Best Dark Beer:
No contest here. McEwans Scotch Ale cannot be beat. This is what a beer should taste like. It should be drunk at slightly cooler than room temperature-and always in a glass so one can enjoy the fine color. Sadly, this stuff is not cheap-but it is perfection in a beer.
Best Wheat Beer:
Celis White. If you have never tried a wheat beer you should try this one from the Celis Brewery in Austin, Texas. It has a true wheat beer taste. The label says it is "Belgian Style Beer." Unfortunately, it gets cloudy when chilled, so drink it from the bottle.
Best Pilsner:
Maybe it's because I grew up in Colorado, but I don't think you can beat Coors Banquet beer for an American pilsner.
Best Light Beer:
I hesitate to even discuss light beers. Still, there are times when one is forced to drink them. Like when a restaurant has nothing on the beer menu worth the calories or alcohol--but you want a beer because the wine selection is even worse. I sometimes settle for a Miller's Genuine Draft Light (MGDL for those in the know), but I prefer Amstel Light. The label claims it is a Lager with the Taste and Flavor of a Quality Imported Beer. As light beers go, it is by far the best I've had. Give it a try and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Best Canned Beer:
I don't like to drink beer sold in cans. Beer should come in bottles. Indeed, beer demands bottles. However, there is one beer that comes in a can that I heartily recommend. That beer is Guinness Draught. You find it in four can in a carton. It is not cheap. However, it is a great beer experience on every level.
Guinness has outdone itself with this beer. There is a "special Guinness 'floating widget' inside the can" that helps duplicate the draught on tap taste. I don't know how it works. I don't know if it works. I do know that the beer tastes very good.
Of course, you don't drink this beer from the can. If you do you will miss many of its virtues. What you have to do is pop the lid and pour the beer in a steady stream into the side of a tilted glass. You will notice immediately that the color of the beer changes while you are pouring. You will also notice that Guinness has managed to insure a great head on the beer.
Set the glass of beer on the table. Sit down. Stare at the beer. It will be a creamy color immediately after you pour it into the glass. But the magic starts and the beer transforms itself into a rich, dark color with the most wondrous head. Now it is ready to drink. The carton claims the beer has a "smoother, creamier taste." Guinness has it exactly right. This is a well balanced beer, that asks for slow sipping.
If you get the impression that I like this beer, you are right. Few beers can be enjoyed on so many levels. Try a four pack. I am sure the beer will impress you and anyone you are kind enough to share it with.