All About Beer Magazine
Volume 24 Number 3
May 2003

The Expanded List of Must-Taste Beers

If you love beer, this is a glorious time. Some of the best beer ever made is being made now, and because our world is becoming a global community, you have a chance -- wherever you live -- to experience more of that diversity than ever before. Beer can travel, information can travel, you can travel, and a dedicated beer lover can encounter more styles and flavors than previous generations could imagine, let alone have a chance to taste.

Which led us to ask: with all this opportunity, which beers should all beer lovers be sure to try? We asked thirty beer professionals to name their "must-taste" beers: both the beers that are so unusual, outstanding or strange that they stand out, and the reliable, day-to-day gems that are too easily taken for granted.

What emerged was a "life list" of beers you owe it to yourself to experience, not because they're award winners (although many are), or because they are the perfect expressions of their styles (although many are), or because they are incredibly obscure (although there are bragging rights involved in even laying your hands on some of these brands). If you are a person who loves beer in all its flavorful, eccentric, history-packed variety, then here is a list of beers that will stretch your palate.

Not every recommendation came with a note, but we've included some of the comments to give you an idea why the individual thought the beer stood out.

Julie Johnson Bradford
Editor
All About Beer Magazine

Australia
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Victoria Bitter	Carlton & United	Sydney, NSW	Australia
Austria
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Edelweiss Dunkel	Kaltenhausen Brewery (BrauUnion Österreich)	Hallein	Austria	A dark Hefeweizen with a good balance, strong, but not overwhelming with its banana aroma.
Dunkel Eisbock	Schloss Eggenberg Brewery	Eggenberg	Austria
Zipfer Pils	Zipfer Brewery (BrauUnion Österreich)	Zipf	Austria	A dry "German-style" Pilsner, very intensely hopped with whole hops.
Belgium
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Orval	Brasserie d'Orval	Villers-devant-Orval	Belgium	Triple-styleTrappist beer with intense, grapefruit-like hop aroma and bitterness.
Saison Dupont	Brasserie Dupont	Tourpes-Leuze	Belgium	A perfect saison.
Fantome BBB Babillard	Brasserie Fantome	Soy	Belgium	Babbling Ghost beer, designed by ballot cast by the Burgundian Babble Belt, a virtual pub.
Tripel Karmeliet	Brouwerij Bosteels	Buggenhout	Belgium
Hoegaarden	Brouwerij De Kluis	Hoegaarden	Belgium	The white ale from 1445.
Grand Cru	Brouwerij Rodenbach	Roeselare	Belgium
Cantillon Gueuze	Cantillon Brewery	Brussels	Belgium	Dry, fruity, with a sharp sourness, it is, never the less, a surprising thirst quencher.
Gueuze Lambic	Cantillon Brewery	Brussels	Belgium
Rosé de Gambrinus	Cantillon Brewery	Brussels	Belgium
St. Lamvinus	Cantillon Brewery	Brussels	Belgium	Cantillon's most elusive lambic, fermented with the classic blend of Bordeaux grapes (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc).
Chimay Grand Reserve	Chimay Trappist Monastery	Scourmont Abbey	Belgium
Chimay Red	Chimay Trappist Monastery	Scourmont Abbey	Belgium
Stille Nacht	De Dolle Brouwers	Esen	Belgium	Strong, dark, artisanal ale; quite sweet when young, fruity and chocolatey when older.
Stille Nacht Reserva 2000	De Dolle Browers	Esen	Belgium	Aged in Bordeaux wine barrels for 18 months.
Brugs Tarwebie	De Gouden Boom	Brugge	Belgium	Belgian-style witbier with delicate spiciness.
Malheur Brute Reserve	De Landtsheer	Buggenhout	Belgium	Belgian champagne beer.
Gueuze	Drei Fonteinen	Beersel	Belgium	A tiny lambic blender bottling at last.
Duvel	Duvel Moortgat	Puurs	Belgium
Oud Kriek Lambic	Hanssens Artisanaal	Dworp	Belgium
Gouden Carolus Noel	Het Anker	Mechelen	Belgium
La Chouffe	Brasserie d'Acouffe	Achouffe	Belgium	Lively and full of the character that defines Belgian ale...fruity, slightly acidic, and earthy; well-suited for consumption outdoors in spring.
Cuvee Rene	Lindemans	Vlezenbeek	Belgium
Rochefort 10 Trappist	Brasserie de Rochefort	Rochefort	Belgium
Westvleteren 12	Saint Sixtus Trappist Brewery	Westvleteren	Belgium	Specifically enjoyed at the In de Vrede Café alongside a Coupe Westvleteren, a decadent ice cream sundae made with the beer.
Westvleteren 8	Saint Sixtus Trappist Brewery	Westvleteren	Belgium	The best of the Belgian abbey-style beers...the beer is big, fruity and almost seems like a glass of candy.
St. Bernardus Abt 12	Brouwerij Sint Bernardus	Watou	Belgium
Duchesse de Bourgogne	Verhaeghe	Vichte	Belgium	The ultimate Flemish red ale. Accompanies almost any meat dish.
Westmalle Tripel	Westmalle Trappist Brewery	Westmalle	Belgium
XX Bitter	Brouwerij de Ranke	Wevelgem	Belgium
Canada
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
La Fin du Monde	Unibroue	Chambly, QB	Canada	The end of the world as we know it.
St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout	McAuslan	Montréal, QB	Canada	Why is it that this, one of the world's finest oatmeal stouts--arguably the finest--is consistently ignored by the North American beer community?
