What beer got you into rating?

In America, a former President loved to rail about The Evil Dewar's, which I assumed was because he was a recovering alcoholic.

 

I have been a person who enjoys learning, I want to understand things the pique my interest. I began this journey back in July 2007. I started working at a liquor store earlier that year, my boss sent me to a wine class. I was blown away. The liquor store where I worked had maybe a 100 beers from BMC to some craft beer. I thought if the same concept with tasting and nosing wine could be applied to beer this could get interesting. 13 years later I still marvel at the fact that new aromas pop up all the time. I am fortunate to have been a professional chef for the last 20 plus years, it has excelled my learning exponentially. Stella was the beer that I wrote my first review. That review is pitiful and sad. I am just learning to do better and be less mechanical.

 

Best bad advise you ever got right there

 

I'm not a 'true' beer rater on BA, although I have 345 beers rated. Most of those are because when I visit a new-to-me brewery that also is a new brewery that is not yet listed on BA, I'll add the brewery here and then add/rate the beers that I experienced there just to jump-start that brewery's list.

The first beer on my ratings list is French Toast Ale from Territorial Brewing, a hometown brewery for me, so it's the one that got me started. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/37717/150939/

 

Looking back at my list, looks like the first one i rated was Union Jack. I haven't had that one in a while... brings me back to the days when everyone was worshiping at the throne of the almighty Heady Topper - threads talking about when/if it would ever be knocked out of the number one spot.

 

Mos def. That reminds me, I need an Old Rasputin. I haven't had one in a while.

 

I rate not for you, I rate so that I'd have a record of what I've had, what I liked, and what to stay away from.

 

I joined this site in August 2011 and posted my first review about a month later.

It was a beer that I tasted from the Fegley's Brewworks location in Allentown. It was Harvest Fest Pale Ale. Checking back, I found it pretty enjoyable. It still ranks as one of my highest APAs. Sadly, as I recall, it only rotated back one or two more fall seasons before they gave up on it. I guess others didn't dig it as much as I did.

For at least 10-15 years before that, I had kept track of beers that I enjoyed with notes and a loose "rating" that was more like a ranking system broken down by broad style categories. I started that when craft options really began to grow around the turn of the millennium. I figured that it was important to keep track of the beers that I liked best and which ones weren't worth buying again.

 

Mustang Sweet Potato Porter