I have been drinking Wild Goose's Snow Goose Ale almost exclusively for the past month. It's probably my most favorite "good beer" I've come across. Wild Goose is part of the Frederick (MD) Brewing family.

Snow Goose is a well-balanced ale that's spicy (like most winter beers) and has hints of chocolate, caramel, and a little bit hoppy. I found a pretty good (albeit verbose) review here.

Oh, I also tried the Sam Adams Winter Lager from the tap not too long ago, and it was really really really good. I wasn't too impressed with it in the bottle but man, it is great on tap.

Sam Adams, in my opinion, is always MUCH better on tap. The standard Boston Ale, which is decent out of a bottle, is noticably better from the tap.

I'm more of a wine girl myself, but have begun to appreciate beer over the past 8-12 months.

What really kicked it off for me was going to Aruba and sampling their local beer. They have one called Balashi that I really, really like. I wish we imported it here. :(

What kind of beer was it? Was it light, dark, bitter, etc.? You may be able to find a similar beer around your parts.

It's a pilesener, very light. It wasn't bitter at all. Here's a link, but it doesn't tell you much about the beer. It was the first beer beyond a Michelob Light that I actually enjoyed the taste. :) Since then, I've been sampling some things and have found ones I liked and didn't like.

I really like Blue Moon. I did NOT like this one I had called Tire Bite or something? It was sour and very skunky!

I tried Grolsch and didn't like that one either. Also very skunky.

I was at a pizza place one night and they were out of Blue Moon, but the bartender suggested one that was similar. I liked it okay, but I couldn't begin to tell you its name.

Haha, Grolsch isn't all that good. I like Blue Moon, but not as much as I did when I was in school.

You might like Weheinstephaner Hefe Weiss if you can get it. It's like the beers you're describing, only much better.

Whoops, I really misspelled "pilesener" didn't I?

I will keep my eyes open for that one you suggested, but that's a hard one to remember! Thanks.

Mr. AXiD670 is waaaay more into beer than I am. Of course, lately he's been into scotch and whisky. I've gotten him into wine, so I guess it's time he gets me into beer. The problem is that he's into dark beer, which I'm really not (bad experience several years ago w/ Guiness and Goldschlager -- haven't been the same since!), so it's hard for him to pick up a six-pack of something that I will drink as well.

Best. Hobby. Ever.

http://www.bunitedint.com/Pictures/k...kel-bottle.jpg

I had that last night at the Rathskeller along with an "Irish Woody" aka Guiness floated on top of Woodchuck! mmm...

Heinekin Light is worse than Coors Lite swill

Sweetwater 420, Blue Moon, Yuengling, Purple Haze

Do you go to Binghamton?

One beer I always forget about, but enjoy quite a bit, is the Long Trail family of beers. The Double Bag is my favorite. It packs a bit more of a punch than most beers around here (7.2%), but it's still very smooth. The Hibernator is also great, but for those who like their beers a bit lighter, the Harvest Ale is a great one to try.

ETA: Long Trail is out of Vermont, so I'm not sure how widespread their distribution is. If you have a chance though, and you like good beer, I'd give them a try.

I randomly had that last week and it was really good. I had never heard of it before.

My roommate sophomore year was from Vermont, and he was a huge fan. He introduced me to it, and I've liked it ever since.

I always forget about it though - I've been on a real Rogue kick lately, so this weekend I'll probably pick up a six of Long Trail for something different.