Most any brand you find in a local bike shop will be a good brand. Trek, Specialized and Cannondale are popular in my area, but there are quite a few others that might be popular for your area. Scott is what I'd consider my dream bike. But I've never had or ridden a Scott bicycle.
You really need to just decide on what type of riding you wish to do the most of. Buy a bike for that use. Don't buy for the things you might do once or twice a blue moon. If you don't have to have the most expensive bike, then you can own more than one type of bike for different riding styles.