re: Quintessential easy-to-find beers that I need to try

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What available beer tastes closest to Bass Ale?

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Harp is usually the substitute for Bass in a Black and Tan is there is no Bass. Next would be Boddington's pub ale then pretty much any ESB but to match Bass you want only moderate amounts of hops and a decent amount of malt with some caramel.



I can't help the OP too much not being in LA but I would say one thing about beer: one of the cool things about beer that isn't true with wine or whisk(e)y is that you can taste some of the best beers in the world without taking out a second mortgage on the house or hitting a 100x stock pick. My favorite beers are Trappist beers, if it says Trappist it is brewed in one of the 13 Trappist monastery breweries, they are all in Europe and most are in Belgium. Many breweries brew similar beers and they will be labeled as an Abbey. My favorite is La Trappe which is in the Netherlands. Chimay has been mentioned which is a Belgium Trappist. I say all this to suggest if you try and like the taste of Trappist/Abbeys then at some point track down (which may mean ordering) a Westvleteren 12. It won't be cheap but you will have had one of the best beers in the world, full stop. While again not cheap it will still cost less than a dram of an upper middle single malt.