I don't want to be a beer snob or anything, but I guess I will be. Speaking as a native Bostonian, there are like a dozen West Coast breweries that destroy any on the East Coast.
Stone and Russian River are two of the best in the world. Favorites there are the Stone Anniversaries and Pliny the Elder/Younger. Lagunitas, Rogue, Bear Republic, AleSmith, etc... are also awesome
I like Harpoon Ale/IPA and Magic Hat and all, but seriously... they don't even measure up to Sierra Nevada on the whole. Honestly, you come out here, and most stores have 80% of their cooler space devoted to microbrews.
JMO.