Here's my top 3:
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login1) Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca Bronze - Dogfish Head has a series of drinks based off of ancient recipes. There's others based on Egyptian and Chinese recipes thousands of years old. The Etrusca mimics the recipe of bronze age Etruscan drinks, based on chemical analysis of jars from bronze age burial sites in the area. It contains gentian and myrrh, along with other ingredients you would be hard-pressed to find in any modern brews. This was the noble drink of the Mediterranean before wine become commonplace. It is absolutely delicious, and worth the cost ($10-15 a bottle, about the price of mid-tier wines around here). Lots of unfamiliar flavors that are bitter, herb-y, and musty. Not something I would drink every day, but a great treat now and then.
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When I'm out at a random bar with friends I usually go for Shock Top or a Saranac pale ale (a local brand). Reasonably priced, and beats pisswater lager. If it's fall I will drink
all the pumpkin ales. Haven't met one I didn't like. They're also usually really cheap or the special of the day/week.
