What's your most memorable beer experience?

when i had both...
barrier - money
and
other half - all green everything
... I was like yo I need to call somebody because this shit is phenomenal.
both times i did,
both times I made them try it and tell me it was everything they ever wanted and more.

 

The first time I tried Green Flash West Coast IPA my reaction was a huge smile and, "oh my god this tastes like kool-aid!" I don't know where that impression came from because clearly it doesn't, but I'll never forget that. I still really like it, but it never tasted like that again.

 

Barrel aged Muhle and Bahnhof gose at the De Molen brewery in Bodegraven. Really delicious after a long day of biking, had 2 at 11 euro a glass.

 

I've had several great beer experiences. Most recently I traveled to Belgium exclusively to drink beer. The ones standing out were:

Several Cantillons at the tasting room.
A 1987 Stille Nacht at Kulminator
A 2012 Oerbier Reserva at DeDolle. This last one was not even in my radar as one of my must have choices during the trip. The beer was amazing, and I had it along with my wife and a great group of friends. Kris himself, along with his wife came by to sit and chat with us by the fire. Lovely people. He did this after giving us a very unpretentious tour of his facilities. Later on, we kept drinking on the patio in a beautiful quaint scenery. That there, was close to perfection.

 

I think I've posted this here before but....

Couple of years ago we were on a horseback trip deep in Banff National Park. My buddy and I were fishing a river and came accross this site. 4 cans of Kokanee beer left in a little protected pool someone had buit at the edge of the river. The paint on the cans was pretty worn so they had been there for a while. And, this was glacial water so they were ice cold. Needless to say, greatest beer I've ever had. Deep in the forest, fishing a river and we find this little oasis. It's like the Beer Gods knew we were thirsty.

 

Drinking Pliny at the dawn of 2011 rocked my world, and made me an IPA fan- and eventually a fanatic.

Ghandibot draft at the old Nebco Brewery the first time made my head spin, it was so insane. I have had the same epiphany over GBot once since, that stuff is insanely tasty at the source and once in a while it hits a grand slam with me.

My first draft Double Sunshine in VT was quite an experience, my girlfriend Krystyna and I had made the trip up that day and also scored DSS bottles, Heady Cases and made our way to Hill Farmstead for the first time in a blizzard. What a Valentines day.

Most recently, drinking a Sosus with Krystyna, John Kimmitch, his brother, and Sean Lawson was unreal. Talked beer and hung out with those guys after the most recent Alchemist truck drop, and man are they cool and humble. A few minutes later the Hill Farmstead Anniversary was something to remember (or try at least) as well.

 

Samuel Adams Cranberry Lambic, the most memorable for me because it was probably the worst fucking "beer" I've ever had. That said, Pliny the Elder was the most memorable for all the right reasons!

 

I haven't been into craft beer for all that long...but I remember the exact moment that I knew I was hooked. I walked into my local store and there was a lot of craziness going on around the growler station. I walked up and asked what was going. The kid goes we have Zombie Dust. Now at the time I didn't really know what it was (i know oh the horror!). So i bought my two bottles since he insisted it was awesome, and took them home. I poured one into a pint glass and sat on the front porch with my wife. I took that first sip, looked at her, and she knew I was hooked.

 

Two that come to mind are (from the same trip), 1) a fresh Aventinus in the authentic goblet glass at their brauhaus in Munich outside on a warm spring night, and 2) an Andechser doppelbock on draft at the Andechs monastery

 

the first one I brewed.

Like many folks back then, I started off with a Fullers ESB clone. Made it on Father's Day, and then we had a trip to London scheduled over July 4 weekend, so when we got back I kegged it (Kind of jumped into the hobby with both feet, and my debit card, so my first-ever beer was all-grain, and kegged).

I thought it was more than a credible effort & the fact that I had just drank a shit-ton of cask ales in London legitimized that assessment, and my poor ass was hooked.

Way before that, as a first-year in college (that's what they call freshmen at Virginia), sometime in September, a bottle of Guinness Foreign Export Stout. My first non-adjunct after a high school drinking career spanning three pretty good years. It was an eye opener.

After the above, probably a De Ranke XX Bitter in 2005 or so. Probably one out of three beers I've brewed since then has been in that general style, though specifically NOT clones, just that marriage of anglo-american IPA themes with Belgian yeast. I know there's an significant percentage of BAs who rail on "Belgian IPAs", just saw a few posts the other day on it, but I fucking love playing with these. If I had a brewery I'd probably have 3 variants on tap at all times.

 

I've had a lot of memorable beers.

