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.

For those of you observing today's beer holy day.

The Hymn to Ninkasi, inscribed on a nineteenth-century B.C. tablet, contains a recipe for Sumerian beer.)

Borne of the flowing water (...)
Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,
Borne of the flowing water (...)
Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Having founded your town by the sacred lake,
She finished its great walls for you,
Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,
She finished its great walls for you

Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,
Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake,
Ninkasi, Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,
Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

You are the one who handles the dough,
[and] with a big shovel,
Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,
Ninkasi, You are the one who handles
the dough, [and] with a big shovel,
Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date]-honey.

You are the one who bakes the bappir
in the big oven,
Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,
Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes
the bappir in the big oven,
Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

You are the one who waters the malt
set on the ground,
The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,
Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt
set on the ground,
The noble dogs keep away even the potentates.

You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar
The waves rise, the waves fall.
Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks
the malt in a jar
The waves rise, the waves fall.

You are the one who spreads the cooked
mash on large reed mats,
Coolness overcomes.
Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads
the cooked mash on large reed mats,
Coolness overcomes.

You are the one who holds with both hands
the great sweet wort,
Brewing [it] with honey and wine
(You the sweet wort to the vessel)
Ninkasi, (...)
(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

The filtering vat, which makes
a pleasant sound,
You place appropriately on [top of]
a large collector vat.
Ninkasi, the filtering vat,
which makes a pleasant sound,
You place appropriately on [top of]
a large collector vat.

When you pour out the filtered beer
of the collector vat,
It is [like] the onrush of
Tigris and Euphrates.
Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the
filtered beer of the collector vat,
It is [like] the onrush of
Tigris and Euphrates.

Ah, that brings back memories. When I was asked by a visiting professor in grad school what foreign languages I knew, one language on my list was Sumerian. He gave me one of those "huh?" kinds of looks and I enjoyed a silent "one up on you, bubba!" moment. In fact, I had taken a language class in Sumerian the semester before this seminar. My Adviser thought I was nuts to waste the time (in her opinion), but I enjoyed it very much.

The hymn reminds me of the old theme song for Hamm's Beer:
From the land of sky-blue water,
From the land of pines, lofty balsams, comes the beer refreshing
Hamm's the beer refreshing.

Maybe the copywriter had also taken a Sumerian class? Anyway, all that was decades ago, and I doubt that I could even identify Enki's or Ninkasi's name at this point. As THEY say: Use it or lose it.

Ha ha, a 4,000 year old beer jingle...brilliant.

Not a full report because this was just AWFUL...
Redds Apple Ale
While at Church of all places, someone handed a sample for me to try. (A couple from our beer tasting event) The wife liked it, the husband hated it and that same husband is the one who dislikes hops so I was ready to side with her. I got home and put it in the fridge for a few hours, later Sunday afternoon I gave it a shot and wow this stuff is BAD. It was very similar to a hard cider and I'm not a huge fan of ciders but even they are better than this swill. It had very little color, no aroma, no foam to speak of, a gentle apple flavor among the over-carbonation and it was very very watery. This was something I could see a teenage girl drinking for the first time getting drunk on, if you happen to be a younger guy and wanna get your girl tipsy, then give this stuff a shot but if you like beer even a bit, then STAY AWAY.

One of my absolute favorites (mentioned earlier) I had some over the weekend and decided to do an official review after having one last night while watching "Face Off" on the SyFy channel ...great show fyi


Style: Vienna lager
Named after the city in which it orginated, a traditional Vienna lager is brewed using a three step decoction boiling process. Munich, Pilsner, Vienna toasted and dextrin malts are used, as well wheat in some cases. Subtle hops, crisp, with residual sweetness.

Name of Beer: Eliot Nes
Brewery: Great lakes Brewing, Cleveland OH
Per manufacturer:
Let the sweet caramel malt flavors
of Eliot Ness Amber Lager warm your insides,
and maybe then you’ll be compelled to do some
good deeds too. Like sharing your 6-pack, for
instance. Just kidding. We know some things are
untouchable.
Rich, fragrant malt flavors balanced by
crisp noble hops

poured from a nicely chilled bottle

A (4) 4
S (6) 5
T (25) 22
M (5) 4
O (10) 9
Score (50): ____44
Notes: One of my favorites and VERY highly rated on Beeradvocate.com. I had not had any in a few months and after having again, I wondered why I had waited so long to have again? Maybe the wait was worth it, sometimes it's good to come back to an old friend and appreciate him even more!? This is an EXCELLENT beer I highly recommend. The wonderful thing about this brew is it is a lager, so many people associate lagers with the mass produced swill we are all too familiar with yet this stuff shows you that lagers can indeed be quite tasty and complex.
A Very pretty dark Amber, copper color. Poured a nice two finger head that left a nice lacing down the glass.
S A slight earthy and bready smell, hints of citrus poke through as well. Clean.
T Up front it's slightly sweet and ends slightly bitter, neither too much so however, quite "smooth" the whole way. The most noticeable flavor was a beautiful caramel flavor and lightly toasted malts, very mild hop flavor adding a hint of citrus and fruit but nowhere near what would be called "hoppy" in any way. Alcohol content is certainly noticed but again, it's nothing overwhelming. A decent medium mouthfeel, carbonated just about perfectly, Rich and complex flavors all over the place!
O Just beautiful, the flavor complexities really are an experience to behold. Crisp, refreshing, this stuff has got it going on!

