Ken from Hagerstown... I like the Clipper City Heavy Seas seasonals, Winter Storm should be out really soon now. Appalachian Brewing Company in Gettysburg always has a good selection on tap, probably the best variety I've seen at any brewpub in the region. I've been taking home growlers of their Kolsch for several weeks and intend to do so until it's gone. Other than that, I have 5 carboys of various ales and one of cider fermenting in my kitchen right now.

This is my favorite beer time of year as all the breweries put out their Octoberfest lines. My fridge currently has the Magic Hat mixed pack (I am very fond of this year's Mystery Beer) and Sam Adam's Octoberfest.

If it's just a quick run to the grocery store it's Sam Adams Oktoberfest.

There is always the old faithful standby of Guiness as well.

I just recently found a European Market nearby that has different Belgian, German, and even saw a Lithuanian beer.

I've been drinking Hoptical Illusion by Blue Point Brewing Company.

On a recent trip to New England I bought some Mocha Java Stout made by Z Street
Brewing of Ipswich MA. It's great! Also, I got some Pumpkinhead by Shipyard Brewing of Maine. It tastes like liquid pumpkin pie with nutmeg.

Bought a bunch of Stone Brewing beers a couple weeks back when they first started distributing in the state. Still working my way through Oaked AB Ale and others. Do you have any information on the rumors that both Brewer's Art and Wharf Rat will be bottling their beers?

My favorite is the Sierra Nevada Summerfest, which is gone now for the season. I also enjoy their Pale Ale and Celebration Ale, which is due to come out in about a month I think.

Rob, not a beer geek??? Anyway, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Cape Ann Pumpkin Stout, delicious. Stone Ruination and anxiously awaiting BAM Oktoberfest and Chesapeake Real Ale Fest

Thanks for bringing back my pleasant memories of Boulevard Pale Ale. I first had it on a bike trip that passed through Topeka, Kansas and have longed for it ever since.

Loose Cannon IPA (get it on tap at the Clipper City brew pub tour )

Dale's Pale Ale

and Cape Ann Brewery IPA from Gloucester, MA

Love the blog! I had a nice Magic Hat product named "Jinx" recently. Very good. Can't beat Old Dominion's "Oktoberfest" or "Dominion Ale" when fresh. Favorite brew is Dogfish "60 Minute IPA."

I'm caught between finishing the Octoberfests (Hacker and Victory) and stocking up on the winter seasonals of which my favorites are Winter Storm and Celebration. I recently Ruination from Stone and it's unbelievable. Normally though it's Heavy Seas and Balto Marzhon.

There is nothing better than the Loose Cannon on cask. (Had it a few times at Max's) Right now I have a fridge full of Stone Pale Ale, Weyerbacher Autumnfest and a bunch of Pumpkin ales. The best pumpkin I've had is either the Southern Tier Pumpking or the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin.

I am excited about this blog!

I have been loving the Oktoberfest season, try some Erdinger or Otter Creek. Also a fan of the Dogfish Punkin, Stone IPA and Stone Arrogant Bastard (all available on tap at Friscos in Columbia)

Since going to New Orleans for JazzFest this year I have been drinking a lot of Abita Fleur-de-lis Restoration Ale. First encountered at Ignatius Restaurant, good food btw, in the Garden District where it is served in a paper bag. Beside the great taste, $1 of every 6-pack sold goes to the LA Disaster Recovery Foundation.

Nothing like a cold McHenry (or 4) on a hot October day.

A beer blog--what a great idea! I don' t know what you think of wheat beer (I have friends who think it tastes "skunked," the Philistines!). Anyway, when I was recently at TGIFriday in Towson I had a Blue Moon Blueberry Wheat that was sensational--hope it's not seasonal on their menu. Haven't had the time to try to find it in stores, but I will. Just thought you'd like to know.

JS,
speaking of McHenry, hugh sisson tells me thru the magic of email that McHenry is basically the old national premium recipe, who knew? got a can of premium somewhere in the basement and will check it out. Hugh also tells me i should have included his uber pils in today's imperial pils tasting. my bad, will do.

I refuse to accept the fact that fall is coming/here. As such, I'm still drinking Clipper City's Pale Ale whenever possible.

