Favorite Beer Style

I know this is food forum but since I consider beer a food group I thought I would pose this question. I was in Keg Liquors last weekend and got a mixed six pack of differing styles of beer. After finishing them it got me wondering what styles were my favorite. Here is the list of my top 3.
#1.) American Double / Imperial IPA
#2.) English Barleywine
#3.) Hefeweizen

By the way - if you haven't been yet The Keg Liquors is awesome. Thanks for the recommendations last week Todd - my two favorites were the Golden Monkey (Victory) and the Barleycorn Barleywine (Mad River)

What are your favorite styles?

Root.

[Robin Garr]

Root.

To each his own! Thanks for a good answer and a chuckle, Mike.

my favorite by far is a good dark oatmeal stout.

[Robin Garr]

What are your favorite styles?

Back in the late '80s and early '90s, when I was modestly involved in the then-new national homebrew/brewpub activity, I did the beer-judge training, knew all the styles and really liked the high-gravity and far out styles.

A decade or two later - I'm almost embarrassed to admit this in this crowd of high gravity lovers - my tastes have moved in a different direction, and I find that I've moved away from higher gravity and darker beers (with the possible exception of draught Guinness or artisan cousins) in favor of more moderate quaffs. But it still must be artisanal. No commercial swill for me, except possibly at the ball game where there's no choice.

Thus, among my current preferred styles, and assuming well-made status in all cases:

* American pale ale
* IPA
* Belgian Abbey Ale
* High-quality, fresh, locally made Pilsner (or, in a pinch, fresh Pils Urquell on draft)
* Hefe-weizen

Have my beer tastes gone pedestrian as I slouch into graying Baby Boomer status? I hope not!

I typically just ask for "the hoppiest thing you have". However, some of those really high gravity highly hopped things are a bit much for me. Bell's Two Hearted is my typical go-to if the server is unable to recommend anything else.

Fun topic!

[Robin Garr]

Bell's Two Hearted is my typical go-to if the server is unable to recommend anything else.

Oh, yum, I love it too ...

I don't think anyone should feel they should fit into a certain beer category . There are so many good tastey beers in any of the styles produced today. As I do prefer darker brews, wheats and pilsners all have a place in my heart.It seems silly to pigeonhole yourself into one particular style when the world has so many good beers.

BELGIAN TRIPELS

I tend to go thru different phases where I enjoy different styles for different times of year. I find myself stopping off at the BBC tap room for a Bourbon barrel Stout lately.

[Robin Garr]

It seems silly to pigeonhole yourself into one particular style when the world has so many good beers.

Oh, I would never do that! I'm just sayin' that I find myself moving toward more, um, "delicate" beers as time goes by, so when invited to list my favorite beer styles, that's where I go ...

Like picking a favorite stones or beatles album...but here goes...

-English ESB
-Schwarzbier or Black Ale, very similar...lager vs ale...
-American IPA.

I would put American Imperial IPA but as someone said earlier...sometimes they are a little too much for me in more than a one pint qty...also dig the American hoppy ambers but that fits into some different style categories between amber, pale, esb, etc...

I've been single-minded in my old age as well. I tend to go for the hops as long as there is some malt to back them up. I also enjoy a well made Helles/Dortmunder/Pilsner. I generally drink only local products. I can't pick three...

For hops:
1. BBC American Pale Ale - I have spent more time brewing and drinking this beer over any other I've brewed.
2. Brownings She Devil
3. NABC Hoptimus (close thirds; Two Hearted, Hop Ottin', Mojo IPA, Sheltowee Hop-A-Lot IPA)

For the lighter stuff (color-wise):
1. Brownings Helles
2. NABC Kaiser's Second Reising
3. Brownings Pilsner - specially good when I can talk Brian into pouring me a keller Pils, unfiltered and straight from the tank.

I'm with the Hops crowd -

APA (go BBC!)
A good IPA

and the occasional wheat - for instance, it's so hot and humid today I just had to have an Oberon to sustain me while I type this!

Cheers,

Doug

There are two beers that got me into good beer:
Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde
Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin IPA

I have found that those two beer encopass what I love when it comes to beer. I love the Belgians, and I love the hops. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Oatmeal Stout, among others, from time to time. But, I always, always, always go back to one of these two areas, in some form or fashion. So, imagine my joy when I try something like Chouffe Houblon. I am pretty sure they brewed that beer and tailored it to my personal preferences.