The Spirit World

A recent issue of Details magazine put together a convenient little guide detailing what they have determined to be “the world’s best beers.” Covering a wide variety of categories, from the Serious (Best Beer Country) to the Silly (Best Reason to Love America’s Beer Geeks), it’s a perfect little primer if you want to do some experimenting. Here’s a highlight of what they recommend:

Best Beer Country - Belgium. “Any country that rewards dedicated beer fanatics with knighthood has its head on straight.”

Best Beer in a Can - Dale’s Pale Ale. “It’s supremely thirst-quenching, as canned beer should be, yet bitter enough to keep things interesting.”

Best German Beer - Hefeweizen. “Loads of wheat and lively carbonation lend crispness, while a dose of yeast in the bottle gives the beer its characteristic banana-like flavor.”

Best Beer for a Summer Barbecue - Witbier. “It’s a tart white ale, but perked up with orange peel, coriander, and an assortment of other spices.”

Best Beer Web Site - Beer Advocate. “If a beer exists, used to exist, or will soon exist, you can be certain the Alstrom brothers - along with the 64,000 or so brew geeks who flock to their web site - have something to say about it.”

You can read the rest of the list from the folks at Details magazine right here, and in addition, see their list for the Ten Best Thirst-Quenching Summer Beers. Summer’s almost over — grab a sip while you can.