So, What's Your Favorite Beer?

So, what's your favorite beer?

Ah, that little gem. It's a question that, inevitably, every craft beer drinker gets asked at some point, and typically many, many times by various different people.  So, with all this beer drinking under our belts, we should have a good answer, right? Well, I don't. As far as I know, I've answered that question differently every time I've been asked. Most recently, I was asked on the Strange Music podcast what my favorite beer on tap was. Well, my mind sort of raced, and I kind of dodged the question by instead answering with what the best beer I've had on tap recently was (I said New Belgium's Cocoa Mole, a beer that took me by surprise at the time and enjoyed so much that I still crave it). But, I can think of at least a half dozen other beers that I've responded with in the recent past (Rayon Vert may have been mentioned a couple times).

I guess the problem, to me, is that I don't know that I really HAVE a single favorite beer. And as I continue to try more and more different beers of different styles from different breweries, that mental database of great brew I've tasted gets more and more muddled and it becomes even harder to pick a single top standout. And I don't think most people who ask about my favorite beer will have the patience to stand there waiting for an answer while I peruse my Untappd history.  Hell, I have a hard time picking what I want for lunch most of the time, how am I supposed to pick my favorite beer EVER?

To me, the question is kind of like asking a music fan what their favorite song is (or any person, really). Is there ever really a perfect answer? No matter how you respond, you'll almost always think of something later that you'll kick your own ass for not having said, or someone else will chime in and disagree and say something else is best.

So what's the best way to answer this question? Favorite regular-drinking beer? Most impressive beer I've ever had, even if it's something I don't have often, or may never have again? Best beer I've had recently that was a standout? Does it really matter? In my experience, at least, the people who tend to ask this question the most aren't craft beer drinkers, so I feel like if I'm too long winded, whatever I say is going to go in one ear and out the other. But, at the same time, I hate to just blow off the question and respond with something like "Well, there's just so many out there that it's hard to choose.." because then I feel like the inquirer looks at me like I'm an idiot.

This could very well just be a case of me being indecisive and having beer ADD, but I'm curious to know how everyone typically responds to this question. Do you have a go-to beer, or does it change with the seasons/your mood/whatever you've had recently that was fantastic?

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