Top 10 Classics

Always my problem.

My list:

http://beeradvocate.com/lists/fame

All 100. Get through that and you will surely be on your way.

 

I think the beers of fame list is a good list to go by. You could definitely find 10 beers there that are obtainable and any craft beer newbie can have and call themselves a bonafide beer geek.

 

Blue Moon. Yes, Miller-Coors Blue Moon. This was my gateway beer, and from what I've heard and read, the same holds true for many others. Love it or hate it, you have to admit is very far from any other BMC out there. Once I discovered it, I discovered the world of craft beer, and haven't looked at beer the same way since. Once it was a means to feel tipsy and get loose at a party. Now it's treated like a meal, and I never drink to intoxication. I enjoy beer. Something I didn't do for 12 years. That is until I tried Blue Moon.

In addition to Blue Moon, I will include a few other "mainstreams" that I would consider must-try.

Bells Two Hearted Ale
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
Founder's Breakfast Stout
Sam Adam's Boston Lager
Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout
Stone IPA
Young's Double Chocolate Stout

 

Forgot old raspy!MUST be on list

 

Go to Prague and Bamberg and your list will be different.

 

I think you would need to include at least one Trappist beer.

 

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
SN Pale Ale
Ithaca Flower Power
DFH 90min
SN Bigfoot
Goose Island BCBS
Ommegang Three Philosophers
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde
Cantillon Classic
Traquiar Jacobite

I could throw out at least 50-100 other just killer everyday brews, let alone limited brews that I think everyone should have to try! So hard to stay at 10 while trying to honor some brews that aren't my favorites but that I have much respect for. I can see making another list minutes from now with 10 completely different yet deserving brews! LOL! Great post OP!

 

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Ruination
La Folie
Old Rasputin
Weihenstephaner Hefe/Franziskaner Hefe
Two Hearted
Brooklyn Brown
Rochefort 10
Duchesse de Bourgogne
Ten Fidy

 

Coors Banquet. You just cleared all the AALs
SNPA. The avatar of American Pale ales
Blind Pig or PTE The basics of all American IPA
Sofie. This is where you start with Saison
Duchese de Bourgogne. Sour beer begins here
Guinness Special Import Stout. Dry Irish stout to take it home
Old Rasputin. American Stout defined
Wehenstephaner Hefe. Learn from the originals
Abyss. Barrel aged Stout to begin with
Bitter Monk. This is where you either become one with the beer or forever remain a neophyte. Complexity defined

 

Really, Honkers Ale? I didn't find it that stellar or bad. It was just meh, middle of the road stuff.

 

Alright alright- here we go- only speaking for myself.. It's ok to disagree that's the best part about this thread - it's hard to stay away from such a thread/. Assuming all beers are available
At bernardus Abt12
Poperings hommel ale
Samuel smith taddy Porter
Schneider and son Aventinus Eisbock
Ballast pt Sculpin
Hacker pschorr Oktoberfest
Allagash black
Weihenstephaner hefeweizen
North coast scrimshaw
Caldera Rauch Ür Bock

I even put a smoked beer I that list

One must try a barrel aged brew /
I really loved old Rasputin in bourbon barrels

One must try a sour which is open to interpretation

Last but not least I didn't put a barley wine in the list seeing as how I've never tried a bad one
Bigfoot
Hogs heaven
Oldnumbskull
Old guardian
These are beginner barley wines

Ps I love wine!

 

It's really too complicated now. I know I began drinking the "craft" beers well before I knew of this site. Here are some of the beers that lured me into this world.

Dortmunder Gold
Oberon
Bigfoot
Founders Breakfast Stout
New Holland's The Poet
HopSlam
Hog Heaven
Alesmith IPA
Cantillon Classic (I remember the good old days when this was a staple at my college's belgian beer tastings)
Stone IRS

Granted there are all these super hip new beers available now never forget the classics. They are the ones that stand the test of time and usually always deliver.

 

I am a bit surprised by the people who posted lists with virtually only USA beers on them.
Sort of misses a lot of brewing traditions & styles no?

My list is 15 because I found that with 10 I excluded too much stuff.

3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen
Dupont Saison
Fuller’s Vintage Ale
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Pilsner Urquell
Rochefort Trappistes 10
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Schneider Aventinus
St. Bernardus Witbier
Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale
Stone India Pale Ale
Westmalle Tripel
Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier
+ any traditional cask UK bitter

 

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Stone Arrogant Bastard
Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout
Anchor Steam
Samuel Adams Boston Lager
Duvel
Lagunitas Hop Stoopid
Rochefort 10
Dupont Saison
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

 

Pale ales/IPAs that are freshhh as helllll

 

The word "classic" is somewhat overused, but IMO some pick themselves.Two are
ESB (which I don't think is a style per se but never mind) has to be Fuller's as it's the one which began it all.
Stout. Guinness FES , again, it set the goalposts for a couple of centuries.At one time all Guinness was like this.
Pale Ale should have been Bass but they gave up the game years ago and is a classic example of how to get things wrong.

 

Haha being ready to debate anything you post on this forum is the first step to becoming a BA even before trying to decide which beers might qualify you.

 

Excellent list- I'd go with pretty much that. I'd try to find room for SNPA, Fuller's ESB and maybe a stout/porter, but this is still incredibly solid (and saves me some work in putting one together ).

 

You can not be a beeradvocate until you have drank all of the following:

Bud Light
Budweiser
Miller Light
Miller High Life
Coors Light
Corona Light
Natty Ice Light
Natty Ice
Molson Ice
Milwauke's Best

If you don't taste the sour, you can't taste the sweet.