Style-defining beers?

What beers do you think of as setting the standard for their style? It doesn't need to be your favorite of the style, but rather the one that most purely represents the style. Clearly this is pretty subjective, so it can just be for your own personal style barometer.

I'll start by saying that I think of Stone IPA as the definition of a West coast IPA

Old Rasputin as a Russian Imperial Stout would be mine.

Zombie Dust Pale Ale. This to me is second to none in its style.

Westmalle Tripel

Weihenstephaner Hefeweisbier, best Hefe ever.

But by BJCP guidelines not really a true pale, am I correct? Or am I confusing that with Apha King?

I have never really checked that out, but it does not seem to fall under the pale ale criteria I have learned from home brewing. They call it a pale ale, but I have always thought of it more as an IPA. I will still call it a Pale Ale till they change it though.

Aecht Schlenkerla Ur Bock for a Rauchbier.

Fantome Saison, it's their best beer IMO and the original! It ruins all other Saisons.

Duvel - BSPA
Chimay Blue - BSDA
Saison Dupont - Saison
Pliny the Elder - DIPA
Bigfoot - American Barleywine
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - American Pale Ale
Westmalle Tripel -Tripel
Hoegaarden - Witbier
Fuller's ESB - ESB
JW Lee's Harvest Ale - English Barleywine
Paulaner Salvator - Dopplebock
Anchor Steam - Steam Beer
Deschutes Obsidian - American Stout

Off the top of my head...

Leipziger Gose
Saison Dupont
Weihenstephaner Hefe
J.W. Lee's Vintage Harvest Ale
Rodenbach
Goudenband
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
Schneider Aventinus
Rochefort (all of them)
Samuel Smith's Nut Brown
Traquair House Ale
New Glarus Raspberry Tart

There are a few beers I would change, but most are dead on!

Yes. And even though SNPA is dull compared to, say, Zombie Dust, but it defined the style and was the starting point from all of the modern, hop-assertive IPAs.

try upright seven before you make such claims it's godtier.

Maybe Hoegaarden back before I had started drinking wits (which wasn't that long ago), but I feel like its extremely sub-par to Allagash White, St. Bernardus Wit, Bell's Winter White, etc. Maybe I'm missing something but the last few times I had it, Hoegaarden just tasted... crappy. Anyone else feel the same way?

best belgian strong - delirium tremens

Any category Alesmith brews in. Every beer they brew is an excellent representation of that class.

I've had it, good, but definitely no Fantome Saison

I love Black IPAs and Sublimely Self Righteous defines the style to me.

Green Flash West Coast IPA, just can't remember the style.........

Anyone have any thoughts on an East coast IPA? DFH 60? Mine might be Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, but that's probably my local bias...

Surely it should be Courage Russian Stout. That was the original, after all.

I also love Deschutes Hop in the Dark, but thats not year round so SSR gets my vote too.

Sublimely Self Righteous is the best Black IPA in my opinion
Russian River Supplication is the best definition of sour/American wild
FW Parabola clinches the imperial stout category for me
West Coast IPA is hard for me to say but there's two local breweries that clinch that to me. San Tan Hopshock or Dragoon IPA.
Pliny is in there too but I'd say that fits as the best DIPA

That's like saying a Rottweiler isn't a dog.
What does the PA in IPA stand for? Pale Ale is simply beer brewed predominately from pale malt.It includes many so-called styles.
The only beer which actually defines a style is Fuller's ESB , the one which started it all. But ESB isn't a style at all anyway, just a bitter at the stronger end of the spectrum.

No it isn't. Almost every beer is brewed predominately from pale malt. Pale Ale is a specific tradition of beer brewing originating in Britain. It includes pale ale, India pale ale, bitter, best bitter, ESB and double IPA, but not mild ale, strong ale, porter or any originally foreign styles.

That's where the name originated, to distinguish it from brews made with brown or dark malt. It's incorrect to call foreign styles (unless modelled on British brewing) as ales because these are specific to the UK.There is a common misconception that ales are sinply top fermented beers; this breaks down on detailed examination.

Westmalle Tripel
Duvel (Belgian Strong Pale Ale)
Thomas Hardy's Ale (English Barley Wine - even though it's no longer available)

I consider Thomas Hardy an Old Ale myself.

A lot of good choices. I'd add:

Two-Hearted - Midwest IPA
Edmund Fitzgerald - Porter
Fourth Dementia - Old Ale

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a standard pale ale to me

BSDA - Gulden Draak
American Porter - Edmund Fitzgerald
English Porter - Old Engine Oil/Taddy Porter
Old Ale - HOTD Adam
Dopplebock - Korbinian
German Pilsener - Konig

Saison dupont
St peters cream stout
Deschutes mirror pond
Llagunitas lil sumpin sumpin
St lupulin
Petrus oud bruin
Abt 12
Funkwerks white
EDIT
Modus hoperandi

I'd have to go with Surly SYX for dry-hopped American strong red ales aged in 6 types of wood.

Rogue Voodoo Maple Bacon Donut - Target practice

Edmund Fitzgerald is the quintessential porter. Hands down still the best.
American Oktoberfest is Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, German is still Hacker-Pschorr.

Im opening one here soon. #800 on untappd.

Aecht Schlenkerla Märzen for a Märzen/Oktoberfest. Duh!

Alpha King for Pale Ales
Gumballhead for wheats

Pale Ale- Sam's Boston Ale hard to beat
American Wheat- Boulevard
IPA- price and availability Torpedo
DIPA- Pliny the Elder. I've never had anything that quite compares.
Stout. Hard choice. FBS and Raspy are superb.
Pils- Urquell, Noble and Summerfest.

Hefeweizen: Paulaner, Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner
Saison: Saison DuPont
Czech Pilsner: Staropramen, Pilsner Urquell
RIS: Old Rasputin
Tripel: Chimay White
Belgian Pale Ale: Orval
American Pale Ale: Sierra Nevada