Ruffhaus8 - An 'ale' - especially if it's brewed in the English style - is not and cannot be said to be 'masquerading' as a lager. It's a different brewing process (because of the different types of yeast and where they sit in the brew - top or bottom fermentation). Also, if they are putting hops in to make it an IPA, they are most definitely not trying to make it a lager beer, even if hops are a perfectly reasonable ingredient in 'pure' lager beers (the Reinheitsgebot was written to stop people using things other than hops). It may have a similar colour, but that's not the same thing. Also, a lot of craft beers in the USA (along with many UK beers) are not IPAs at all. Had a swig of my girlfriend's Anchor Porter last night. Nicer than Guinness, that's for sure.
I find Boston Lager to be one of the better American lagers (in that it has some taste to it, rather than being fizzy malted sweetness). Brooklyn Lager is also nice. I don't find either particularly hoppy, to be honest.
I would agree with Tom on his suggestions for you to try - Dos Equis is a flavourful beer for a lager. Another Mexican marque you could try is Modelo. Both the standard and the Negro are lagers with a good taste to them. I'm guessing a Peruvian beer would be Cusquena (sic), which is quite nice. A refreshing beer from Brazil that seems to have gone global is Brahma.
Also, for beer with a bit more 'body' there are the Spanish and Portuguese brands. Lovely with some spicy piri-piri or Xorizo.
georgeatkins - I do love Sam Smiths beers too (although if you do come over again, avoid them in pubs where not hand-pulled. The keg versions are not as nice at all. Still, one of my most memorable beers ever was a pint of Old Museum in a Sam Smiths pub in Bradford. I was hungover and usually the 'hair of the dog' doesn't work at all well with me, but that was like nectar!
If you like Yorkshire beers, look out for the Black Sheep beers. Like Sam Smiths (but much more recently) they came about as a member of a brewing family set up on his own to become a major rival to them.
I find Boston Lager to be one of the better American lagers (in that it has some taste to it, rather than being fizzy malted sweetness). Brooklyn Lager is also nice. I don't find either particularly hoppy, to be honest.
I would agree with Tom on his suggestions for you to try - Dos Equis is a flavourful beer for a lager. Another Mexican marque you could try is Modelo. Both the standard and the Negro are lagers with a good taste to them. I'm guessing a Peruvian beer would be Cusquena (sic), which is quite nice. A refreshing beer from Brazil that seems to have gone global is Brahma.
Also, for beer with a bit more 'body' there are the Spanish and Portuguese brands. Lovely with some spicy piri-piri or Xorizo.
georgeatkins - I do love Sam Smiths beers too (although if you do come over again, avoid them in pubs where not hand-pulled. The keg versions are not as nice at all. Still, one of my most memorable beers ever was a pint of Old Museum in a Sam Smiths pub in Bradford. I was hungover and usually the 'hair of the dog' doesn't work at all well with me, but that was like nectar!
If you like Yorkshire beers, look out for the Black Sheep beers. Like Sam Smiths (but much more recently) they came about as a member of a brewing family set up on his own to become a major rival to them.