My default draft beer is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Victory Brewing's St. Victorious (now my favorite double bock that is available in the U.S.), Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (just came in) and both Victory Moonglow Weizenbock and Clipper City Hang Ten Weizenbock. Looking forward to Clipper City Winter Storm's imminent appearance and many other Winter seasonals.

I've mostly been drinking what I produce myself recently but the last time I purchased beer, I got a six of the "Leg Humper Porter" from Racer's Pub and it was just about the best Porter I've had in a long long time, maybe ever. I'd consider it a Robust Porter and would very much like to clone it if I knew how. I highly recomend it for anybody who likes black beers. Otherwise, I've got a Pumpkin Porter in the carboy just bublin' away. Should be ready by Thanksgiving. Thanks much for this column!!!

I like many of the brews I've read about here. One of my favorites is an IPA from Bear Republic in Healdsburg, CA. While visiting my daughter out there I told everyone I was going out to buy her a guitar. A couple hours later I came back with a guitar AND a snootfull ! I've been accused of liking anything from a cold box behind a bar; it's not (quite) true!

I discovered Great Divide beer at Mahaffey's in Canton

The Titan IPA is excellent, maybe the best tasting beer I have ever had. The Hercules IPA is strong and very flavorful. Great Divide, brewed in Colorado, is a great beer that I haven't seen on tap anywhere but Mahaffey's

I'm a big fan of Troeg's Hop Back Amber Ale for everyday drinking. That and Digfish Head 60 seem to be my standards. For that extra hoppiness, I like Grren Flash West Coast IPA, Hoptical Illusion, as mentioned before is also yummy. A new one for me that I have been into recently is Bear Republic's Racer 5 IPA.
And keeping it closer to home, I enjoy the Lancaster Brewing Co's line. Hop Hog and Milk Stout are the best. I will enjoy this, as I am always looking for something new to try!

Brewer's Art Resurection does it for me. Thank God my favorite pub (Heroe's) in Annapolis has it so I don't have to drive to B-More to get it!!!

Greeting All.
Rob, put the O-fest on your calendar for next year. No more excuses. My favorite beer is whatever I have on tap in my garage. That being gone for the moment, I will put in a vote for Victory Hop Devil and DuClaw's Serum (XX-IPA).
Next up, Chris and I will be brewing a barley wine which is due to become my favorite by the New Years. Cheers!

Of the seasonal Octoberfest beers that have been vanishing into my belly as of late, those that stand out are by Victory (Festbier) and Harpoon. Sam Adams Octoberfest is always a reliable choice. I can't let myself start buying Pumkin Beers until after the close of Octoberfest...I have some tasting to do before recomending any!

Right now my fridge has some Flying Dog Tire Bite (a nice golden ale that's brewed in Frederick). Had some Sam Adams' Octoberfest at the Terps tailgate.
Looking forward to this week's Great American Beer Festival to try some new brews.

Nothing better than Summit Extra Pale Ale. I don't think you can find it outside of the Midwest, however. Closest locally is the Dogfish.

Funny, I used to work with a Ricketts at Pappy's Pizza in Catonsville. Beer, if I don't have any of my own Impereal Porter (12 Pound Brick) I like Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA and Victory Golden Monkey.

My go to beers as of late are Magic Hat # 9 out of Burlington, VT and Victory Hop Devil. Those are the beers I keep in my fridge. When I go out to Brewer's Art or Monk's in Philly, I go for La Chouffe from Belgium. Of course, a good pint of Guinness while watching English Football on Saturday mornings can't be beat.

The Saison de Pecore on tap right now at Brewer's Art is sublime. I always hate to see that one rotate off the tap. I'm hoping Petroleuse will be on tap soon.

Also tried Stone's Ruination recently and think it's one of my best bottled beer discoveries in quite a while.

Ellicott Mills Brewing Company has a DunkelWiess that I am very fond of right now. Along with there Marzen. God I miss the Baltimore Brewing Company.

Pete, I saw your post about Summitt. It's one of my husband's favorites (we're originally from Minnesota) and he dearly misses it. We found it a few months ago in Pennsylvania of all places.

In enjoy anything brewed by Sierra Nevada. Their Celebration Ale is a Christmas treat. I'm also partial to the west coast ales brewed at Pizza Port in San Diego. I've tried to reproduce their Ponto Pale Ale as a homebrewer.

