First beer to blow your mind.

Aventinus for sure, still say that same phrase when that 1st sip hits "OMG, this is excellent." Runner's up that had me utter that phrase as well St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout and the mighty La Chouffe.

 

Recently my mind was pretty blown watching an IPA on nitro be poured. IT was unreal seeing the head form on a beer that style.

 

Hop Stoopid was one of the first DIPAs Id tried and blew me away at the time, since then its been Hopslam this past year for the first time and CW Fourteen Fourteen.

 

I was a young lad, when I first tasted the goodness of Falstaff. I said (paraphrased) "I think I love beer)". Many beers have come and gone, many have turned me on, and many have "blown my mind". Many dead brain cells later, I can still say "I think I love beer".

 

I already "liked" this but I would like to like it again

 

Surly Darkness. It blew my mind, like my taste buds were on acid and I could taste a rainbow.

 

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown

 

Hmmm either Hop Stoopid or Ruination. I can't remember which one I had first. I do remember I had them the same week when I was first getting into craft. Either way, both blew my mind with how good hops can taste. They have never tasted as good since those beers. Oh well. I guess that happens once you get use to the hops in beer. Cheers.

 

Flower Power. I remember thinking, man this is good shit.

 

When I was first getting into craft beers, I tried Rogue Dead Guy and thought it was an orgiastic feast for the senses. Still one of my go to beers for a cheap sixer.

 

The first one that made stand back and go ......wow was Alpine Nelson, the nose, the flavor profile and just the overall complexity told me there was something to this craft brew thing.

Cheers....

 

Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale!!! I had this for the first time back in 2006 and it was a real "Oh My" experience!! Prob still my favorite brew!!! I was very disappointed when GLBC made this a seasonal but I think not being able to have it all year has kept it still being my favorite brew!!!!

Stone IPA is a close second!! I had this fresh for the first time when I visited their brewery last August and it was another "Oh My" experience!!! The aroma of this beer fresh is amazing!!

 

Ruination.

 

It had to be either Southern Tier Creme Brulee or New Glarus Belgian Red

 

going back to about 1989-90ish, Elm City (New Haven) Ale was pure candy deliciousness. Ron Page really had something dialed in back then. (what is he even doing these days?) At the time, the only real options in the craft market were Sam Adams, Anchor and Sierra Nevada. Sierra Stout and Porter, especially, because they were so different than any previously available "good" beers like Lowenbrau Zurich, St Pauli, Becks etc. But those were all lagers and ales seemed so new and innovative to me. (Even Pete's Wicked was fresh and new and delicious when it first came out!.) All of those were excellent but the Elm City offerings were super local, super fresh, super wow. They had a dark ale called Blackwell Stout. I think that was my first WOW with a capital "W".

After that, it was Ipswich Oatmeal Stout and Ipswich Porter. They were sold in 1litre flip tops and they freakin ruled! There have been so many deep explorations into individual WOW beers since but those are my first memories. So there you have it, from what feels like an "old timer" POV.

 

Hopslam and Bourbon County Stout

I had been into craft beer for a while when I had both of these but they both overwhelmed me. I couldnt believe how good they were. They are both still in my top 5.

 

For me, it was an old beer that I don't think is even made anymore ... Pete's Gold Coast Lager.

 

to answer my own question, Ron is Brewmaster at City Steam In Hartford now

 

Hopslam

 

probably mike mcdoles sam adams longshot PTE clone (and i didnt have that much ipa experience at that point)

honorable mention: 2009 bigfoot (also wasnt use to hops), stone ruination

also victory prima pils for the first time on a hot summer night

dogfishhead90, samual smiths oatmeal stout

but no beer has really blown my mind recently or even the past couple years