m also partial to Newcastle Brown Ale, though I definitely prefer it from the tap as opposed to bottle. Samual Smith’s Nutty Brown is probably my favorite of browns but is a bit pricey. I’ve never cared much for Sam Adams–to me, all of their beers have this kind of funny aftertaste–but if you like Octoberfests try the Spatan (which, despite the traditional seasonal nature of the brew, seems to be available for most of the year.) I also like their Optimator, but it’s a thick, heavy douplebock or tripplebock, and I can only handle one pint at a sitting.
Someone mentioned Boddingtons Pub Ale which is one of my favorites with a turkey sandwich; it’s like a creamy buttermilk in texture and a light but distinct flavor; and it does that cool downward flowing bubble thing that Guinness and some other stouts do. I’m also a fan of stouts but admit that they take a bit of acclimatization; if you’re game, try getting a Half & Half (stout over lager, typically Guinness on top of Harp) or a Black & Tan (Guiness atop Bass) if you’ve got a bar that taps both beers.
India makes some good lagers too. I’ve never been impressed with anything else coming out of East Asia, but Dansburg and Lal Toofan are my favorites. I’ll take Dos Equis Amber or Negro Modelo any day over Corona, and Red Stripe is decent for a hot summer day but most notable for the fat “bumblebee” bottle; don’t drink this out of a glass.
Point of note; when trying several beers at a sitting, go from least to most hoppy (just as you’d go from dry to sweet with wine). So, start with a light pilsner or a stout or somesuch and work toward a bock, a pale ale, or hefeweizen.
If you’re ever in Milwaukee, stop by Sprecher Brewing Company, do the tour and the tasting, and pick up a case or three. They make a great selection of beers (mostly German and English) and are some of the best American-made beers I’ve found; and they do follow the Reinheitsgebot (German purity law) with regard to their German beers. They only export beer to a very limited number of states (unfortunately, not California
), but they also make some excellent root beer, orange soda, and sasparilla which is more widely available.
Stranger