What was you first Craft Brew?

1) Redhook ESB (around 2006 or so)
2) New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins

 

Does a skunked bottle of St. Pauli Girl count (1988)?

If we're talking American craft, then Sam Adams Boston Lager (1993).

First brewery visit was Sam Adams (old building) in 1993.

 

How are we defining "craft brew" ? Does it have to be American?

 

Anchor Steam
Oldenberg Brewery Fort Mitchell Kentucky (rip)

 

1)Anchor Steam Beer, in San Francisco* -1976

* Stayed in SF for about a month/six weeks but, even though I knew of Anchor and immediately searched it out, visiting the brewery just never occurred to me at the time. Can never remember if I had Anchor before I hit SF, though.​

2) Wm Newman Brewing Co., Albany, NY 1983 or 4.

I had toured or just visited** Yuengling, F X Matt (then the "West End Brewing Co."), Straub, Hudepohl, Ortlieb, C. Schmidt & Sons, The Lion, Metropolis, Jones, etc., before that, but none would have been seen as "craft" at the time.

** "Visited" = Walked around, tried to get a tour, stuck my head in where ever a saw a open door or loading dock, etc. Made sure I had a beer in closest bar (there usually was one nearby - sometimes recommended by the brewery).​

 

Okay- I'll go with Aass Bock in 1982, a European "boutique beer" and part of Merchant Du Vin's lineup at the time. It was quite expensive and quite outstanding. It wasn't until a few years later that I even heard of Anchor Steam.

First craft brewery tour- BridgePort (Portland OR) in 1992, via a friend who happened to work there.

 

Redhook ESB mid 1990s, sorry my college days are very hazy.

 

1) SNPA circa 1999-2000 (a few years underage).
2) Anchor/21st Amendment with some buddies around 2005.

 

I can't remember exactly what my first craft beer was. It was probably something like Fat Tire on a whim at a bar or family party.

I just got into craft for real a few years ago. The turning point was a tasting a few years ago at our local liquor store with stuff like The Reverend and Ommegang Grand Reserve.

I think my first brewery was Three Floyds. Definitely my first "real" brewery. Anything else would have been a small local brewpub.

 

Back in the early '80's, you might say Coors! In the present age, the craft beer that hooked me was Founders Porter. It led me to Dirty Bastard and others and the rest, as they say, was history. It's been an interesting six years. These days, I rarely go to bottle shops except to buy European beers. We have so many excellent local breweries that I can hit a can release almost every weekend.

 

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Russain River Brewery

 

Boulevard unfiltered wheat
First brewery was 3 floyds about 3 days after my 21st.

 

1) Harpoon Ale
2) Cambridge Brewing Company

 

Sierra Nevada, Oberon, fat tire and sunshine wheat, were all consumed by an underage name in the early 2000s. Remember having a Bigfoot barley wine and hating it. First IPA was Anderson valley hop ottin, also early to mid 2000s.

 

1) Sam Adams Boston Lager in 2012.
2.) Sprecher Brewery in 2006, but I was underage so a drank all their incredible sodas (all you can drink) but the first brewery I drank at was Excelsior Brewing in MN.

 

SNPA around 00/01 . . . Most disgusting beer I ever had at the time.
Czech Rebel Pilsner around 04/06 . . . Most delicious beer I ever had at the time. Decided that I need to expand my horizons after that one.
First brewery ever visited was GLBC.

 

This is a tough one for me. Lowenbrau was from a mega brewer, but was better than most American beer. It was and is good beer. I had this one as a youngster at home. I spent time in England and Germany as a young guy and leaned to love the beers. I always knew that the European beer that I was drinking was better than "most" American beers. Besides the Ballantine, Black Horse, and Red Cap ales that were good and different, Anchor Steam stands out as being an exciting American beer. That one did hit a nerve. I am in beer heaven now. We could never have imagined America to be such a fountain of great beer and brewing genius.

 

1 - GLBC Dortmunder Gold during undergrad at Ohio State

2 - River Horse, local to me and knew a few guys who worked there