Which Beer Took Your "BMC Virginity"

[billvon]

the first non-BMC, eye-opening, beer we drank?

Way back in 1986 or so we had a beer co-op in our dorm. We'd buy whatever swill was cheap and use that to play quarters. Genesee Cream Ale, Red White and Blue, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Matt's and Kappy's were all favorites. Budweiser was the expensive beer for special occasions only.

One day someone came in with a case of odd looking beer. "What is it?" we asked. "Some beer they're selling real cheap at Kappy's. It's some new beer they're trying to get in the market or something." It was Sam Adams. We all tried it and agreed we didn't like it much, but if it was cheap we were all for it.

Well, it didn't stay cheap, and we quickly abandoned it. After college my tastes slowly changed. I went from Bud to Molson to Heineken and Amstel Light.

When I moved to San Diego, Karl Strauss was the popular hangout after work. It got so popular we christened it "Building K," and industry spies were known to go there to listen in on what we were doing. I started with their light stuff and worked my way slowly into IPA's and ambers.

When I met my (future) wife in 1995, she was a student in Portland. I went up there to see her several times and we went to Full Sail, McMenamins and the Lucky Lab. That's where I really started discovering beer.

Back in San Diego the local brewing scene was exploding, with Port/Lost Abbey, Alesmith, Ballast Point and Stone starting and/or expanding. It was all very incestual - Port Brewing took over Stone's building when they moved out, then Lost Abbey was created and used the same space. You'd see Mike the brewer working at Boulevard one weekend and the next weekend he'd be at Lost Abbey.

That's the time I really started learning about beer, talking to people about styles and listening to brewers critique the beers I was making.

So I guess for me there was no one "aha!" moment, just a long progression of changing times and changing tastes for me.

 

[Edcculus]

I had a few Newcastles and Guinesses here and there in High School. It was Harpoon IPA that really opened my eyes though.

 

[Blueberryspies]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was the first beer that got me into craft brews.

 

[brewagentjay]

Nice Summer Blonde @ a Micro_Brew Pub in Del Mar, Ca...... She was the first but not the last that day............

 

[gtpro]

I had drank some SA and Shipyard Pumpkinhead in the past but I first gained a distinct appreciation for craft styles while drinking Sam Adams after the tour at the Boston brewery.

 

[chromados]

Mine was definitely Bell's Two Hearted IPA. After drinking a 6 pack of it in college it was all over and i could only drink craft beers.

Chromados

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

One of the first for me was delerium nocturnum. I found a place locally that will let you buy by the bottle, so I bought a few and tried them. I didn't really have the palate for it and went back to my usual crappy beers in college. I started drinking fat tire and that officially started my ascent into delicious beers.

 

[northernlad]

1992 Red Hook ESB

 

[Myke_J]

The first beeer that broke me out of the Bud Light/MGD/whatever I can get a crapload of cheap highschool phase was Pyramid Hefeweizen. This punk chic showed up at a party with a case of it, we hooked up and I drank nothing but hefes for a while. Mac n' Jacks African Amber was the beer that got me started down the road of trying everything else. A local Microbrewery's seasonal DIPA, Silver City Whoop Pass, was what made me realize I was a hophead.

 

[benko]

2000 Fat Tire.

 

[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.