by D. Kearney Sparano

Created on: January 29, 2009

This is a tricky and difficult subject. To the unknowing it might seem simple. Just list a bunch of beers. One beer is as good as another isn't it? Well no. There is a lot going on in the world of beer. Beer says as much about a person as the car they drive, way the keep their home and so on. As Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." For those that don't like beer I say you haven't done enough looking to find your beer.

For instance I don't like hoppy beer. Most west coast beers are hoppy. When I was in California a friend of mine raved about it. While out, and he having imbibed quite a bit, he brought beer after beer to the table of hoppy IPA's. Now if that was my introduction to beer I might have taken away the impression that I didn't like beer, in reality I just don't like overly hoppy beer.

Now my go to beer that I can drink under any circumstance is Guinness. I love it. I love the heavy thick creaminess, the slightly bitter coffee taste. Unfortunately, I have yet to drink one in Dublin, but plans are underway to correct that. Guinness suits my palette wonderfully.

After Guinness comes Sam Adams. There are many varieties my particular favorites are Cranberry Lambic, Cherry Wheat, Cream Stout, and Summer Ale. There are so many varieties you'll find something you like.

There is a brewery in Pennsylvania, Weyerbacher, that brews a beer I was introduced to at a beer festival. It is called Prophecy. What I love about this beer is that it is aged in bourbon barrels, so it has that wonderful natural mix of beer and whiskey.

Overall though I am a lover of microbrews and local beers, some of my absolute favorite beers are made locally on Long Island by a small brewery called The Black Forrest Brew Haus. The menu rotates regularly but their Pilsner, Amber and Hefewiesen are always available. Aside from those there are seasonal beers like scotch ale, Russian imperial stout and Octoberfest.

As I said beer is a personal choice. If you're willing to do a little searching you are bound to find something you like. There are a lot of choices out there these days and if you have tried some of my favorites but still don't like them here are just a few more of my favorites: Magic Hat, Bass, Blue Moon, Heineken (not Heineken light), Old Speckle Hen, Young's Chocolate Stout, Anchor Steam, Killians, McSorley's Dark and the occasional Corona on a hot day.

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