Re- trying the beers you first liked

I drank a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer prior to the Milwaukee Metalfest in 1992. I drank a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer last weekend while I was making a souffle. Both situations ended favorably.

 

La Folie is the very first beer I tried and thought "woah, this is beer? I love it." I haven't had one in several years. Perhaps it's time to revisit.

Mother's Winter Grind is my first review here. I frequently revisit it every winter, especially when I lived with a guy who lived near that brewery. It certainly is less lustrous than my initial tries, but still a quality standard coffee stout. If anything, I do find it much more thin now than I did back then. Of course, some of the stouts I've had over the years make that stout feel like river water, so that feeling is justified.

 

Absolutely. My experience word for word.

 

I'm not interested in re-trying the first beers I loved. Miller High Life, Pabst, Burgie Bock, Jax and Schlitz Dark are best left alone as long lost memories.

 

It was mostly Sam Adams that opened me up to beer. I still enjoy Boston Lager and Octoberfest, but I don't see any of the other beers that I loved (Cream Ale, Black Lager, Boston Ale).

It's funny, I remember Boston Lager being so bitter and strong I could barely finish a pint. Now it's sweet and drinkable as hell. Palates are weird.

 

Well, the first beer that I truly enjoyed was Pete's Wicked Ale, which is sadly no longer made. Some of the beers I drank early on are still my chain restaurant go-to's (Sam Adams, Guinness). There are only two beers I've ever felt "disappointed" by. One is Fat Tire. I absolutely loved that beer but had a couple recently that just didn't do anything for me. The other is Rolling Rock. Drank a ton of it in my early 20's. Tried it at 30 and wondered what the hell I was thinking. Some beers I used to like have undergone changes like Goose Island Green Line. Something happened when they started brewing it in Baldwinsville, NY.

 

I have been trying to revisit some oldies the last 18 months or so myself. Some have aged fine, others should be dead. It is funny to see where my tastes have grown and/or changed over the over 10 year span of my beer exploration.

Hope the old familiars treat you all well!

 

I’ve had some staple beers over the years that have held up well on repeated visits, and others that haven’t. But the one that fits best in this string is Lagunitas Sucks. Sucks was a total game changer for me in terms of when I had it in my beer-drinking evolution, where I had it, and who I had it with. The ultimate test! Every time I’d pick up a new sixer or quart (!!) of it I’d worry that it wouldn’t live up to expectation. Yet every time I drank it it did. Given that Lagy has unforgivingly stopped making it (year-round or otherwise) for several years now, I often wonder what my next experience with it might be. But today it remains the one and only beer (or at least one of a few, with it being the oldest representative of the bunch) that has literally never disappointed me in any circumstances. I can’t imagine there being my better compliment for a beer.

 

There are ones like Palo Santo Marron (which really got me into craft beer) which still are in my tops. But I have looked at my old BA ratings and sometimes I'm like "I rated that beer that high!?!?!". As folks have already said our tastes change and we get exposed to new things.

 

I was primarily a whiskey guy, moving up the chain from Jack to better pours over the years. Guinness was my beer at Irish bars, Budweiser for meals or outdoors.

I revisited both after all these years, Guinness is disappointing (at least the version in the states), after I have found so many great stouts (ABV light, mid or heavy). I still like Budweiser, though I don't buy it very often. Still pairs well with a meal.

Someone wrote about Moosehead a few months ago here. We named our softball team after the beer, had it over the years and so I picked up a twelve pack and it is still a very good AAL, and it will be added to the rotation as a result.

Doesn't hurt to try an old favorite, worst case you didn't like a pour (or six pack / tall boy).

 

I plan on revisiting the West Coast IPAs from my early days of drinking "Craft Beer" next weekend during the "Online Tasting: West Coast IPA (August 7 & 8, 2020)" event.

 

Went back and reviewed a few (Rogue Dead Guy, Fat Tire, Smithwick's) but was less impressed. Whether this is due to changing preferences, different recipes, or something else (back then, I more drank out of bottles and had lower tolerance) is anybody's guess

Others, I liked just as much, or more: Firestone Walker DBA, Anchor Steam, Alaskan Amber. Afraid to try new Newcastle

 

My first craft beer was Dixie Blackened VooDoo, which I first had in the 1980's at a Cajun restaurant in Missouri, then later in New Orleans. I didn't even know what craft was at that time. Last time I had it, I was not that impressed. Similar experience with Orkney Skull Splitter, which I had at a Missouri bar about 10 years ago. Recently had it, and it wasn't as good as I remembered. My tastes have changed a lot since I first had those beers, and now I prefer BBA and RBA high-ABV dark beers, though have gotten into DIPAs, NEIPAs and sours recently.

 

I’m craving a Hop Devil, the first real IPA that turned me, it’s been so long gone from here I can’t remember my last one. Our shelves are probably 80% local whether they’re good or not.

 

Something along the lines of this topic might make and interesting online tasting thread here on BA. Revisit one of the beers that got you into beer. It can be ‘craft’ or macro. Start with a a brief story about when you first tried it, what you remember about liking about it, and then give your thoughts on how you enjoy or don’t enjoy it now.

 

I remember which few craft beers that I first drank but sadly I can't revisit them because Arcadia is now out of business. However, before they closed their doors they released some beers that must have been sitting in their warehouse. I saw their London Porter on my store's shelf, and that one was my first favorite beer. So as a reminisce I bought a sixer. Sadly it must have sat too long or was sloppily brewed because it had a mild tartness like an infection that ruined the experience.

Short's Brewing has recently obtained the rights (ownership?) to brew Arcadia beers, and have already brewed and released Whitsun. They have hinted that others are to come, so maybe I will get another crack at that London Porter.

Other than the early Arcadia beers in 1996, I don't remember other beers from that era to be able to revisit them.

 

It’s weird I’ve been revisiting too, maybe cause I’ve been home more who knows.

my first loves were: Sierra pale, long trail ale, Boston lager and saranac Adirondack lager.

I’ve only revisited from that list Sierra pale and Adirondack. They’re better than anything and I can’t stop thinking about my next 12 pack of cans. I’ve also revisit torpedo and two hearted for first time as ages. They’re all better than ever.

I’m pretty sure they and other ones that got me into beer will be my main purchases for the foreseeable future.

plan to revisit sculpin and troegs hopback soon

 

I've had a few that I've revisited over the years. I absolutely loved Little Kings due to the sweetness/easy drinking nature of them when I first started drinking beer. I picked up a 12 pack of them up in Oklahoma about a month ago and shockingly, I still really like it. Little Kings isn't a special beer as a cream ale, but that beer just doesn't sour for me.

Shiner Oktoberfest was the complete opposite for me. Went about 4 years without drinking it and then came back to it last fall. Big mistake. Shiner in general is usually mediocre but drinking one of those after drinking a Great Lakes Oktoberfest was pretty eye opening for the massive gulf in quality.