My favorites right now are Resurrection Ale, Magic Hat #9, and Hoegaarden. My favorite happy hour is at Rocket to Venus (5-7, M-F), smoke-free. You get to choose three 8 oz. drafts for three bucks--and they have a great selection of craft and imports.

Natty Boh hon!

Nothing beats an ice cold Budweiser.

I always have Leffe Blonde and Abita's Turbo Dog in the fridge.

Rob,

Great to see this blog!

You have to check out beeradvocate.com.

Great site with a wealth of info to teach you how to be more discriminating with big, bold beers that dazzle the palate & can buckle the knees if you aren't careful!

A beer blog! Man, you sure must be livin' right!

I just have to throw my faves in even though they've already been mentioned. My favorite and therefore my everyday beer is Tröegs HopBack Amber Ale from the Tröegs brewery in Harrisburg, PA. Next is probably Victory Hop Devil closely followed by Dogfish 60 Minute IPA.

Ayeringer Oktoberfest from Germany is awesome; I've only found it in pint (?) bottles.

I remember acquiring a taste for Molson Export before I knew that "Export" was another name for an IPA or even what an IPA was. India Pale Ale remains my favorite style. I used to Like Harpoon but I don't find it around to much these days. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my usual go at the store although I'll try almost anything especially if its on sale. What I drink at the pub depends on what is on tap and where I am.
At the Ruby Tuesday's where my kids work I get Clipper City. When I go to Du Claw its usually Misfit Red. They also had a double IPA over the summer that was pretty good. The Ram's Head is almost always on my Naptown itinerary. They usually have two or three at a time worth trying. I've heard that they've been bought out by A-B. If true, I hope they get left alone.
Your column, er blog, is right on time. It'll give me something to do since baseball is over and I can't complain to Roch about the Orioles.

My wife & I recently returned from Germany. I stashed 4 1/2 liter bottles in the suitcase for home consumption:
an Andechs Spezial Hell (just outside Munich), a Dom Koelsch (Cologne), a Lowenbrau Urtyp and a Budvar. Unfortunately not my regular brews, but plan to enjoy these served slightly chilled over the next 4 Friday evenings. BTW, each of these was around 70 cents (Euro), or about $1.00 (US)! Prost to All!

Steve Z- Where is that European Market? My current favorite beer is a Lithuanian called Svyturys, but it's hard to find.

I have a hard time letting go of old favorites. I'm still bitter about the Colts and the demise of the BBC (Baltimore Brewing Company). I have not found a pilsner with the clean finish and hop flavor since. However, I do enjoy Resurreection Ale from the Brewer's Art and most Sierra Nevada products. Their new release, Anniversay Ale, is quite good and I am looking forward to one of my seasonal favorites, Celebration Ale.

faves and they rotate and more are added as they are discovered

victory prima pils(a great craftbrewery all around)
wild goose pale ale
flying fish ESB
fuller's ESB
fordham cooperhead ale
dogfishhead 60 minute IPA
backfin IPA

Great blog, and lots of great beers mentioned. I saw lots of mentioned of Dogfish head but don't forget the 120 min IPA, and my favorite Dogfish - Raison D'Extra (not Etre, though thats good too).
My favorites as of late include anything big and flavorful. Lots from Weyerbacher and Victory. Also just enjoyed a nice big bottle of Chimay Grand Reserve.

I plan my trips towards brew. E.g. when on the west coast, I'll go so far as to contact Alaskan Brewing Co to see where I can find Alaskan Amber -- my favorite ale. Fat Tire isn't bad in the mid-west. Worst places in the world for beer are in Texas and SW Florida (save for Dueseldorfs just over the bridge on the left in Ft. Myers Beach -- compares with Racers on Harford Road at least with imports). You can find some imports like Witbread but not much else. And certainly nothing local unless you find an OK brew from Ybor City.

NE and NW finds the best beers. Top of the line under the radar is Knucklballer somewhere in New England. NY state is LOADED with good brews and the Omgang are certainly worth a try.

But my favorite? deGroen's Weizen with a slice of lemon on a hot day.

For the home-brewers out there, get the wort to 90 degrees with brewing a pils and then pitch the yeast. POTENT brew. I'm talking the kind that you put your keys in the ignition and your house drives up (stay home!).

