Michelob. Hands down.

What crab feast is complete without inviting Mr. Boh?

Natty Boh. Draft, not the cans or bottles.

Yuengling Lager or Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale if I'm spending a little more $

McHenry

A lighter beer like a Miller Lite goes pretty good with crabs. That way you can eat more crabs and not get bloated down with beer.

Natty Boh!

we had a flying dog brewery sales/marketing soiree in steamboat springs, co and one of our maryland salesmen brought some maryland crab. we paired tire bite golden ale with crab puffs and it turned out great. check out the video here:

http://vimeo.com/653883

Josh

Depends on how you prepare the crabs. Assuming you use Old Bay (and really, why wouldn't you?), you need something with some bitterness (like a good pale ale) to help counteract the spicy seasoning and allow you to keep tasting the crab much longer than if you're drinking a flavorless light beer. Backfin Pale Ale, Loose Cannon IPA or DuClaw Venom (currently discontinued due to hop shortages) all work nicely.

It was said that when the original Wild Goose Amber was formulated in Cambridge in 1987, it was developed with accompanying crabs in mind. I'm still not sure if that was true or just a colorful yarn (Alan Pugsley set up the actual brewery and got its production started, but Jim Lutz--still with the successor Flying Dog in Frederick--and the partners may have had say as much as anyone), but to this day I'll still take Wild Goose over anything else, if only for sentimental reasons (which I suspect is also the driving force behind all the "Natty Boh responses). Of course, I've dramatically scaled back my crab consumption over the past decade in vain hopes of helping to build up the crab population in the bay. Perhaps some sharp brewery might undertake a beer with a share of the proceeds going to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation or other similar charity?

Definitely Natty Boh in a can, and tons of Old Bay on the crabs! BTW, You can't get it on draft ANYWHERE!

I've had Clay Pipe's Backfin with crabs for a while now - crabs on the label (but not the cap).
I've always heard Hugh Sisson say that it's kind of a waste to drink a truly complex beer with crabs, especially if they're heavily seasoned - you don't taste much but the red pepper anyway. What you want is something that's somewhat hoppy to compete with the spicy seasoning. If I'm not eating at home (and drinking Backfin), I usually try for an APA or an IPA. A lager just doesn't do it for me - too bland.

I like a hoppy IPA for eating crabs. Green Flash West Coast IPA, Victory Hopdevil and Troegs HopBack are two that come to mind.

McHenry (Clipper City Brewing) or Backfin Pale Ale (Clay Pipe Brewing) are both local and tasty. Also a big fan of Blue Moon's summer seasonal beer. It was cruel to pose this question and get your readers' minds thinkin' steamed crabs in February when you can still see your breath outside.

Original Natty Boh, brewed in Baltimore, was excellent with steamed crabs.
Now, I prefer Victory Prima Pils.

I start with Clipper City Gold, or Pale Ale.

After the first couple of crabs, (and the accompanying bite of the JO's seasoning),I move on to the Loose Cannon or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

The hops in the latter beers hold up well and you can actually taste the beer. The only problem with the Loose Cannon is the ABV of 7.25%. It goes down real smooth and you tend to drink a lot of it when munching on crabs. I've found that it works if I alternate ice-water and beer.....