In session...with Ben McFarland

Beer Writer of the Year Ben McFarland flies the flag for America's most inspirational independent brewers.

I love Americans. I know that stating as much, in this current climate of Yank bashing, may be tantamount to owning Gary Glitter's entire back catalogue but I do.

I don't understand the prejudice, superiority and wild generalisations that come to the fore on mention of our doodle-dandy buddies. Giving them stick has almost become a national pastime.

Believe our bigotry and you'd be forgiven for thinking that the entire population of the States qualify for the banjo-playing role in Deliverance. OK, so they're governed by a bit of a wally but, hey, they didn't even vote for him and he'll be gone soon.

Chastising the Americans for their weight is a favourite for those with a "freedom fry" on their shoulder. One look at our spiralling obesity rates, however, and they'll soon discover we're standing on very thin and quaking ice. Then there's the widespread (and false) condemnation that only 20 per cent of Americans have passports. If you don't like Americans, surely that's a bonus?

Perhaps it's a jealousy thing. I suspect those are green eyes peering down the collective British nose. After all, there is loads of stuff that Americans do better than us.

Serial killers, sit-coms, gas guzzling cars, crime, service with a smile, big hats, guns, pancakes, road trips, hip-hop and artery-clogging hamburgers to name but a few.

Oh, add beer to that list too. Yes, that's right, beer. For years we were better than the Americans at making beer. But in terms of look, taste and diversity of choice, the US has sneaked ahead of not only the UK but also Europe.

Not the big, yellow and fizzy brands. Uh-uh-uh, talk to the hand girlfriend 'cos the tastebuds aren't listenin, they may slake one's thirst and may be great for rolling across your forehead on a sweltering summer's day but their ubiquity and elusive taste hardly qualifies them for an occasion as notable as the Fourth of July.

No, the true way to celebrate Independence Day is by championing beer made by some of America's most inspirational independents. The Stateside craft brewing scene has, as the Yanks might say, got it going on. Last year's Great American Beer Festival saw more than 1,400 American beers showcased with strong microbrewery representation from both coasts and plenty in-between.

Free from the shackles of tradition, small US brewers have ransacked the recipe books of their European counterparts and, true to form, made broader, brasher and bigger versions of English, German and Belgian styles seldom seen in their respective homelands.

Pioneering British brewer Alastair Hook of Meantime Brewing recently described the scene over there as like "acid house". So smitten is he with what's going on in the US, and so disillusioned with the domestic beer scene, Alastair is sending two of his new beers - a creamy London Porter and an IPA- straight across to the US without letting his native beer drinkers have as much as a sniff or sip.

Fortunately, there are plenty of fabulous beers now making the return journey. Anchor Steam from San Francisco, Brooklyn from New York and Sierra Nevada from California have already ploughed a furtive furrow and more are sure to follow.

Few will twist the knickers of discerning British beer drinkers more tightly than those arriving from the Rogue Brewery in Oregon, regarded as the epicentre of adventurous American brewing.

Owner Jack Joyce, a former advertising executive for Nike, places independence, quality and leftfield experimentation at the forefront of everything Rogue does. Its ales are unpasteurised and hand-crafted using free range coastal water and pacman top fermenting proprietary yeast and come packaged in tall, imagination-capturing and brightly painted 650ml bottles.

From Rogue's arsenal of 30 artisan beers, in true US style, only six have been granted passports to travel here. The Smoke Ale, 6.2 per cent ABV, is a bonfire brew with a sweet twist on the German rauchbier style; the Mocha Porter, 5.3 per cent, is dark, sweet and stands up to anything coming off the barbecue; the XS Imperial Stout, 11 per cent, is strong and robust yet not for the faint-hearted.

American Amber, meanwhile, is a smooth, hoppy number that comes in a bottle adorned with the US flag - perfect for July 4.

The Younger's Special Bitter, 4.8 per cent, is like the English bitter you've never had but really should do while Dead Guy Ale, made in the style of a German maibock, boasts a deep honey shade, a malty aroma, a rich hearty flavour and a well balanced finish that stays longer than the mother-in-law.

Rogue Beers are available from importer Company Value: 0114 230 2211.​