Druid Fluid (middle ages brewing company)
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot
Southhampton Publick House Grand Crus and 10th Anniversary (2006) Old Ale (I stocked up).
Most stuff from Ithaca Brewing Company
St. Bernadus ABT12
J.W. Lees Harvest ale
Thomas Hardy's ale
My own homebrew! (80 in the bottle, 15 gallons in 2ndary waiting to be bottled!)

I try just about anything I come across, imported and domestic,outside the big guys' lagers,and almost all of them have their merits in different situations (with the exception of something I had out in Westminster a few years back that was flavored with pumpkin pie spice.) Brewer's Art and Ellicott Mills consistently produce great stuff. But if I could only pick one brand to take with me to a desert island, it would be Shiner Bock, as hard as it is for a born and raised local to admit. By the way Rob, I've enjoyed your column for years and think this blog is the best thing the Sunpapers has come up with in years (I'm still ticked off about them killing the Evening Sun.) Good luck, I'll bet a ton of people have already put you on their favorite links.

Mmmmm, beer. Current faves: Abita Turbodogs and Restoration Ale; Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and Shelter Pale; Acme Pale Ale; Spaten Octoberfest; I also love Ozzy and Restoration from Brewer's Art and I definitely hope the poster above is correct that those will be available in bottles soon. Love the blog, Rob!

Great blog Dad, though you should also mention that I have developed a taste for a few southern beers down here. One is Sweetwater, out of Atlanta, which brews 420 and a blueberry beer. Another great beer is made in Mississippi. It is called Sweet Magnolia, though it has yet to be bottled. In Baltimore I like to drink Clipper City whenever I get the chance. Michael needs to develop better beer tastes I think.
MK (the older)

Rob, having a hard time finding your top recommended Octoberfish by Flying Fish. I looked in Midway Liquors, Friendship Liquors & Wine World. Though I did find the Spaten Octoberfest At Midway.

If you're going to drink at least on/day, there has to be a trade off between choice and cost. My house beer is Sam Adams Boston Ale. Good bang for the buck. My choice would be some of the Sam Smith brews. I'd start with India Pale Ale.

I have to say La Chouffe is a favorite -- not cheap but a delicious Belgian for special occasions.

Currently trying North Coast's "Old Rasputin" russian imperial stout and "Brother Thelonious."

Rob, please review the Brewer's Art's beers that are now being bottled & hitting the market. Definitely one of the best beer pubs in the US.

Also, check out what's on tap at trendy & tasty restaurant "Salt." I recall Chimay, Dale's Pale Ale & other quality brews offered there.

Rob - I have enjoyed your stories about fatherhood, marriage, food, gardening and beer for as long as I can remember. This blog is a great idea. You are one of the best, at the Sun, and one reason I still subscribe. Please don't retire, ever, just keep writing. As for beer, I enjoy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and have for many years. I try as many pale ales and IPAs as I can. Hugh Sisson at Clipper City has some great ales that I bring home regularly. When ever an establishment has Guiness on tap, I will drink a glass or two. Such a unique taste.

I've really been enjoying Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout lately. As I'm in Rehobeth, going to try Dogfish Head's Pumpkin Ale today for lunch. Victory Storm King is also a great beer. Thanks for the blog.

I'll second Mark's statement. I too miss Baltimore Brewing Company. There's something not quite right with seeing the Brewed in Dover DE on the DeGroens bottles.

If you think sipping Otter Creek ales was nice, I've got a story for you! I went to college with the guy who started Otter Creek, and all those recipes were tested on those of us lucky enough to be chosen for the "job." Best work I ever had!

Victory prima pils is my favorite right now

Mmmmm beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore!
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale seems to be my latest default as it is readily available at most pubs. Anchor Steam is yummy too.
Love the Chimay Belgiums...Blue, White, Red. (watch out for the Triple... woah)
DeGroen's Marzen used to be a fave too. Mmmmm beer.

Rob,

Congratulations on the blog! I'll prefer reading your posts (as I have enjoyed reading your columns - for more years than I'll admit) to the sinus-challenged bloviations on ratebeeradvocate.

Enjoyed the delightful Red Brick Blonde at the Decatur Beer Fest this past weekend (gold medal winner at the GABF, I might add!)