I've written about trying some domestic, good old American macro beer here. In writing that piece,—and trying to find a can of Michelob, or even a bottle, I started noticing something; American macro beers, the beers of the baseball stadium and cookout, the average guy beers, are all essentially merging into lines of brands owned by international conglomerates. It's the same thing I've been seeing with book publishers (there are essentially six main publishers of all U. S. mass market books), and Washington wine conglomerates. Here's what I mean. I've looked at the major American macro beer brands of my youth; Budwiser, Coors, Michelob, Molson's, Pabst, Rainer, St. Pauli, and Schlitz. They are all either owned or brewed by either giant South African conglomerate SABMiller, or the international conglomerate, InBev.

Anheuser-Busch was bought in July 2008 by Belgium headquarted InBev thereby joining the maker of Budweiser and Michelob with the producer of Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Beck's, Bass, Labatt and Brahma. Michelob was introduced by Anheuser-Busch in 1896 as a "draught beer for connoisseurs." InBev brands include Bass, Beck's, Budweiser, Hoegaarden, Labatt, Löwenbräu, Michelob, Oranjeboom, St. Pauli Girl, and Stella Artois.

Miller Brewing Company began in 1855 when Frederick J. Miller bought the Plank Road Brewery. In 2002 South African Breweries bought Miller Brewing Company, forming one of the largest brewers in the world, called SABMiller. Coors Brewing Company was born in 1873, when Adolph Coors opened The Golden Brewery in Colorado. In 2005 Coors bought Canada's Molson brewery, and became Molson Coors. Then in 2008 Molson Coors joined SABMiller. In 2008 SABMiller and Molson Coors enter a joint venture to create MillerCoors.

Pabst Brewing Company was founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1844 by Jacob Best. They no longer have any actual breweries, but contract their brewing to Miller Brewing, that is, South African giant SABMiller. The Pabst brands that are actually brewed by SABMiller are Schlitz, Stroh, Schaefer, Rainier, and Olympia, among others. SABMiller now makes: Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro and Miller Genuine Draft, Grolsch, Henry Weinhard's various beers, Miller beers, including Genuine Draft, Miller Genuine Draft Light, Miller High Life, Miller Lite.

I'm not going to proclaim undying loyalty to American macro beers here; mostly, the ones I've tried have been OK, but none filled me with a desire to go out and buy more. However, I am going to point to some readily available American beers that while I wouldn't call them macro beers, they are all distinctively American, and shouldn't be that hard to find one or more on tap and in the bottle in your neck of the woods. They're all beers I've personally enjoyed, and introduced non-American beer drinkers to these beers, with very positive reactions.

I'm a Yankee, and have spent much time in my mature years enjoying New England beers at New England events, restaurants, and with traditional New England food—yes, I'm talking clam bakes, lobster rolls, and bean suppers. My very favorite is The Boston Beer Company's Sam Adams. Nobody at home calls them The Boston Beer Company; it's always just "Sam," or "Sam Adams" for the more formal. Their Boston Lager is pretty much everywhere, and frequently on tap, but they make seasonal beers too, and they're a lot of fun. I tend to buy one of the 12-pack "Brewmaster's Collections." They have two bottles of the main Boston lager, and then two bottles each of five other seasonal varieties. They are always fun to try with a friend or three. I've found Sam Adam's everywhere, from Maine, to Washington, on tap and in the bottle.

I started drinking Shipyard Ale of Portland, ME when it was only available in Maine and parts of New Hampshire. It's not that hard to find now, and yes, I've seen bottles in Washington. Shipyard's Export Ale is the most common one, but I've developed a fondness for both the Bluefin Stout and the slightly noticeable chocolate malt of Brown Ale. Shipyard also makes a few seasonal ales, (Summer Ale is pretty fabulous) and honestly, I've never been disappointed. Plus they have awesome t-shirts.

I first had Louisiana's Abita Amber in New Orleans, and I admit that part of my attraction is the association with New Orleans. Abita Amber is ideally suited for enjoying with good food, especially Louisiana style food. It's a very drinkable beer, but with food, especially spicy food, it's magnificent. I can also personally endorse their other lager, Abita Golden. It's not quite is sweet, and the hops are a bit more present, but it's worth seeking out. If I can find it in Washington, I expect you can find it near you. The Abita Web site has a "find our beer" link.

Anchor Brewing, San Francisco brewers of Anchor Steam Ale, are almost single-handedly responsible for boot-strapping the craftbrew and microbrew revolution in the United States. Anchor Steam is available all over United States. in bottles, and you've a good chance of finding someplace near you with Anchor Steam on tap. But Anchor Steam isn't the only beer they brew: I'm also fond of Liberty Ale, the perfect beer for San Francisco dining, and Anchor Porter is very much a classic Porter.

Finally, for Washington state, Pyramid Brewery in Seattle, while perhaps not the best known Seattle brewery, does have some fabulous distribution for some very good beer. I suspect as part of their "marketing outreach," they've been changing their labels and names; my personal favorite, Pyramid Hefeweizen is now called Pyramid Haywire. It's pretty easy to find in bottles, and worth looking for. I'd also suggest keeping an eye out for their "apricot ale," Pyramid Audacious.