“What is the best beer you have ever had?”, said an acquaintance who had found out that I am really into beer. This same question has probably been posed to me 100x previously in different fashions whenever someone finds out about my craft beer hobby. Through the years I had generated this almost automatic reply that goes something like, “There are so many different styles of beer that I enjoy and that it is very hard for me to pick just one.”. That usually satisfies the person asking the question and we move along in the discussion. This time was different, and my inquisitor didn’t think that was an acceptable answer and persisted. I told him I would think about it and get back to him, and I was able to narrow it down to two.
Being on this site I do not to tell you that I have ticked thousands upon thousands of beers and have quaffed some of the most sought after beers in my time. What might surprise you (like they did me) was my answers that I provided him the next time we spoke:
Beer #1, was enjoyed three years back on the opening day of trout season here in PA. I was camping with friends and the weather that weekend was an absolutely perfect sunny and 72 degrees. I had been standing streamside since 5:45 in the morning to ensure I secured my carefully selected spot and had quite the morning fishing. The time was now 11:30 and I met up with my buddy Eric to grab some lunch back at the truck and get a beverage. I pulled a couple of ice-cold Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner cans out of the cooler and the two of us sat on the tailgate, ate our sandwiches and drank those beers. I can still taste it now, and between the excellent morning of fishing, me being absolutely parched and that beer tasting so damn good it just vividly sticks out in my mind.
Beer #2, was enjoyed during deer season two years back. A group of guys were staying in a friend’s hunting camp and it was a Saturday. My good friend Eric and I have been hunting together for over 15 years and neither of us had ever gotten a buck before (I am a much better fisherman than I am a deer hunter). It was almost noon and I had agreed with Eric that if nothing had happened before noon I would make my way to his stand and push out some thick laurel that was nearby. I was making my way over to him through some thick brush and I heard something kick out. It wasn’t 10-seconds later when I heard the shot and quickly made my way over to Eric. He had shot his first buck, a beautiful 8-pt deer. After I helped him get it back to camp I went and grabbed the “best” beer we had in the camp fridge, which happened to be a Backwoods Bastard. As we sat outside recapping the day’s events and passing that bottle back and forth I recall it tasting absolutely incredible.
As I racked my brain to see what stood out in all those beers I had consumed I was quite surprised that these two took the cake. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy both beers every time I have them, but surely some sought-after whale consumed in a 2-oz pour with a bunch of folks at a tasting would take the cake. I never would’ve guessed those beers would win out. In the end I found that the perfect beer for me is a combination of time and place just as much as the beer in my hand.
So what say you TalkBeer, what is the best beer you ever tasted (and hopefully a bit of backstory).
Cheers!
Greg
Being on this site I do not to tell you that I have ticked thousands upon thousands of beers and have quaffed some of the most sought after beers in my time. What might surprise you (like they did me) was my answers that I provided him the next time we spoke:
Beer #1, was enjoyed three years back on the opening day of trout season here in PA. I was camping with friends and the weather that weekend was an absolutely perfect sunny and 72 degrees. I had been standing streamside since 5:45 in the morning to ensure I secured my carefully selected spot and had quite the morning fishing. The time was now 11:30 and I met up with my buddy Eric to grab some lunch back at the truck and get a beverage. I pulled a couple of ice-cold Sly Fox Pikeland Pilsner cans out of the cooler and the two of us sat on the tailgate, ate our sandwiches and drank those beers. I can still taste it now, and between the excellent morning of fishing, me being absolutely parched and that beer tasting so damn good it just vividly sticks out in my mind.
Beer #2, was enjoyed during deer season two years back. A group of guys were staying in a friend’s hunting camp and it was a Saturday. My good friend Eric and I have been hunting together for over 15 years and neither of us had ever gotten a buck before (I am a much better fisherman than I am a deer hunter). It was almost noon and I had agreed with Eric that if nothing had happened before noon I would make my way to his stand and push out some thick laurel that was nearby. I was making my way over to him through some thick brush and I heard something kick out. It wasn’t 10-seconds later when I heard the shot and quickly made my way over to Eric. He had shot his first buck, a beautiful 8-pt deer. After I helped him get it back to camp I went and grabbed the “best” beer we had in the camp fridge, which happened to be a Backwoods Bastard. As we sat outside recapping the day’s events and passing that bottle back and forth I recall it tasting absolutely incredible.
As I racked my brain to see what stood out in all those beers I had consumed I was quite surprised that these two took the cake. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy both beers every time I have them, but surely some sought-after whale consumed in a 2-oz pour with a bunch of folks at a tasting would take the cake. I never would’ve guessed those beers would win out. In the end I found that the perfect beer for me is a combination of time and place just as much as the beer in my hand.
So what say you TalkBeer, what is the best beer you ever tasted (and hopefully a bit of backstory).
Cheers!
Greg
