now that is a legendary beer Nochexxx!
@zhao: i think the answer is you'll have to party in Bavaria for a weekend
i was mainly sticking with wheat stuff when in Munich earlier this year but at one of the more famed cafes - and this was at the start of one day, so sober and alert and appreciative - went off on a tasting tangent as recommended by a waiter, having a few styles i knew about, and then some of - what he said - were seasonals, some darker stuff, but it wasn't just dark bocks from Aventinus and stuff, i would recognise those sorts of things.
i was well impressed with some of them. no recollections of names of course (!)
there is this bloke's
ten favourite German beers, mind. bit geeky like, but still.
i like Diebels.
this beer styles link is probably going to be worthwhile parking here.
The classic beer styles all originate from the northern part of central and Western Europe, but today those styles are brewed with skill around the world.
i really rate Guinness myself, i mean i'm not even sure if it's the best stout in Dublin (Droid's Porterhouse craft brewers do a very, very nice Plain Porter), but i have drank gallons of the stuff down the years and it's been nectar countless times in countless Irish towns and cities, and nectar in proper Irish pubs in the Anglo-English cities (in particular Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham).
of course its ubiquity means we'll all have drank at least one staggeringly bad version in our lives somewhere, and it can be hard to separate that out.
American craft brewers do some amazing stouts, i must say.
as for the top five list above, i was thinking, and i reckon if i was going to extend it to seven, Canada would be in with a shout (for the reasons Sick Boy noticed, vital micro scene etc), and the Netherlands, because away from a few big name lagers, the Dutch also have a thriving independent scene throwing up a lot of lovely tastes.