The first beer that you loved

Anchor Steam was the best beer ever back in the 80's along with Guinness, Harp, and Black and tans. We had an English style pub that poured a mean Black and Tan. Then Boulevard Pale Ale, which I used to bring home in growlers before they bottled.

 

Hoegaarden for me, back in 09 or so. Lived with a guy who's father was a homebrewer, he turned me onto craft beer after I explained to him I wasn't really a beer fan. Started with Hoegaarden and never looked back.

 

Not sure of the specific beer, but it was by a light beer by Krautheimer brewery we had with dinner at Gasthof zum Schiff in Obereisenheim Germany. It went well with the meal and was one of the first times I thought 'wow, beer can really be good.' Domestically, I would say Fat Tire and some of the traditional New Glarus beers got me into other styles.

 

Long Trail Hit the Trail

 

The first beer I really loved was Sam Adams Octoberfest. That was one of the beers that got me into craft beer back in 2007 when I was in college.

 

Leinenkugel's Summer Wheat and Boulevard's Unfiltered Wheat. They were both good transition beers into the craft beer world and out of macro beer, even though both now have massive distribution themselves.

 

Chimay Red
Had no idea about different styles, drank basically nothing but lager. "This must be the best beer in the world" I thought.

 

Heineken for sure, when I was younger I would destroy cases of the shit,

 

Becks in 4x16oz cans- 'cause 18yo living a philadelphia near pizza shops that didn't care

Craft- John John Dead Guy Ale- I had drank a solid amount of bourbon in college, Evan Williams green/black type stuff and this caught my eye, and I really really liked it. I still like regular dead guy although not the best $/oz. Wish they canned it to be honest.

 

Innis and Gunn....mainly their Irish Whiskey Cask, still love it.

 

Ice cold Sapporo with my sushi. Still a great combo even though the stuff is pretty much water compared to what I drink now!

 

Red Hook ESB. Still a fav.

 

New Belgium Sunshine Wheat was the first stand out beer I remember.

 

The one that really got me into craft beer was Smoking Wood, but I think the first beer I ever really loved was Backwoods Bastard! Still one of my favorites to this day despite my ever changing palate.

 

It was probablly Sucks, I really loved that beer and really looked forward to it hitting the shelves every year,

 

Mine was MGD, Miller Genuine Draft in the bottle. I'm not sure why I loved it but I sure did.

 

In 1977, I had a taste of the old Busch Bavarian. It tasted horrible. It had this sickening metallic taste and stinging carbonation. I spit it out.

In 1978, in entered my freshman year of college, pretty secure in my sobriety and disdain for beer. My roommate offered me a Miller High Life. Reluctantly I accepted. I expected that same unpleasant experience, but instead I loved it immediately. It tasted so good. Plenty of carbonation without being overly carbonated and it didn't have that putrid metallic taste.

It has been over 20 years since Miller High Life passed from the bottle and into my mouth, but I still have great memories. I'm tempted to get one and revisit, but why ruin that memory. I know it will underwhelm now, so I'll leave it in the past where it belongs as I drink my SNPA, which is my phase 2 beer that I have fallen in love with.

 

And I think the old Busch Bavarian was quite good. Superior to Bud and what the current rendition is like. Oh well

 

1990 or so, Keystone Light. There you go. I said it. I'm not ashamed. OK, maybe a little.

 

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. A classic beer that never fails to impress me, every time I drink it.