Neal Anderth wrote:

Black Butte Porter
Alc. 5.2% | IBUs 30
192 Calories, 12 oz serving

With a dark beer as our first and flagship brand, Black Butte defined Deschutes as a radical player. A slight hop bitterness up front enhances the distinctive chocolate and roasted finish. It’s prized for its creamy mouthfeel and intense complex flavors.

Malt: Pale, Carapils, Chocolate, Crystal, Wheat
Hops: Cascade, Bravo, Tettnang

@ Room Temperature

A (2 of 4): A thick brown color with a medium head. It's not exactly going to draw you from across the room. I love the logo, don't bother pouring into a glass.

S (4 of 6): Tepid, hint of a hint of chocolate, hint of sourdough, quite toasty.

T (10 of 25): Watery, bit of a hop punch on the front, transitions to a toasty sourness, leaves you hanging. About 5 minutes after you're done you'll have an aftertaste of raw cacao.

M (2 of 5): Surprisingly thin for a porter, you could knock this one back pretty fast. Does it even have alcohol in it?

O (5 of 10): Possibly a good beer that just seems too watered, lacking intensity.

Total Score = 23 Crap, I've got a six pack of this, will try it ice cold next for comparison. Needs to be distilled into something proper.

This time I fixed it up with a shot of whiskey, known as a boilermaker, problem solved, beer rescued. With said fix in place I'll give it an acceptable 31 total score.

...never tried a boilermaker. (or a sake bomb or any other sort of beer+shot) I'm not a big fan of Whiskey (though I don't hate it either) and I can't imagine ruining good beer (or even bad beer for that matter) with a shot of booze. I guess I should try it some time???

I'm not sure that you should try it. Drink good beer, wine, or spirit for it's own sake. we're on the same page there. It should be able to stand alone or why bother? In this case it was a cost benefit analysis, rescue $1.30 of beer with $0.70 of whiskey. I think it worked, I would not seek it out on purpose.

Style: American IPA
Named after the city in which it orginated, a traditional Vienna lager is brewed using a three step decoction boiling process. Munich, Pilsner, Vienna toasted and dextrin malts are used, as well wheat in some cases. Subtle hops, crisp, with residual sweetness.

Name of Beer: Hop Devil Ale
Brewery: Victory Brewing Co, Downingtown PA
Per manufacturer:
Bold, spicy and menacingly delicious, the product of distinctive American hops and meticulous craftsmanship. Arising from the heady wilds of our hopback and gently tamed with time, this Devil makes a great companion. This American hopped India Pale Ale offers an aromatic punch and then follows through with a lasting, full-bodied finish provided by quality German malts.

I bought this at a small corner gas station on the way to a small party, I was out of time and figured I would bring something, anything (assuming crap beer) but they had a couple sixes of this little gem I had been meaning to try

A (4) 3
S (6) 4
T (25) 17
M (5) 4
O (10) 7
Score (50): ____35
my rating works again! This one falls in the "Very Good" range approaching excellent
Notes: A very traditional American IPA with typical strong hop flavors. It poured with a nice 2 finger head of cream colored frothy head and went down smooth, very tasty ...better than "most" IPA's I have had of late.
A Nice copper color (darker than most other IPA's) with the said off white colored head that stayed around a long time and laced down my glass quite nicely.
S Floral and citrus notes, I think I sense the malts not usually smelled in an IPA
T A nice hoppy flavor, some slight spice flavor and yes, those malts I sensed are in here too, better than I had assumed for a six pack bought at a freaking gas station in the middle of nowhere.
M Satisfying feel, while hops are bitter it's not overly powerful and has a nice balance, maybe very slightly overcarbonated but not bad at all.
O Quite nice! I do like IPA's but do not consider myself a hop head so those hop heads out there may like it even more (but those who do not like hops, stay away!). The added malt taste really was noticed and appreciated, not nearly as much malts as the earlier reviewed HopBack Amber but still it was a nice refreshing beer and the 6.7% alcohol doesn't overpower the beer in the least, I will buy it again in a few months for a nice sitting in the sun on my deck experience!

Mac & Jack’s IPA is a refreshing, smooth, and balanced India Pale Ale. Using a variety of specialty malts and plenty of locally grown Yakima valley hops, we have created an IPA that has great hop flavor without being bitter. Pale roasted malts give our IPA a deep golden hue, and solid malt backbone, which nicely compliments its crisp hop finish. Copious quantities of hops are added very late in the boil giving the beer its floral aroma and hop forward character.

Obviously their African Amber Ale is their top rated favorite some of you are bound to have tried. But this one was certainly nice. I had it on tap, cold.

A (4) 2
S (6) 3
T (25) 12
M (5) 2
O (10) 6
Score (50): 26

Just a solid clean crisp IPA one would expect from a reputable craft brewer

A:
S: Light fruity notes, with a hint of the bitter coming though.
T: What really stands out is the way the hops bitter carries through to the finish, very nice, lightly sweet in the beginning.
M: Crisp but average.
O: Better than the average craft IPA

On the fly review.

Big fan of

Zambezi out of Zimbabwe

and

Courage Directors out of UK or Scotland

finally

Schalfly series out of St. Louis (giving Anheuser Bush INBEV a run for their money finally)

Dag, Scotland is part of the UK, but Courage is originally a London brewer and is now owned by Wells and Youngs of Bedford.

My wife and I are going on a mini-getaway to Niagara Falls Ontario in about a month. (only an hour away) while there we are doing some wine tours for her and I was thinking of stopping by a beer store for me (yes, in Ontario you buy your beer from a beer store, it is not available elsewhere). Any suggestions from our friends here who reside in the Great White North???