Below is a list of 16 beer I sampled and found notable in the past year. Most sampled at Venti’s, Salem.

Most of these beers are BeerAdocate.com consensus rating B +/-; excepting the the ‘extreme’ beers [IBU>65 or ABV>8%] which are BeerAdocate.com consensus. Consistent with the fact that I do not regard myself as a beer connoisseur. Just a geezer who has enjoyed beer for 48 years and only recently learning about craft beer.

_’Crisp/Refreshing/Thirst Quinching’ Beers_
01. Caldera – Pilsener Bier
02. Mt. Shasta – Weed Golden Ale
03. Ninkasi – Radiant Summer; Summer [Pale] Ale
04. Oskar Blue – Mama’s Little Yella Pils
05. Seven Bridges – Lil’s Pils
06. Victory – Prima Pils

_’Dark and [typically] Malty Beers; beer of Hue’_
07. Firestone Walker – Reserve Robust Porter
08. Mt. Shasta – Weed Amber Ale

_’Traditional Pale Ales and IPAs’; IBU<65_
09. Lagunitas – IPA
10. Oskar Blue – Dales Pale Ale

_'Double / Imperial / 2X Pale Ales and IPAs_
11. Calapooia – Simcoe Springs [2X] IPA
12. Caldera – [2X] IPA
13. Green Flash – West Coast [2x] IPA
14. Russian River – Pliny the Elder [2X] IPA

_'Double / Imperial / 2X Stout Ale'_
15. Bear Republic – Big Bear [2x] Stout
16. Fort George – Coffee Girl Imperial Stout

There’s a reason people don’t usually read Men’s magazines for the articles.

I don’t know of anytime Maxim has gotten anything right simply because I don’t read it. However my sisters friend does and he noticed a few Oregon beers on the list and thought I might want to do a write up on the article. The second I read the first beers description (readings generous since most of the articles are 80% pictures) I knew that it was a lame article.

I know beer mavens do not have much regard for Beck’s.
But, what can I say, Beck’s was once my ‘the lawn is mowed’ crisp, clean, thirst quenching pilsner.

I have had 4-5 from your list. They were nice. The Warsteiner most recently. Your list is nice.

@Jared
On further consideration, I plan to submit a list of a half dozen Best Beers I had last year. Tomorrow with a fresh brain.

This is a ridiculous list of beers by a person or group who were told to come up with a Top 25 list of beer, but they’re all gateway beer drinkers. It’s a “GATEWAY” beer drinkers best of. Not saying some of these aren’t decent, but the list as a hole is a joke.

jbx: You did a side by side with Becks???? That’s like doing an American side by side with Bud. ;-} Maybe Spaten Pils, EKU Pils, Paulaner Pils or a dozen other quality German Pils.

Here’s a list from a German Beer to do a side by side tasting. After the classics, then see how the ol’ Americans can compare.

* Altenburger Premium
* Augustiner Vollbier
* Binding Römer Pils
* Bitburger Premium Beer
* Bucher Öko-Pilsner
* Burgerbräu Bamberg Pils
* Erbacher Premium Pils
* Fassa Gold Pils
* Fuerstenberg Premium Pilsener
* Gessner Premium Pils
* Henninger Kaiser Premium Bier
* Holsten Pils
* Jever Pils
* Kaiserdom Pils
* Krombacher Pils
* Kronenbrauerei Karl Karlskrone Premium Pilsner
* Kronenbrauerei ÖkoKrone Organic Pilsner
* Löwenbräu Premium Pils Feinherb
* Radeberger Pilsner
* RothausTannen Zäpfle
* Spaten Pils
* Warsteiner

Of course, that’s just an opinion, and they have been known to be spot on.

I recently purchased a 12pack of Samuel Adam Nobel Pils.
I thought it was excellent. I have since purchased two additional 6 packs. The local price SW Fla is $7.50 per 6pack + sales taxes.

I would have to do side-by-side to absolutely rate this compared to my personal favorite domestic craft pilsners:
HUB, Bayern, Baron, Full Sail LTD03, Lagunitas, Caldera, Seven Brides
Regardless, it rates as an excellent to exceptional German pilsner lager. [4 of the hops are German; 1, Czech Republic]. I did a side-by-side with Beck’s; the Beck’s was thin and mild [lower hopped] is comparison.

A close look at Boston Beer Company reveals an interesting factoid.
Per wikip, the headquarters is in Boston [duh] but the breweries are in Cincinnati, Ohio and Breinigsville, Pennsylvania.