I prefer hoptical to smash bomb. Though, Mad Tom is really good.

My favourite Ontario IPA is Great Lake's Devil's Pale Ale.

Chocolate Cranberry Stout sounds pretty good. Saranac has a nice Vanilla Stout, although I don't think you can get it in Canada, or maybe you can and I've just never seen it when I've been north of the border.

Weißbiers :) Like Späten or Franziskaner. Yum. German beers for the victory!

The US has pretty good beer lately. The American IPA is really a leader in modern beers. However, it really comes down to personal taste to and local availability.

You can go to most places in NA and find many really enjoyable locale beers.

Would it be going out on a limb to call these days a "golden age" of beers?

Moosehead is everywhere. My friend who only ever drinks Beck's will drink Moosehead if some place has no Beck's. I guess because it's cheaper than most everything else but it's not Coors Light, so to speak.

"However, Zimbabwean thuggery is an embarrassment to modern Africa. Mugabe is a criminal and should be treated as such."

What 'thuggery'? 4,000 White farmers controlled land that has now been distributed to over a million Zimbabweans. They would not give it up voluntarily and would not sell it after nearly two decades. The situation was untenable. Mugabe did not tell independence fighters to go occupy white farms. They began doing that of their own volition. Something had to be done. Fast track was the only solution. While not unproblematic, no land reform program has ever been non-violent (most have been very very violent). If you can think of one then please do inform me.

Here's a pretty objective study on the matter put up by a university in the UK, no friend of Zimbabwe.

http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/news/zimbabwe-s-land-reform-ten-years-on-new-study-dispels-the-myths
http://www.royalafricansociety.org/component/content/article/728.html

As for 'democracy' - the opposition (who worked in coalition with Mugabe) just got done praising the police for providing security to their political rallies. I'd take democracy in Zimbabwe over that of US's new client state in Cote D'ivoire and many other places. The fact that a multi-party system has survived this difficult transition period is a testament to the ability of the political class of the country.

I do agree that the quality of beers is very high these days. The craft movement has been very impressive. The fact that I can go into any grocery store and select from a wide variety of microbrews is pretty great.

Eww IPA.

Best place for beer in Toronto: Cest What.

But I'd agree, at least as far as imports, USA has a better selection available. Can't say the same for bud though. =P

"Best place for beer in Toronto: Cest What. "
Sometimes... They have a very bad tendency to run out of the beer I want to drink.

C'est What is a nice place. I like bar volo myself. Best place to dirnk beer, in my opinion, is the griffin gastro pub in Bracebridge, ON

"While not unproblematic, no land reform program has ever been non-violent (most have been very very violent). If you can think of one then please do inform me."
It's been very very very violent in Zim. Rape and torture has been prevalent. Regardless if it's something that has been prevalent in all land reforms, it's something to lament over. It's very sad that it's come to that.

re: Democarcy
The elections were a sham. The US's actions in Cote Divoire are irrelevant.

The elections were not a sham. According to MDC's own calculation they did not win 50% of the vote in the recent Presidential elections to avoid a run-off. Anytime these western-backed putschists don't win outright and have to actually follow the rules they cry foul. The 2000 elections were free and fair. The 2005 elections were free and fair. The opposition instigates violence, cries about vote rigging and agitates for foreign intervention. This is their recipe everywhere.

http://www.raceandhistory.com/selfnews/viewnews.cgi?newsid1078334825,84237,.shtml
http://www.zimpapers.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5289:bbc-plot-to-soil-zim-gems&catid=39:opinion&Itemid=132

Putin, due to threats the leading candidate in the Zimbabwe election stepped down so Mugabe could win! Mugabe directly ignored a court order! That doesn't sound like the great guy you are putting them out to be.

" due to threats the leading candidate in the Zimbabwe election stepped down so Mugabe could win!"

'Threats'. Tsangirai called for military intervention in Zimbabwe and an international occupation of the country. There were no threats, because if there were they would have been reported or brought to somebody's attention. The opposition was repeatedly asked for evidence of their accusations and they produced nothing. Meanwhile the opposition stores massive amounts of weaponry and ammunition and they cry when they're arrested for provoking violence. Tsingarai didn't compete in the run-off because he knew he'd lose, so he tried to stage a coup after the first round because these western backed putschists never tolerate actually having to compete for office. They did the same thing in Ukraine, Yugoslavia, and all over the Caucasus & Central Asia. This is their formula for overthrowing governments by force.

http://raceandhistory.com/selfnews/viewnews.cgi?newsid1319180186,12066,.shtml

Tsvangirai, incidentally, openly admits to his desire to take power by force, and admitted he was ignorant about the electoral laws that govern Presidential elections. He thought winning a plurality should be enough.

http://www.newzimbabwe.com/pages/mdc216.18310.html

http://zimbabweonlinepress.com/index.php?news=3730

Any reasonable country would outlaw the MDC-T, who are nothing but traitors and terrorists.

And for all this talk about Zim being a sham democracy, they certainly have a powerful independent media that attacks Zanu-PF and the government daily.

"There were no threats, because if there were they would have been reported or brought to somebody's attention. "

Sorry I should say this was the case of 2008 there were threats, but the majority of the threats came from MDC-T. In 2005 there were accusations of "threats", but they turned out to be lies. http://www.sardc.net/editorial/newsfeature/05350405.htm
Anyway, You can't instigate violence and then complain when those chickens come home to roost.

I see we are back off topic?

@HBK - What part of Germany are you from. I love Bavarian beers and thoroughly enjoyed my time drinking in Lindau and Munich when I was there for a time near Christmas in 05 and during March 06.