What beer would you describe as the beer that 'awakened' you...?

[seanybubbles]

St. Ambroise pale ale for me....was the first "microbrewery" available in my neck of the woods... still enjoy it today.

 

[elpresidente]

Anything Sierra Nevada...that was kind of the first "good" beer I started drinking with Red Hook as a close second. After diving into those 2 breweries and what they had to offer really opened my eyes...THERE IS A LOT OF AWESOME BEER OUT THERE that I have yet to drink.

 

[Nugent]

Once you go warm and flat, you never go back!

Amen.

 

[kuphish]

Boulevard Pale Ale got me into craft beer.

 

[Coastarine]

Hoegaarden. Some guys on a subaru forum were raving about it so I decided to find out what the fuss was about.

 

[middleofnowhere]

My first awesome beer experience was a Hobgoblin about 2 years ago, it is still my favourite beer, with Hoegaarden coming in a close second.

 

[CodeRage]

Ommegang - Three Philosophers.

 

[zman]

In my home town it is a choice of Guinness, Heineken, Amstel Light, Corona, and BMC. So my leap to Beer snobbery was in college when I had SNPA and Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. NYC was not really hip to micros and quality beer back then. I remember paying $16 for a 4 pack of SS Oaties in 1993. We also had to drive to Long Island to the good beer distributor to pay $40 for a case of SNPA. That prompted my leap into the obsession

 

[sudbuster]

Ever since my trip through Europe, I've always appreciated the finer beers this world has to offer. It wasn't, however, until about 6 months ago that I tried a Hitachino Nest White Ale, and realized that good beer can not only be enjoyed, but truly appreciated. It was that experience that got me to begin brewing, as well as, for lack of a better word, worshipping beer of all varieties.

I think a lot of you can look back and realize there was some beer in your past that turned you from the BMC dark-side, and 'enlightened' or 'awakened' you to the wonderful brews out there.

Please.... share....

Hofbrauhaus helles in the late '70's

 

[ghpeel]

***** Modelo (Vienna Lager) and Sam Adams made me aware that beer didn't have to taste like fermented Cheerios (I'm looking at you, Busch Light!). Bellhaven Scotch Ale came next. And I finished the leftover Caracole of a friend in a beer pub who couldn't stomach it and got hooked on Belgian's instantly.

 

[david_42]

Too far back, but given the timeframe, it was probably SN or Anchor Steam.

 

[r2eng]

Bert Grant's Imperial Stout, served at Rico's Tavern in Pullman Washington. If memory serves, it was 1986.

I miss it even today. Although I have a decent clone - at least I think it is as BGIS hasn't been brewed in a while.

 

[UncleDave]

Back in the 1990s, I started drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager. Then I heard about a special Sam Adams "Triple Bock" beer that was high in alcohol. A buddy and I decided to split one. We both thought it was awful, but it made an impression on me and I began to look for other examples of high gravity beers. Since my palate has changed and I have learned to appreciate beers more, I wonder how that Triple Bock would taste today.

 

[CGengo]

Mackeson's Triple XXX Stout, sadly no longer available in the US. I spent two years looking for that brew after having one a few years back. When I finally moved to a city with variety, I got hooked on Chimay Red and Delirium Nocturnum but it was the search for the Mackeson's that set it all in motion.

 

[rjvanden]

Combination of going to a wedding where my old college roommate made some very good wit and porter homebrews... and then trying both O'Hara's Irish Stout and Acme Pale ale on the same night. Since I was on vacation, I was able to read Palmer's online version of How to Brew and whalaa.

 

[grove]

Living in Germany before I was 21, I drank house hefes throughout Bavaria (most of em served w/ lemon slice) just to get wasted, having no real appreciation for the brew. it wasnt until after I left that I acquired the taste and realized what I was missing. I think it was hoegaarden for me too.

 

[Sharkeydude]

The beer that opened my eyes was Promise Ale. I bought 4 bottles simply because I liked the bottles and label. It was awesome at the time. Unfortunately, I never found it again after that night. The store never received any more either. I'm not sure if they even brew it anymore, but that beer did it for me.

 

[cfox109]

Turning 21 is what opened me up to the beer world. Since I was now of legal age I was able to go out with my friend who is adventurous like me to find the perfect beer and try as many different types of beer possible and was not confined to miller and coors. I think the first beers I truly valued for the taste was Hefeweizen's it was a smooth transition from the watered down lagers i was used to and had much more flavor. I think who I have to give credit to, for giving me as much appreciation for beer as I have today would be Stone. Living in southern California almost every store has Stone beer so it didnt take long for me to try it and fall in love with it. Then one day I decided I loved Stone so much Im going to go check out the Stone brewery. While there I was almost instantly inspired to start brewing especially when the tour guide told me how simple it could be. And now my journey continues...

