I would like to try out some good proper beers other than the mainstream ones like Fosters and Corona. Can anyone of you beer drinkers and enthusiasts suggest some of your favourites.
Um… Bitburger is fairly ubiquitous and a nice example of a well brewed light German lager.
You’ve got some great breweries in Ft. Collins. I’d start with your local beers.
In the latest issue of Zymurgy Magazine, they list the “Best Beers in America”. That is a good starting point on your search.
Hacker-Pschorr Weisse changed the game for me. Also Warsteiner. For easiest transition, just learn to appreciate anything with a German name that is difficult to pronounce, you just can’t go wrong.
This a basic question but I still think it’s an interesting topic. I would like learn about easy to find beers that exemplify the various styles.
I’m finding great IPA’s in my local Stop and Shop supermarket lately. There seems to be no shortage of great beer available.
If you’re trying to find a style(s) you like but never knew about, pick a local taproom and buy a sampler flight. Taste beer, take notes. Then pick another pub, rinse, repeat. You have to expose yourself to different styles and interpretations. Takes friends with you and have fun. 
Paul
Couldn’t agree with this more. Visit Odell.
Wait, you’re in Fort Collins and consider Fosters and Corona mainstream? I figured Dale’s Pale Ale flowed out of the water fountains in Colorado.
If you haven’t done the New Belgium Tour I highly highly recommend it. Another vote for Odell’s and also, right next door is Fort Collins Brewing which I heard good things about, but didn’t get to try while I was there.
I thought that was Coors Light?
Fort Collins Brewing mostly relies on their range of staple beers which are right down the middle in quality. Their special releases and brewery-only beers are solid though. The food is also excellent. When I make it up to Fort Collins I usually start here for lunch.
There’s quite a few breweries in Fort Collins. Horse and Dragon has some interesting beers. Funkwerks does a good job with their saisons and various other Belgian beers. Zwei on the south end of town has some solid German offerings. I think Prost’s tasting room is also open now. I wasn’t a huge fan of Equinox outside of their oatmeal stout. Several other breweries in town I haven’t tried out yet. I’d give another vote to Odell.
Prost and Zwei might be good options if Corona and Fosters are your preference for beer.
New Belgium’s tour is great even if you’re not the biggest fan of their beers but you have to register for tickets far in advance.
I thought FCB was closed by now after selling out to Red Truck from Canada?
They were open when I was there back in February. I didn’t realize they had sold, so I have no idea.
I will be up in FTC on Friday and am looking forward to exploring breweries I have never been to. Boulder on Thursday, FTC on Friday, and Longmont on Saturday. Should be a good beer trip!
This is an interesting story, although it doesn’t make a lot of sense (not sure the sales ever do make sense unless the place is going under)… they just revamped their beer line up, added a can line, renovating a restaurant and then poof… gone. It will reopen though under the Red Truck name, so the “location” will still be there, just not as FCB. Suggests spring of 2018 as when it will reopen as Red Truck.
The article also mentions 3 other breweries that have recently closed in FTC, so not good news for that area.
I didn’t know about this. My guess from the article is that they spent money expanding the business thinking it would make them more competitive to sell thinking the new buyer would keep the FCB name alive.
I don’t think FCB had a great market position. I can’t recall ever seeing them on tap anywhere in Colorado other than the brewery. I barely recall seeing them in bottle shops in the state. Mostly twelve packs and a few bombers. Strange that they were so absent from their own market having been around for so long. I never heard people saying good things about them.
Interesting. FCB had the same recipes of H.C. Berger that disaappeared back in the day. Red Banshee was a beer that was around back then and recreated by FCB. Somehow they were connected but not sure how
FCB bought out H.C. Berger.
There ya go. There was quite a gap there so thought they just reopened with a new name.
A note if you’re looking for “classic” examples, the BJCP guidelines have “classic” examples of listed at the end of each style.
https://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf
A recommendation from them for stouts: Avery Out of Bounds Stout,
Deschutes Obsidian Stout, North Coast Old No. 38, Rogue
Shakespeare Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout