Which Beer Took Your "BMC Virginity"

[andysim]

I'm think it was Guinness and Bass - Black and Tan at a bar called the Yacht Club in West Lafayette, IN (Purdue U) December of 1987.

 

[Tripod]

Newcastle and Sierra Nevada (any variety) in the early '90s. Definitely changed my perspective. About the same time I had a band-mate who homebrewed who turned me on to the endless possibilties and the rest has been one big adventure from there.

-Tripod

 

[Bubba]

Brooklyn Lager

 

[desertbronze]

Black Butte Porter for me. After that the search was on for better beer.

 

[firebird77]

Technically my first beer wasn't a BMC, but a Corona. First decent beer was most likely a Boston Lager or Heineken. It's really hard to say what beer really started the seed, because I always like to try everything and anything. Paydays in high school always meant bombers of Becks and Guinness Extra Stout.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Guiness! 1 2 3

 

[mordantly]

you guys got some excellent memory retention! i defrag once or twice a year, and as a result some things get lost/corrupted.

 

[Bob]

I never really drank cheap beer, other than deep-in-the-woods "parties" in high school. I refuse to agree that counts.

When I started to enjoy beer, I was in the Army. So it was Warsteiner, Spaten; German Pils and Dortmunder exports.

Then, just before I started college (1995, it was after my active Army service), I picked up a six-pack of SNPA. My eyes were opened. I was hooked.

Within months I started homebrewing. I brewed on and off through college.

But it all started with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I still default to SNPA when I can't be arsed to make a choice. Nom nom nom.

Bob

 

[Brew-boy]

Sam Adams Boston Lager.

 

[Kirbster]

Guinness Extra Stout and Murphys Irish Red.

 

[smitty2324]

First beer I ever had was a Sam Adams back in high school. I went through the BMC phase in college, but have always had a taste for expensive beer. Worked in a liquor store when I was a freshman in college and we would always take home shift beers. I think I must have had 100-200 different beers working that job.

 

[platypus]

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, hands down.

 

[Airborneguy]

I probably had something before this, but the true turning point was Breckingridge Avalanche when I was in the Army, sometime in '98.

 

[mvhsbball22]

Hoegaarden for me. I couldn't believe beer could have that much flavor.

 

[KillerKellers]

Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout and Arrogant Bastard. I used to drink tons of the cheap stuff, but I would buy bombers of these to "start the night". AB was really the first I think, but I walked into an Albertson's and they had a shopping cart full of bombers for a buck. Mostly Samuel Smiths, so I grabbed 5 of them and was hooked!

 

[sirsloop]

For me is was Unibroue Trois Pistoles and Hacker-Pschorr Weisse Dark

 

[BrianTheBrewer]

Sam Adams Boston Lager or Killian's Irish Red

 

[sulawesi]

Sam Adams Boston Ale

 

[iparks81]

Westmalle Took me away from BMC (and Heinekin), Samuel Smiths oatmeal Stout opened my eyes to dark beer, Oskar Blues Old Chub was the next "oh sh!# wow!" And most recently DFH 90 minute, and the 90 min clone that I brewed....if you could drink the equivilant to a candybar that would be it!!

 

[PT Ray]

I'd have to say Pete's Wicked Ale.

Being in the conservative south the ABV cap on beer at the time was 5.5%. We really only had megabrews, mainstream imported lagers and Pete's.

 

[febbrewro]

Bell's Oberon in college. Drank mostly swill until I met a fellow student from Kalamazoo who was a huge Bell's fan. Been hooked ever since.

 

[Beernik]

I was never a BMC virgin.

I started off drinking BBK Export in Germany when I was 14. I didn't get introduced to BMC beer until I moved back from Germany when I was 16. Someone handed me a can of Bud at a party. I took a sip and said, "This is beer?"

 

[wrestler63]

Smithwicks started it then a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale gave me the hop bug.

 

[YourBeardedPal]

Either Guinness Draught, Sam Adams Boston Lager, Brooklyn Brewery's IPA, or Dogfish Head's Raison D Etre... I'm not really positive.

