Commercial beers worth drinking
Before I start getting too beer snobbish, I must point out that I don't consider all modern American mass produced beers to be crap. The brewers making those beers really know what they're doing, and do a great job of producing the products deemed most likely to maximize profits. I don't drink those beers because I don't care for the style. If you like to enjoy a cold can of industrial-lite, that's fine with me. In fact, you'd probably think my favorites taste like crap. That said, on to the favorites list:
These are some of the beer that I like enough to pay for:
American Beer:
Anything made by Pizza Port (especially in Carlsbad)
Stone Brewing Company - India Pale Ale, Pale Ale, Arrogant Bastard, Old Gaurdian, Ruination IPA, and Double Bastard
Sierra Nevada Brewing - Pale Ale and Bigfoot Barleywine
New Glaris Brewing - Belgian Red
Anchor Brewing Company - Steam, Porter, and Old Foghorn
Rogue Brewing - Shakespeare Stout, Dead Guy Ale, and Old Crustacean
Anderson Valley Brewing - Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout
Mendicino Brewing - Red Tail Ale, Frolic Shipwreck Ale
Leinenkugel's Red
BJ's Brewhouse - Pirana Pale Ale, Jeremia Red, and Tatonka Stout
Celis Brewing - White or Grand Cru
North Coast Brewing - Old Rasputin Imperial Stout
Samuel Adams - Millenium Ale
From elsewhere around the world:
Australia - Sheaf Stout, Fosters lager
Canada - Moosehead
British Isles - Guiness stout, anything from Young's Brewery, McEwens Scotch Ale
Czech Republic - Pilsner Urquell
Holland - Samichlaus
Germany - EKU-28, Paulaner Oktoberfest, Paulaner Salvator, anything they bring in the big mugs at the Munich biergartens
Belgium - Lambics, Chimay, Diabolique Cuvee, Corsendonk (any variety)
Netherlands - La Trappe
I know I'm missing a bunch here, but that's all I can think of for now