What was your Gatewaybeer to craft beer?

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the first beer that stood out and made me think, "Wow. This is something new, different and tasty."

Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter, Saranac mixed 12-packs, Lake Placid Ubu Ale.

I hit my pre-adolescent years hitting liquor. That was my comfort spot after coming of age as well. With my first “real” job in a corporate environment there were many HH events at a very (still, and one of the original craft birthers in the area) well established restaurant/brewery. Everybody else drank beer so…I went through their offerings and could only just kind of get by (stomach) their Red Ale ( which I can now appreciate due to its malty and toffee character) I was convinced that I just was Not a beer person.

My wife and I were at the Yard House (national chain, ridiculous # of taps at each location) for a random employee +spouse dinner with the same company. She suggested that I try a Guinness, because she liked them.

Game Over!!

I think that was almost 20 years ago? Yeesh.

I tried a Victory Hop Devil at a Phillies game back in 2008-2010, and since then the craft beer section (now isle(s)) began getting my business.

The short answer is I really can't remember when the first "craft" beer I had. Back in the day, just about everything was large industrial production.
A small bar in my college town used to have $1 import nights, (oh yeah this was a long time ago) and they had a pretty good selection.
I thought I was being cool drinking Lowenbrau dark, and St Pauli Girl Dark but a girl I know got me drinking Carslburg Elephant Malt, which of course got me totally wasted. Then I had to try everything they had and gravitated towards Bass ale, Newcastle brown ale and Samuel Smith's. None of those are craft beers, but they were different than the terrible Stroh's beer everyone else was drinking. I sort of remember that Michelob had a dark beer that I'd order at a bar. I can definitely remember buying cases of beer in returnable bottles, but the actual brands I can't remember. We drank whatever was cheap.
Then I found really cheap Genesee bock (like $6 case) while on a ski trip, and a few years later started drinking Pete's wicked ale and finally found Catamount which was a NE small brewery (now closed).

Yuengling lager and Sam Adams Boston lager, nothing too exciting but I still enjoy them both

Craft: Cold Smoke by Kettle House in Missoula MT

The road to a single good beer is paved with a thousand bad beers.

I'll ask again, what is definition of craft beer? Sam Addams, ?maybe, a very long time ago, Yuenling ?(which is actually a great local lager form PA, but more of a holdover from better times than a craft beer, in my opinion,) ...

Ballantine India pale ale, when it was good, and cost more than regular Ballantine Ale, back in early '80s ? Does that count?

Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada, Longtrail, never did think of them as craft brew, just the better brews one could drink, but what do I know.

Was off island today and went into a local liqueur store (got to go there for beer in this state), anyway, looking for a craft or even semi craft lager, or even blonde ale, none to be had. Only "craft beer"; super hopped to the point of flowery so called IPAs. Ended up buying an organic sparkling cider, too sweet for me, but my gal liked it.

I remeber, "Hard Core Cider"...right when i got into brewing, threw some tree top in a glass carboy.... it's that easy.....(i think i already said that though, but last year! and i got 20 gallons of cider right now SOOOOO...)

Dland said:

Ended up buying an organic sparkling cider, too sweet for me, but my gal liked it.

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ever since something.....i swear besides Hard Core Cider, they all taste like jolly ranchers...and 'fake'