My first craft beer

[kmckiou]

So...I'm sitting here watching the Brew Dogs in N. California and am reminded of my first craft beer. They started this adventure at UC Davis with Professor Charlie Bamforth, the "Pope of Foam". Anyhow the first thing Charlie pulls out is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and all declare it is the "quintessential American Pale Ale", Ken Grossman's "gift to the world". And then James says that Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the first craft beer and that his world was never the same afterward. Wow! My experience exactly!

My craft beer journey began about 4 years ago. One of my sons had a few SNPAs in the fridge and I had run out of Bud, Michelob or what ever I was drinking at the time so I helped myself to one. At my first taste it was as if the clouds parted and the sun filled the kitchen. WHAT IS THAT???? A second taste confirmed DOOOWAAAAHHHH!!!! Music in my mouth! I could not believe what I was drinking. It was like losing my virginity. I was hooked, for sure.

Four years later and thousands of dollars in brewing equipment, I am fully embracing the craft beer experience.

So...what was your first craft beer experience?

OH, BTW, this is my Post #1

 

[brucejay]

Hanging out by my now father-in-laws pool. I went to grab another corona out of the fridge but the universe guided my hand toward a Sierra Nevada pale ale. There was no turning back. That is still my favorite beer and one of my favorite memories.

Now I'm here... reading dudes talk about beer at 1:00 in the morning

 

[frozennorth]

At bar in College Park, MD, Town Hall. My roommate worked their so I went in one day. Snow Goose Amber was set in front of me and the rest is history. That was in 1993. Interesting thing is, he still works there. One of these days I will make a 5,000 mile pilgrimage back to Town Hall, where it all began. (I think thatSnow Goose is out of business, &#128542

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Red Hook Ale when they only had one or two beers. Banana esters out the wazoo. At Bully's Tavern in Bellingham Washington, 1986.

 

[Spelaeus]

Beer snob-ish friend in college had me try Unibroue's La Fin du Monde. Before that I honestly thought I didn't like beer, having had parents that mostly drank Heineken and Michelob Ultra with the occasional Blue Moon.

 

[Callacave]

I can't remember the exact time when the light bulb went off, but it was probably while I was having a Sam Adams Lager in the mid 90's. Living near Boston the stuff used to be so fresh back in the day.

I just remember it having this subtle fruitiness that was amazing. Probably from the hops, and my virgin taste buds weren't used to that. Now it's just malty to me, and not pleasant at all.

Pete's Wicked Ale was another one that opened my eyes to other flavors.

Red Hook Double Black Stout when it was made with Starbucks Coffee was another one that got me into Stouts.

 

[Black Island Brewer]

Beer snob-ish friend in college had me try Unibroue's La Fin du Monde. Before that I honestly thought I didn't like beer, having had parents that mostly drank Heineken and Michelob Ultra with the occasional Blue Moon.

That's an awesome beer to pop your cherry on!

 

[Cheesy_Goodness]

Growing up in PA the only halfway respectable choice (not BMC) is Yuengling, so I was drinking that a lot.
Then a few years later wife and I were out at an Irish pub and they had Redhook's Longhammer IPA. Since then I've been trying new things whenever able.

 

[firerat]

I guess there is no short story with this one.

I used to only drink BMC because it was all I could afford and honestly I didn't know craft beer from swill, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford to drink the good stuff.

Then a friend (RIP Phil) turned me on to Yuengling. Good beer, same price more or less as the BMC. You have a fan!!

Drinking Yuengling for a while made drinking BMC piss all but impossible. At the time though few places down here carried Yuengling (it's everywhere now). But most places had Sam Adams. So, I started drinking Sam Adams (when I could afford it of course)

I started exploring the Sam Adams line of seasonal brews and what not and that led me to start trying more and more new stuff from different breweries.

That was about 10 years ago.

 

[Jeremy_84]

I want to say Real Ale Fireman's 4 at there brewery in Blanco TX was what got me away from the big breweries. I will admit my wife is the beer snob in the family she's the one that turned me on to craft beer. She from Ft. Collins CO. After that we took a trip to see her family and visited a few craft breweries there then my eyes where open to the world of craft beer.


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[peterj]

Mine was about 5 years ago at my brother and sister in law's wedding. Luckily I was in my early 20's so I hadn't exposed my poor taste buds to too much BMC abuse! I'd had some craft beers before I think, and I generally knew they were better than the BMC I was used to drinking (usually excessively) in college. But they had a keg of Stone Levitation and after one sip of that sweet hoppy goodness I was hooked for life! I kept telling my wife (I guess she was my girlfriend at the time) how GREAT this beer was! She of course hated it because she abhors anything with more than a hint of American hop presence.

Speaking of which, I haven't had Levitation in a while! I'll have to pick some up soon!

 

[TimFarAway]

Somewhere on State St in Madison WI back about 1994. Probably a Leinenkugel's. I've rarely had a BMC in my fridge since. If I couldn't afford the good stuff, I'd prefer a glass of cool aid.

 

[MindenMan]

Sometime in the early 1990's, I went into a home brew store to check things out, and somehow got a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout to drink. I think I may have died right then, and came back a few minutes later knowing the Henry Weinhard's that had lured me away from Silver Bullets, MGD, Michelob Dark, and many others, would just never do again. Granted, 1 bottle of Framboise, (If I remember correctly) cost as much as a 6 pack of MGD I believe. We became beer snobs and needed to learn the fine art of home brewing, as soon as was possible.

 

[kmckiou]

It is amazing how many people have not had a craft beer experience. I was talking to a good friend (moved 400 miles away) and talking about brewing craft beer and he had no idea what I was talking about. I had to explain about SNPA and how it was different than Miller Lite - which is what we were drinking together almost 40 years ago! It seems craft beer has huge room to grow.