Beer Recommendations

IPA is India Pale Ale. I variety of Pale Ale that is widely believed to have been brewed specifically so that it could be shipped to India from England without going off although I have read that this is more myth than reality.

Given you don't know anything about beer or what your friend prefers how about making up a variety pack from local brewers? 

I'm not big on IPA's, but my current addiction is White Rascal.  It's a Belgian white from a microbrewery in Colorado, but it has pretty widespread availability.  If you're close enough to Wisconsin, you can't go wrong with anything from the New Glarus Brewing Co.

With so many micro-brews it may be hard to select the "perfect" IPA/beer.  If this person is into brewing their own beer perhaps a gift certificate to a store specializing in home brewing. 

http://www.homebrewing.org/CONTACT-US_ep_5.html  seems to have a few stores in Michigan.

Hope this helps!

I like the IPAs myself.  There are a lot of great ones that you should be able to get from a store that sells "specialty" beers.  Even some nice grocery stores have excellent selections.  Here is a list that a beer website (Beer Advocate) has generated as being the best based on user reviews:

http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/116

If he is truly a "hophead" then he probably likes Imperial (double) IPAs.  Same website, great list of beers:

http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/140

hope this helps...it makes me thirty.

edit: I'm not thirty anymore but I'm still thirsty.

Racer 5

or

Lagunitas

You can't go wrong.  

With all the options out there, just go with the best!  Get nostalgic...let him re-live his high school party years...unleash the beast!  Milwaukee's Best!

Man, good save! How could I have forgotten MB.... 

ligersandtions - 2012-08-29 2:23 PM Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Or the 120 if you can find it.  The dogfish head 120 is about 8 bucks a bottle, and last I saw was the second highest ABV in the country.  Even if he doesn't like the beer, it's a fun experience!

Find some Three Floyd's Zombie Dust if you can.  Stuff is magical.  

It's from Indiana, so should be available in Michigan though it tends to sell pretty quick.

Another really good IPA is Two Brothers Resistance IPA.  It's brewed in the suburbs of Chicago, so should be available near you as well.

Make sure it is IPA, as that is a beer style I do not like at all.  I would find out his favorite style and then go to one of the places that lets you mix up six packs of beers.  I just bought a good friend of my 42 beers for his 40th birthday and they were all a different beer.  The extra two were because I had to buy a full six pack, so I drank two of the beers, so he would have the other 40 available.

Or like someone else said, buy some Musician's Best as that is what we called it at all of our parties because we were poor musician's.

Langunitas is wonderful.  As is Fort Collins Black IPA.  There are countless great IPAs out there.

Hopslam would be remarkable indeed. Though if I remember correctly, it has a very limited release in February. Even if you could track some down online somewhere, not sure a real bear snob is going to be ok with something that has been sitting so long. I don't think Hopslam is intended to be bottle conditioned. The other Bell's suggestions would be great too.

Another idea would be to get him a complete line of 750ml bottled specialty brews from Boulevard Brewing's Smokestack series or all the Ommegang line (might be easier to find the latter). 

ETA - the lines from Boulevard and Ommegang won't all be IPAs

That would be the real gift, turn him on to the Trappist Ales and leave the IPAs behind.

Holy wah, thank you all, from someone who is completely beer clueless. 

I'm gonna hit up one place tonight and see what i can come up with out of the list of what you gave me.  If i strike out i'll be back so keep em coming.

He asked for beer recommendations not the water they collect when the vats are washed out