20 Great Beers We Take for Granted

Admit it….you’re guilty.

I know I am.

You scour the beer aisles looking for the next bright shiny object. A limited release whiskey barrel aged imperial stout. A collaborative barley wine from 5 different breweries. A Rauchbier made from the smoke of the Icelandic volcano.

With the craft beer market exploding, it’s easy to become distracted as brewers fight to keep our attention with these whimsical brews.

But let’s not forget the great beers that are right under our noses. These year-round brews are often overshadowed by the hyped-up extreme offerings. You always see them on the shelf, but by now you don’t even notice them. They’ve become part of the background as your eyes dart to something new.

Let’s recognize some of these dependable soldiers. Here are 20 great beers that we take for granted:

1. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA – Available year round and one of the top Double IPA’s ever made, but often overshadowed by the limited release DIPAs.
2. Deschutes Black Butte Porter – Drink this beer and try to think of a better porter.
3. Chimay – Their white, blue, and red bottles are Belgian staples in bottle shops.
4. Green Flash IPA – A whiff of its perfume will send your mind to a hop field on the west coast.
5. Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale – Brown ales are under appreciated anyways. This is one of the best.
6. Stone Pale Ale – What!? Stone makes a “normal” beer? Yes, and it’s delicious.
7. Sierra Nevada Torpedo – A big IPA from a brewery that pays the utmost attention to quality.
8. Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout – Doesn’t receive the attention of its bigger brother the Expedition Stout, but I’d call this the better of the two.
9. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout- Best. Oatmeal. Stout. Ever.
10. Left Hand Milk Stout – Not a hugely popular style here in the States but it’s hard to find a smoother stout.
11. Victory Prima Pils – Poor Pilsners. They have a tough time getting attention, but Prima beats the pants of many of the bigger beers produced.
12. Saison DuPont – Saisons are going through a revival with almost every brewery putting one out, but the classic Saison DuPont is holding strong.
13. Dale’s Pale Ale – The beer that should be in everyone’s refrigerator, at all times.
14. Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen – Produced by the oldest brewery in the world and the gold standard for Hefeweizens.
15. Fuller’s ESB – A mouthfeel that is simply unmatched.
16. Rogue Dead Guy Ale – Rogue hasn’t impressed me in a while but this will always be a solid maibock.
17. Sam Adams Boston Lager – When the bar you visit just doesn’t “get it” with beer, you can always count on Sammy A.
18. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – The classic American pale ale is hard to top.
19. Hoegaarden – A Witbier that converts many to craft beer and still satisfies aficionados.

I’ll leave #20 to the readers. What beer do you think should take the final spot?

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