Blanche de Chambly	Unibroue	Chambly, QB	Canada
Alexander Keith's IPA	Keith's Original Nova Scotia Brewery	Halifax, NS	Canada
Czech Republic
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
U Fleku	Pivovar U Fleku	Prague	Czech Republic	Close in style to the Franconian braunbier, this is the archetypal central European beer
Pilsner Urquell	Plzensky Prazdroj	Plzen	Czech Republic	Fresh, unlike in the U.S.
Budvar	Budweiser Budvar	Ceske Budejovice	Czech Republic	David to the American Goliath, and the subject of countless court cases.
Finland
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Lammin Sahti	Lammin	Lammi	Finland	Finnish homebrew with flavors of bananas and licorice.
Porter	Sinebrychoff	Kerava	Finland
France
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
3 Monts	Brasserie de St. Sylvestre	St. Sylvestre-Cappel	France	It's about time it was recognized that the French brew some excellent beers. This bi�re de garde is certainly one of them.
Jenlain	Brasserie Duyck	Jenlain, France	France
Germany
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Andech Doppelbock	Andechs	Munich	Germany	On draft at the monastery located just outside Munich. The doppelbock, served in liter mugs, offers an uncompared maltiness, coupled with a slight fruitiness.
Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock	Privatbrauerei G. Schneider & Sohn	Kelheim, Bavaria	Germany
Leipziger Gose	Bayerische Bahnhof	Leipzig	Germany	Like a cross between a Belgian wit and a Berliner weisse. There is a spicy taste from coriander, and a sour twang in the finish, but also a hard, mineral-like tasted from the use of saltƒa very unusual ingredient in a beer!
Bitburger Pils	Bitburger Brauerei Theo Simon	Bitburg	Germany
Alt Barisch Dunkel	Brauerei Ayinger	Aying	Germany
Ayinger Fest-Marzen	Brauerei Ayinger	Aying	Germany
Celebrator Dopplebock	Brauerei Ayinger	Aying	Germany
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Maerzen	Brauerei Heller-Trum	Bamberg	Germany	The worldÍs finest smoked beer, to be drunk in the brewery tap in Bamberg, accompanied by a Bamberger Zwiebel or a bier haxe. Its intoxicatingly smokey aroma belies a clean, drinkable and spectacularly-crafted German lager.
Berliner Weisse	Brauerei Kindl	Berlin	Germany
Pikantus	Erdinger Weissbräu	Erding, Bavaria	Germany	This weizenbock is a liquid version of Bananas Foster.
EKU 28	Erste Kulmbacher Actienbrauerei	Kulmbach	Germany	The strongest beer in the world--once.
EKU Rubin	Erste Kulmbacher Actienbrauerei	Kulmbach	Germany
Kostritzer Schwarzbier	Kostritzer Schwarzbierbrauerei	Bad Kostritz	Germany	The black beer that Goethe drank.
Maisel's Weisse	Maisel Brothers	Nuremberg	Germany	For me, the definitive Hefeweizen.
Salvator	Paulaner	Munich	Germany	The first "liquid bread" Lenten beer; does that make the rest Imitators?
Organic Ur Pils	Pinkus Muller	Munster	Germany
Palmator	Prösslbräu	Adlersberg	Germany	Bavarian dark doppelbock, rich in alcohol with some chocolaty notes.
Schultheiss Berliner Weisse	Schultheiss Brewery	Frankfurt	Germany	A very light (3.5 % ABV) Berlin-style wheatbeer, bottle conditioned with lots of lactic acid and a potential for maturing in the bottle.
Hofbrau Oktoberfest	Staatliches Hofbrauhausbeer	Munich	Germany
Hefeweizen	Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan	Freising	Germany	The world's oldest brewery--1040!
Uerige Altbier	Zum Uerige Hausbrauerei	Dusseldorf	Germany
Uerige Sticke	Zum Uerige Hausbrauerei	Düsseldorf	Germany	Bock-strength version of Uerige's Altbier. Very intense maltiness, balanced with a generous addition of hops in the kettle, and dry hopped.
Klosterbrau Braunbier	Klosterbräu Bamberg	Bamberg	Germany	Only available at the brewery. Dating from the 16th Century, the brewery was formerly the court brewery the Prince Bishops of Bamberg. Definitive Franconian session beer.
Malzmühle Mühlen Kölsch	Brauerei Schwarz	Cologne	Germany	Easily-ignored classic brewpub producing an excellent interpretation of an easily-ignored classic style.
St. Georgen Dunkel Bock	St. Georgen	Buttenheim	Germany	Utterly outstanding dark wheat bock.
Ireland
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Draught Guinness Stout	Arthur Guinness & Son	Dublin	Ireland	It's one of the world's great food products, a dark ale that has spread to all corners of a golden lager world.
Murphy's Irish Stout	Murphy Brewery	Cork	Ireland	Too easy to miss, in the long shadow of Guinness.
Italy
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Moretti La Rossa	Birra Moretti	Udine	Italy	An Italian interpretation of doppelbock.
Jamaica
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Red Stripe Lager	Desnoes & Geddes Co.	Kingston	Jamaica
Poland
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Okocim Porter	Okocim Brewery	Brzesko	Poland	No longer made, but still available in US.
Zywiec Porter	Zywiec Brewery	Zywiec, Poland	Poland	No longer in production, so taste it now!
Spain
Beer	Brewery	City/Region	Country	Comments
Estrella Galicia	Hijos de Rivera	La Coru–a	Spain

... Go to Page 2 of the Must-Taste List