 

[griffondg]

Mine was SN Pale Ale. I had other "good" beers prior to that, but SNPA was the one that changed me forever. Still a great everyday beer.

Eric

 

[Sedge]

Yuengling in high school, Sam Adams Winter Lager in college. Can barely remember the downward spiral and overseas trips for beer that followed (I'm only 23, is that bad?)

 

[norwegiangeek]

Probably a Summit EPA as I'm from MN and used to live near the brewery.

 

[JBrady]

Smithwicks was my gateway beer

 

[Goatey]

I can remember the exact moment. I studied in Austria while in college. It was my first night and I went to this nice pub across from the hotel that I spent my first night.

Its house beer was a dark wheat called "Die Weisse" that was brewed in Salzburg. Seriously one of the best beers I've ever had. The bar was called "Die Waescherei" and if anyone is planning a trip to Austria, I believe it's the only bar in Vienna that sells Die Weisse.

Either way, during that trip I was turned on to some really great beers. I feel that Austria is under appreciated for their beer and wine selection. It's great stuff.

I would love to find a recipe so that I could clone the Die Weisse.

 

[boyurboy]

In college in the early '90's in Baltimore they had beers from what was at the time Foggy Bottom Brewery (I think...). They brewed something called "Olde Heurich", and I remember that first bottle like it was yesterday.

 

[david_42]

Newcastle Brown Ale: Northern California RenFaire, 1975. And Guinness and Harp and ...

It was a good day.

 

[MrInternet]

Sam Adams Boston Lager, circa 1998... following very closely thereafter were hefes by Widmer and Pyramid, Shiner "Bock", and of course after that I would try anything intriguing I saw on the shelves of our surprisingly well-stocked grocery stores around here...

 

[Gfei]

When I first started to drink beer it was always Killians Irish Red. My first non BMC was Sam Adams Boston Lager. I hated it at the time, but my tastes have changed for the better since. I made myself drink the rest of that six pack I bought.

 

[DavidHawman]

DFH 90 minute IPA. Before that I thought beer was supposed to taste like bread at best and water at worst.

 

[CottonPatch]

......Guinness. Fall of 2009. I was a simple Bud Light guy for most of my days since college. That was 25 years ago. I'm now making up for lost time. I'm homebrewing extract brews right now and am getting prepared to go AG.

The real transformation from the BMC stuff was because of a TACO MAC (Atlanta) program called "Brewniversity". Credits on the program are attained by drinking different brews. It's a great way to sample styles and get the differences between them. It is even a great way to taste the differences between packaging because you can get a credit for each packaging style. For example, I got two credits yesterday for trying a Negra Modelo in 12 oz. bottle and 16 oz. from a keg. Same beer but some differences in taste. Over the five months I've gotten credit for trying over 200 beers. This "sampling" method has been a great education into the styles and has refined what I'm going after in homebrewing.

I just wish that I'd fallen of the A-B wagon years ago. Don't get me wrong - the dalmations and clydesdales were cute, but I don't miss them at all. So long ABInBev, et al, etc. etc. etc.

Thanks TACO MAC and their "Brewniversity"

 

[riromero]

1980: Anchor Steam Beer. But it was only for special occasions. I kept drinking Coors mostly for the following 10 years. Don't hate me, but I still like to chug down a Coors if it's hot and I'm thirsty.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

I would occationally drink a Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada PA and if I was feeling really adventerous, I'd get a Dead Guy, but what REALLY opened my eyes to great beer was Arrogant Bastard Ale. Discovering Stone changed my life.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Celebrator Dopplebock by Ayinger

 

[kidsmakeyoucrazy]

Haffenreffer Private Stock! Waaaaay back in 86. You knew you'd had enough when you could no longer figure out the riddle under the cap.

 

[eanmcnulty]

Probably something like Bass Ale back in the early 80's, but I don't really care for it at all anymore. Actually, I don't remember the last time I have had one. 20 years?