Question for beer drinkers

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Vampyr

I haven't had many imperial stouts, however, one of the top beers on BeerAdvocate is this one: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/19960

I am fortunate enough to live in Lexington, KY, and I'm really looking forward to buying a few of these this winter.

I've tried a few IPA's, and I'm just not a fan of them. I like some hoppiness, but IPA's are just crazy.

A good gateway Imperial is Old Rasputin by North Coast Brewing: http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer...asp?BeerID=680

It is complex...widely available, and cheap. It also has wide availability unlike the Abyss or Dark Lord, so you don't have to pay out the ass or trade to get a bottle.

As far as IPAs go...some are definitely unbalanced in that they really favor hops. Maybe give New Belgium's Ranger IPA a try...it has a lot of "dank" hops, and is funky enough to draw attention away from any IBU-punch. Also excellent is Green Flash Brewing's West Coast IPA. It's easily one of my favorite IPAs, and it is full of dank hop flavors (including lawnmower and hemp notes).

On the other end of the spectrum is Dogfish Head's 60 Minute IPA...that is just a clean, polished, and balanced IPA.