The beer that got you into beer

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SN pale ale was the first good beer I ever had, then it snowballed from there quickly!
 
Sam Adams was all my dad ever drank while was growing you. Fast forward to college and keystone was the beer of choice. I've been a beer snob since I was 16 and didn't even know it. my first homebrew will be a hefewiezen... all grain of my own recipe. I would have to say without any HB experience that Sam Adams BL and ocktoberfest are what brought me into the fold.
 
Foster's Lager.

I held up a glass of it and told myself "If I could brew this, I could go into business for myself".

...still have to do a lager....
 
I hung out with the older crowd when I was in high school and I would share growlers of beer from a local brewpub with them. The first one I recall really enjoying was either ESB or "Lawnmower." Anyone from Indianapolis probably knows what brewpub I'm talking about... ;)
 
Its probably between Victory and Troeggs for me. I started drinking Troeggs variety cases, Nugget Nectar, Hopback, Sunshine Pils, etc. Then a taste of Victory's Golden Monkey put me completely over the top for craft beer. This was NOT Yuengling Lager (not that there's anything wrong with that!)
 
I started working for beer distributors when I was 17 but didn't know much about beer. It was a trip to Munich at 19 with my beautiful wife that drew me to brewing beer. I had my first "legal" beer at the Hofbrauhaus. It was their Hofbrau Original München that sparked my obsession. I came back to the states and bought my first homebrew kit from The Homebrew Outlet in Sacramento as a result.
 
Sam Adams opened my eye to what good beer should taste like when it first came out. This is my standard and what drove me to expanding my taste in beer, thus into home brewing. For some reason, I don't think I'm alone.
 
La Fin du Monde from Unibroue. I'm not big into Belgians anymore, but it still holds a special place for me.
 
Miller Lite.....blech, but it was my go to beer in my misspent youth.

My first good beer was Goose Island IPA, and it became one of my favorites, it's still a good go to beer.
 
ckcanady said:
I started working for beer distributors when I was 17 but didn't know much about beer. It was a trip to Munich at 19 with my beautiful wife that drew me to brewing beer. I had my first "legal" beer at the Hofbrauhaus. It was their Hofbrau Original München that sparked my obsession. I came back to the states and bought my first homebrew kit from The Homebrew Outlet in Sacramento as a result.
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Do you live in Sacramento still? I do!!
 
Though I have had many before these, Redhook's first Double Black Stout and Pyramid's first Snow Cap made me fall in love with craft beer. Grant's Scottish Ale was another I tried around that same time, and that one made me want to seek out other similar craft brews.
 
Really??????

DAMMIT.


Poopy poopy crappy guinness. The only beer available at crappy watering holes that isn't a light merican lager.
 
cheezydemon3 said:
Really??????

DAMMIT.


Poopy poopy crappy guinness. The only beer available at crappy watering holes that isn't a light merican lager.
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I went to a bar a couple of weeks ago to meet a friend of mine and they only had BMC on tap and even worse in cans/bottles. I thought the bartender was going to kick me out when I asked "That's it?" I did my very best to ask in a way that didn't come off snobby but I got the feeling that he got asked that a lot these days.
 
Anything from New Belgium and Boulevard. Being from Kansas City once Boulevard rolled out there Smokestack series in earnest (The sixth glass Quadruple)... Oh, it was on! But Fat Tire was my first true love.
 
cfonnes said:
A business trip to the German countryside. I first ordered "bier" having no idea what they would bring me, then I moved on to ordering dunkel bier. Still do not know what breweries the beer was coming from but is was delicious, american light lager would never taste good again.
Click to expand...

It was actually the same for me. I didn't like beer before going there, having only been exposed to Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch.


Many of the restaurants there have their own private brewers or local brewers. Ratzketler is one of the few that I have seen at several places.


Honestly, I still don't like the American macro brews/big brewer beers. Only if it is free and nothing else is available will I drink it.


Ethiopia had some surprisingly good beer, and Dublin opened my eyes to the beautiful black gold we all know as Guinness. Beamish was another good beer I ran into there. St James Gate is probably the best place to get a pint in Dublin.
 
luke_d said:
Do you live in Sacramento still? I do!!
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Yup... I work for one if the larger beer wholesalers in the Sacramento/ Napa area as a draft manager
 
I loved the TV show Three Sheets to the Wind, which helped me take beer more seriously. Zane Lamprey's newer drinking show doesn't have the same magic.
 
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Had it for the first time at a kegger a few friends and I had going one summer in HS. One of my friends got a hold of a 6-pack and we split it up. First sip was something of a Eureka moment, and I found it quite difficult to choke down the next Dixie of Keystone Light.

The veil was lifted from my eyes, I had seen the light, and it was magnificent.
 
Schneider Aventinus. Absolutely blew me away with its banana and clove flavors never had anything like that before that night
 
I was pretty much into beer from the first beer I had, which was a milk stout at a local brewpub. After that, Guinness was the real 'aha' moment for what beer could be.
 
For me it was Rogue Dead Guy which the waiter recommended I try while at a taproom in downtown Seattle (I was a bit clueless about craft beer back in 2005). That was my turning point for the beginning of my adventures in craft beer.
 
johnsnownw said:
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Had it for the first time at a kegger a few friends and I had going one summer in HS. One of my friends got a hold of a 6-pack and we split it up. First sip was something of a Eureka moment, and I found it quite difficult to choke down the next Dixie of Keystone Light.

The veil was lifted from my eyes, I had seen the light, and it was magnificent.
Click to expand...

... Little known fact: Sierra Pale Ale is actually brewed with a slightly altered recipe from bottles to draft. Draft Pale was made slightly more drinkable!
 
My "inspiration" was Penn Brewery Dark Ale. I had been drinking MGD prior to that simply because my favorite NASCAR driver was Rusty Wallace at the time. How Naive I was! Either way, Penn Brewery was my "gateway beer". It all snowballed from there.
 
I believe it was boonville brewerys oatmeal stout that first blew me away and got me excited to try everything I could get my hands on. Haven't tried it in a while, I wonder if its still as good
 
luke_d said:
Dude! I used to merch for Markstein!!
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Me too... About 6 years ago I was also lead Merch, then I moved to Washington State which has terrible weather so I moved back and went into the draft department.
 
It was either Victory at home in Philly or Allagash when I lived on a historic sailboat in Maine. I can't remember which was first. I don't really drink either now. Victory is getting too big for their britches IMO and I prefer Maine Beer Co when picking up an offering from the north. Zoe and Titus are amazing...
 
Sam Adams Oktoberfest.

Cousins graduation party. As far as drinks went it was either soda, water, Mike's hard lemonade, or Oktoberfest. Was glad I tried the Oktoberfest and to this day I haven't found one I like more than Sams. Not saying theirs is the best or truest to style, just the best for my tastebuds.
 
While living in Switzerland, I met an avid home brewer. He turned out to be the main sponsor for our club league basketball team. He brewed in 90 gallon batches because he sold his stuff on a small scale. Hirnibraeu is the beer. It's a blonde lager. Simply perfect and delicious IMO. You can drink 1 or 10 and they're all enjoyable. He's always looking to get more hits on his site, if you feel inclined. www.hirnibraeu.ch
 

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