Beers that blew you away?

Brewery Vivant's MacWizard exceeded my wildest expectations. They canned it for the first time in December. It was a quad aged in Ardbeg barrels. The first few tastes were rough. But it didn't take long to appreciate the peaty smoke flavor blended in with the quad. Each sip was better than the last.

 

Spoiler alert: read tomorrow's New Beer Sunday thread.

Cheers!

 

Last Saturday I unexpectedly got Trilliums Cutting Tiles with Mosaic from a friend. I drank it Sunday evening after work and was blown away by how awesome this beer tasted!!! Definitely a top 5 beer n my book.

 

Ever?
Blue Mountain's Dark Hollow. I'd been into craft beers for about a year at that point and was at my first festival. It was on a different level than what I'd been drinking for the past year, like drinking a chocolate cake. Still my favorite go to beer.

Recently?
Hardywood's Kentucky Christmas Morning. Magnificent blend of bourbon, vanilla, coffee, and gingerbread flavors.

 

That is a phenomenal beer.

 

Dude. Mocha ipa was so freaking good. I did the same thing. Bought it thinking it was gunna be no good. Just too weird of a combo. But honestly its one of my favorite ipas ever. Scary easy to drink at 9%.

 

These are all based on first try. All beers I will drink anytime I see them unless there is a comment.

By no means complete......




Westmalle Tripel
More brown than black
Oxbow Farmhouse pale ale
Rook and Leer on tap.....epic night
Original Sucks......wow it was something great
Serpent stout
The original large format Hi Westified
Supplication....better than Younger that day
Wet when slippery...Mango
communication is the key lime pie
Original Recipe Columbus IPA......no interest in it now
Old HLT..........on tap during beer week.......should have stayed and kicked the keg
Draft Tilquin........blows the bottle version away
Lucaria
Tartare.....I had an Elder after this and was disapointed I did not get another Tartare
Head Hunter IPA
Musk of the Minotaur
2013 White Oak
Space Station Middle Finger
Prarie hop
471 IPA .......years ago at the brewery........bottled its nothing interesting
Verdi imperial stout
Victory Harvest......First year on tap......let down each year since
Two Evil......Geyser Gose
Abundance Baltic Cherry Porter........bought in DE. Since to find out its not available in the states.........One of my Holy Grails
Boat



Enjoy

 

All recently........

Central Waters bourbon barrel scotch ale. Best scotch ale I've ever had!

Allagash Happy table beer. Best session beer I've ever had. Beautiful simplicity!

Fort Hill Fresh pick- this will give Tree House ipas a run for the money... $7.99 a six pack!

 

Always a memorable first.

 

Dirty Bastard--I'm a big wee-heavy fan. I had "heard" it was rather hoppy, which struck me as "wrong" for the style. I had myself braced for disappointment. There is no doubt the "hoppiness" of that brew probably takes it outside the "standard" of the style but---damn--I didn't care. Those hops elevated the brew to a higher level.

Old Stock Ale (North Coast)--Saw it on the shelf for months. Glad I finally "bit" and picked it up. Deceptively complex.

Sofie--Goose Island--Much better than I expected. I keep coming back for another bottle every time I stop at my favorite shop. I always think of champagne and wine barrels when I drink it.

Mahleur 10--Another brew I saw on the shelf and shied away from based solely on the hopelessly ugly and commercial blue and gold label. (Stupid move, I know). Now every time I walk by it on the shelf, I want to pick up another bottle of that great mixture of sweet malt and hoppy bitterness.

Gulden Draak--To this day, I tell people that you should get a wine reviewer to parse out the complexity. It isn't my favorite Belgian, but it might be the most complicated brew I've ever tried to break down.

 

What about beers that blew you away an smell alone? Two brews have done that for me; Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout, and Brau Brothers Red Velvet Stout. If you blindfolded someone, I doubt they could smell either one and identify them as beers, or anything other than hot chocolate or chocolate candy. Too bad that neither tastes as good as they smell.

 

My 2015 Bourbon County Coffee was so infected, the force of the foam exploding out the top literally blew me away, halfway across the kitchen!

 

The last beer to blow me away was Billy Full Stack from Singlecut. I was in upstate New York on vacation and asked the person in the store for something good and local. She immediately grabbed a bottle of this saying it's not "local" but it is from New York.
It was a damn fine beer but the setting helped. I drank that one at a campground picnic table watching the sun set over Lake Ontario while dinner sizzled on the grill.

 

First time I had Huna (2014)
First time I had Mexican Cake (2015)

and the one that really blew me away Pugachev's Royale. Good lord do I love that beer

 

navaja and sweet action.

 

There are a few that come to mind immediately.

Probably...in order...over the years:

1. Firestone Walker Anniversary XIX
2. Cantillon Lou Pepe Framboise
3. Lawson's Double Sunshine
4. Lagunitas Waldo's Special Ale
5. Bourbon County Brand Stout

 

Pretty funny OP, I read the title and opened the thread to post No Rules as well. It probably helped I didn't really have any expectations, but a buddy brought one over to a share recently and I loved it.
Dug it so much I just completed a trade so I can have a whole one, haha.

 

I've had many over the years. Recently, Goose Island Beer Co. Bourbon County Brand Stout, Oskar Blues Grill & Brew Ten FIDY Bourbon Barrel Aged. From the past, The Abyss, Mother Of All Storms, Kate The Great, and Westy 12.

Cheers!