What beer?

As home brew and craft beer enthusiast, we all have that one beer that changed the game for us. What brew made you realize there was a whole world of pure dankness just around the corner??

Judging by your use of the word "dankness", I'm guessing there is a specific style you have in mind when you think of craft beer.

I drink a lot of craft beer, the vast majority of which are nowhere approaching "dank".

Dankness was probably poor word choice. I was using it more as a slang term for awesome

Many years ago.... Chimay Blue

Weyerbacher ESB.

I think it was not long after that a friend gave me an Ommegang Abbey Ale. I wasn't quite ready for that at that time, but my how times have changed.

Oskar Blues Ten Fidy... still my favorite beer

Heady topper

Victory Hop Devil and Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse. Opened my eyes to two very different worlds.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f5/what-your-gatewaybeer-craft-beer-452187/#post5802646

Shiner Bock. Not really a craft beer, but the first time I realized there was more out there besides Bud, Miller, and Coors.

I think my first true craft beer experience was Old Rasputin. Thought I was drinking bread.

hunter_la5 said:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f5/what-your-gatewaybeer-craft-beer-452187/#post5802646

Shiner Bock. Not really a craft beer, but the first time I realized there was more out there besides Bud, Miller, and Coors.

I think my first true craft beer experience was Old Rasputin. Thought I was drinking bread.

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Shiner was also my first non BMC beer, really opened my eyes to trying different beers.

I bought a 10-pack "Beers of the World" assortment from World Market... and I really lucked out... it was an amazing assortment!

I still remember the first of those beers that I opened: Theakston's Old Peculier

It was dark, rich, full-bodied, and soooo flavorful! So unlike any beer I ever had before. That's what got me started on the path to better beer, and ultimately to homebrewing.

I honestly don't remember. The first non-yellow fizzy beer I ever had was Shiner Bock. I might have been 16. I kind of always dug deeper for a better tasting beverage since then.

For me, it was a Sweetwater IPA. My son invited me to a Sweetwater Brewery tasting tour. Their IPA literally rocked my beer world...

Is that overly dramatic??

Stone's Ruination did it for me...i didn't even like super bitter IPAs but something about it clicked for me

If I had to name one beer it might be New Glarus ALT. It tickled my taste buds like no beer had before and as an east coaster with no access to distribution I wanted to brew it. Tried to a few years ago, it was good but not up to par... It is about time to try again.

How do we fit Yuengling into the mix? It was always my go to which led to Bass, and the then our local brews. Hop-devil is the only name that i remember, but i liked everything at Victory's tap room.

Also my first craft beer Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, still my go to when nothing else peaks my interest

funkadelicturkey said:

If I had to name one beer it might be New Glarus ALT. It tickled my taste buds like no beer had before and as an east coaster with no access to distribution I wanted to brew it. Tried to a few years ago, it was good but not up to par... It is about time to try again.

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That one did it for me too. I hope they bring it back someday.

I never was big on the generic yellow beer. I would always go for a red or amber. First eye opening craft brew was no doubt the Mill St. Weizenbock. Malty, smooth, very enjoyable. "I gotta get more of this stuff!" Turns out it was only offered as 1 out of the 6 in a seasonal pack or keg.

It has been a short lived quest to try and replicate. Perhaps going and having a quality chat with one of the brewmasters could point me in the right direction. I hear most of the craft breweries are quite approachable.

Brew_Dude41 said:

How do we fit Yuengling into the mix? It was always my go to which led to Bass, and the then our local brews. Hop-devil is the only name that i remember, but i liked everything at Victory's tap room.

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Yuengling is certainly no craft beer, but I would consider it one on the best cheap commercial beers on the market. And obviously, you consider it your "gateway" beer...

I guess I'm pretty lucky. I grew up in the south of the Netherlands, near the border with Belgium. Some great beer here ! The La Trappe brewery is right around the corner from where my mom lives. We go there to picnic and buy some fresh beer to go with it.

Men's room red, by Elysian Brewing Company. Maybe not considered a craft brew but it changed my entire outlook on beer, and the rest is history.

Put another tick next to Shiner Bock! Before that it was all Miller Lite all the time! Was lucky to be a Texan back then!

Piqued my interest: Beau's Lugtread
Sealed the deal: Ayinger Celebrator

My taste for beer didn't open up until I got stationed in Germany. I forced myself to try the different beers. The first was Weizen, then Pils, then the Bocks. They sold BMC on base, but they also sold a good assortment of local German beers. They sold a local Pils in a plastic crate with about 24 beers in it. Once finished, you'd take the bottles back and either get a deposit back, or get another case. I didn't get that deposit back until the day before I left Germany

Once back in the US, I tried to find some of those German beers at places like BevMo, World Market, etc. It was at these places that I really found all the different US craft beers and started trying all kinds.

jbb3 said:

Yuengling is certainly no craft beer, but I would consider it one on the best cheap commercial beers on the market. And obviously, you consider it your "gateway" beer...

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I agree with you now, but 20 years ago it was only the PA brewery with limited distribution. I remember not finding it in Pittsburgh at times back then. Now that i think of it, it was the same as Coors 10-15 years prior when I was a kid.
Sad now that I think of it like that...