Sure, Matt. I'm not sure what your local beer stores may have, but I'll definitely give you some recommendations. For German styles, I really like the Spaten brewery. They make everything from Pils to Doppelbocks, and they are the original brewers of Oktoberfest biers for the marriage of Prince Ludwig. Excellent stuff. My favorite of their beers though is the Doppelbock, Optimator. I love that stuff. It's tons o' malt and decently strong.
For Hefes, my favorite as I mentioned before is Franziskaner, another Munich beer. If you like Bavarian Hefes (clove and banana esters), I would also recommend looking into Dunkelweisens, which are basically Hefes made with dark grains. You get the same banana and clove esters in a darker beer.
For strong beers, though, I would recommend more on the Belgian sides, as in your Unibroue in NY. There are so many Belgian brews that to list even a handful would do major injustice to the zillion others out there. Definite tasters are Duvel, Chimay (Bleu is my fave, though Rouge is also great), and anything brewed in a monastery (known as Trappist Ales - only beers brewed in monasteries can be labeled Trappist). And if you like fruity beers, try a Lambic. These are ales fermented by wild yeasts. Geuze is known for a "horse-hair" taste, which is why I haven't tried one, but Framboise (raspberry) is a real knock-your-socks-off taste. Very tart and almost wine-like.
For stouts, again there are many to choose from. I like Sam Smith's oatmeal, but it comes in a clear bottle. Any bottle color other than brown or blue can allow hop oils to become "light struck", leading to a skunky taste/smell. Heineken is the best example of such a taste. I would really love to get back to England to get a Sam Smith's on cask.
Do not at all discount American craft breweries. America has a huge brewing heritage; unfortunately, much of that heritage was lost with Prohibition. The local brewpubs were put out of business, and with their loss came a loss of a large amount of knowledge and tradition. But, the craft brewing movement that started in the '90's has really put the US in the forefront of brewing. Unfortunately again, America is best known for producing light, flavorless Pilsners (Bud, Coors, Miller, etc.). Interestingly enough, these beers developed most of their flavors during WWII when women were the primary market targets since most men were overseas fighting the war. The flavors stuck though. In the NE area, look into Dogfish Head brews. And, since you're looking into stouts more, if you can find a Worldwide Stout from Dogfish Head, you'll soon find heaven. I paid over $10 for one 12-ounce bottle in Colorado and I wish I had a six pack to last through the years. Dogfish Head is best known for its IPAs though - 60 Minute, 90 Minute, and 120 Minute IPAs, which refer to boil length with a hops charge added every minute of the boil. Yum!
Yikes, I've written a novel. I started my foray into beer when I got married and put a Mr. Beer kit on my wedding registry as a joke. Somebody actually gifted it to us (me) though, and since then I've dived headlong into beer. This from a guy who had to force himself to drink beer in college because I didn't like the taste. But that was when BudMilloors were the only choices, though Pete's Wicked (original recipe) and Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager soon changed my mind quickly enough.
I hope that helps. You probably just wanted a list of beers to try and not an expose on Mark's beer head, huh? Sorry, I got carried away. One of my favorite topics to talk about though.