 

[permo]

Victory Hop Devil was the first craft beer that REALLY impressed me. I think it is a double IPA. That all being said, I recently had Sierra Nevada's Anniversery Ale, this year it is a cascade IPA....WOW

 

[Yuri_Rage]

My own beer was the turning point for me. Before I brewed beer, I thought I knew something about beer. I was wrong. Once I started brewing, I began learning. I read (and still read) everything I can find about beer. I seek out the beers I've read about and beers I've never even heard about. Among my friends, I'm a beer snob and THE guy to ask about beer. Among beer snobs, I consider myself an amateur. No time like the present to broaden my palate...what's in the fridge?

 

[barracudamagoo]

Satan's Red

 

[McKBrew]

I'm with LGI. It was really Mr. Beer that opened the doors for me. In the last three years I've tried probably 100+ different beers, before that I seriously may have tried 10-15 beers total EVER. I remember one notable beer from my younger years, but that brewery went out of business and I went years after drinking MGD and the occasional Henry Weinhards. (Thomas Kemper, why did you leave us?). There were instances in my life where a 6 pack would last me over a month and after one nasty hangover/puke from Budweiser I didn't drink for at least two years.

Once I started brewing, the gloves came off and I really discovered beer for what it is, nectar of the gods and not as a vessel for a quick buzz and a crappy day after.

 

[iparks81]

Westmalle !
always drank alot of beer but it was always molsen\bud\Coors until I decided to try a larger variety, there was a LHBS next to a Hobby store and a few friends and I went in...I was instantly hooked, I had to try it! I've been brewin ever since ...love it ...but Westmalle was the beer that changed it all for me!

 

[MattHollingsworth]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, around 1987.

 

[hotstack]

My love affair with beer started one summer in Japan with Kirin Lager and then Asahi Superdry (basically the Japanese versions of BMC). These were... hell, still are, very good in hot weather, but all taste just about the same.

Like the original poster, my first taste came from Hitachi-no-nest White Ale and Sweet Stout. We took a trip to Ibaraki-pref to brew on-site there (if you live in Tokyo and have never been, it is a nice trip out away from the city for a day)... http://kodawari.cc/en/

We tasted the real deal while making our own "clones" with their permission... the fact that what we brewed was very close to what we had got me hooked.

 

[LakeErieBrew]

When I was in college, I went to a liquor store to buy a bottle of vodka. I didn't have any cash on me, so I had to use a credit card. When I got up to the check out counter, I noticed the store had a policy of $20 minimum purchase for credit card customers. The vodka was about $15, so I quickly grabbed something that was about $5. Luckily for me, that "something for about $5" was a small bottle of Chimay Red.

I was blown away when I drank the Chimay. It opened up a whole new world for me. It's still one of my favorite beers.

 

[schweaty]

Dogfish Head 90 and Bells Two Hearted Ale changed the way I looked at beer. Before them I would drink mostly lagers and never really appreciated ales. Hell, I'm not sure I ever knew what hops tasted like before that. Changed my life and now I'm addicted to this hobby. LOVE IT!

 

[bronzdragon]

Back before the micro brews took off, I was driving by this shop in a semi-industrial part of town that advertised "craft and home brewing supplies".

Of course this caught my attention. I stopped and talked to the guy for a good while and he told me about a meeting of the newly formed local homebrew club.

After attending my first meeting, and tasting beers that had been brewed by the guys, that's what hooked me. I can't really pinpoint a specific brew, especially mass marketed stuff, because this was still when you basically just had bud/miller/coors to pick from at the store and bars.

So, I blame my club ... which I'm still a member of after almost 20 years...lol.
cheers

~r~

 

[TexLaw]

I wonder how that Triple Bock would taste today.

I still have a bottle in my beer "archives" so to speak, and I tried one just back in July. It still tastes like soy sauce and molasses, but just older. You ain't missing much.


TL

 

[MisterGreen]

Victory Hop Devil was the first craft beer that REALLY impressed me. I think it is a double IPA. That all being said, I recently had Sierra Nevada's Anniversery Ale, this year it is a cascade IPA....WOW

Victory makes incredible beers. The brewery tour is highly recommended. They have about 30 different beers on tap at the brewpub.