Two popped into my head.

I was at Sheffield's in Chicago. The bartender suggested I try something from a "new" brewery. It was a Three Floyd's Gumballhead. Been a huge 3F fan ever since.

Before Zombie Dust became a "thing" I went to Binny's downtown where they were rumored to carry it. I asked the beer liaison there if they had "Zombie Dust." He went in the back, came out with a sixer, and simply said, "Enjoy!" I ran home threw two in the freezer. Fifteen minutes later... deliciousness.

 

um, that was my stash, I left them there before reporting for prison, was looking forward to having them when I get out. What did you say your name was?

 

I still remember taking that first whiff of BCBCS back in late November. Blew me away.

 

1. Summer 2008, on many evenings my buddy and I sat on our front step in Indiana, drinking 2004 vintage Avery Czar like it was going out of style. For a long time I thought it was the best beer I ever had, and even now, if you give it some time to develop, it stands up really well.

2. 2010 KBS day, drinking CBS on tap at Founders with my best friends right after snagging my whole case of KBS. Amazing. On the few occasions I have gotten this beer since (in bottle and on draft away from Founders), wasn't nearly the ridiculous beer I had on that one occasion. Vanilla, maple, coffee, bourbon, all so prevalent, just a mind blowing experience.

3. Lou Pepe Kriek from the source - On vacation in Brussels w/my wife, at Cantillon, hanging all afternoon. An awesome experience, this beer was the best of the bunch. The fruit flavor was explosive, the sourness perfect, unlike any other lambic I have ever had. Wished I could have had many more.

 

My first 90 minute IPA. It was in a big bottle and the very best 90 minute I've ever had.
My first Westmalle Tripel totally blew me away,
And my first and only KBS is probably the best beer I've ever tasted.

 

Cantillon Gueuze... from the tank.. At Cantillion.


BOOOOOOM.

 

A few come to mind...

My first Delirium Tremens was a revelation. Probably sparked my "beeriness". After years of cheap crap, I'd never touch now, I simply didn't know that was possible.

My first Mahou, when I lived in Spain, and realized wow there is worse beer than cheap american stuff.

And just this year my first BA Sump @ Perennial on release night on draft. It was mind blowing.

 

I would have to say the most memorable would be the over 90 cans and bottles of busch lite and high life me, my best friend and beer hookup polished off on a night of beer bonging when I was 17 years old. Although it was ill-advisable to drink that much, it was memorable because we had the best time drinking them all, even though most of them went down in a flash of the funnel and tube.

I still have plenty of memorable moments now drinking beers with my oldest brother at whatever brew pub we decide to meet up at and talk engineering, life, anything, usually Karben 4 in Madison.

 

Probably this, a Bière De Miel Biologique in Belgium:

[excerpt from my Place review of Les Caves Dupont] "...the barkeeper presented us with a goblet full of Bière De Miel Biologique, Dupont's excellent saison made with honey. As we gathered in a circle and began to pass it around for a taste, a 'colorful' local gentleman from a nearby table decided to join in the fun. Our new 'friend' proceeded to take the beer, which each of us had been sipping rather delicately as it was passed, and pounded it. I mean, he guzzled half the glass in a couple of seconds. Welcome to the Hainaut! With a filthy, half-toothed grin this well-lubricated guy then wiped his dripping lips and chin with his grimy t-shirt and emphatically handed the nearly empty, dirt smeared glass back...as if to say "THAT'S how you drink a beer!". He then laughed and walked away...

I, my wife and our new pals melbatoast93, Metalmonk and a couple others must have looked fairly dumbstruck by what had happened; in fact, we were. Had this been America, words might have been exchanged, things "taken outside". We sort of laughed the experience off uncomfortably and prepared to leave. But where did this stranger go? As we were collecting our cheeses, buying a few bottles and gathering the glasses the pub chipped in for free, this fellow had siddled up to the bar, bought us another full Bière De Miel. In (inebriated) French, he gathered us back together and started passing it around, making sure every one of us took an adequate gulp of that fine liquid this time. His buddies and he shared a good laugh, we all shook hands, took some photos with our new buddy and reveled in one of those great unscripted moments that everyone in our group who was there will cherish for a long time."​

 

I have two distinct, memorable beer experiences. One, more of an eye-opener, the other made indelible by the external circumstances.

1. My first 750 mL of Abbey Dubbel by Ommegang at my wedding reception.
2. My first 12 oz bottle of Blithering Idiot. Familiar with Nightmare Before Christmas? What IS THIS?!
From that day onward, my heart belonged to English style barleywine.