Out in New York, we stumbled upon a great beer shop.  Although America isn’t exactly renowned for its quality beers, this shop isn’t stacked to the ceiling with boxes of Bud, Miller and the like – is a massive selection of all sorts of beers from the US, Europe and the rest of the world.  In amongst British classic ales, German pilsners, Belgian Trappists and fruit beers is a wealth of beer from American breweries.  These US beers range from lagers through all manner of ales to numerous stouts, with some ciders and other interesting beverages thrown to in the mix.

A year or so I went touring around New England, and the thing that amazed me was the number of little breweries we stumbled across.  It seemed that all the small towns we stayed in had local brews, generally featuring lagers, ales of various description and stouts.  I think there is a more than a little influence from UK and Irish beers.  I suspect this trend isn’t nation-wide, but it was great to have some good wine experiences in the States.