What beer got you into craft beer?

Pete’s Wicked (and Killian’s Red, though that may not count) got me going in the mid-to-late 90s.

SN Torpedo opened my eyes to a new world in the early 2000s.

But Oskar Blues G’Knight, Left Hand Milk Stout, and Lagunitas Sucks fully initiated me into the world of craft beer nerdery.

And I’ve never gone back.

 

Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter

 

Visiting Bamberg is what really got me into beer with no way out, but I don't categorize Schlenkerla as craft beer.

For "craft beer" specifically, I can't put the blame on a single beer, but I'd say the entire portfolio of Pretty Things is what grabbed me. I think the first craft beer I had was a Goose Island brew years earlier, but that didn't do the job.

 

I got into microbrews in the Cleveland area in the early 90's just before the bubble burst on the micros...Great Lakes, Crooked River and Western Reserve were the three I remember from that time w/only Great Lakes remaining as micro's bubble burst before giving rise to craft.
Nationally, there was Sam Adams, Pete's Wicked that were also in the stores. Really detested and still do the usual BMC fair save for the regional old man brews like PBR, Genesee and Black Label.
I was turned on to better beer via imports first going to Der Braumeister a German pub that I recently moved back to the old neighborhood and live within walking distance now. This was the place that turned me on to beers that are still in my top ten, Aventinus, La Chouffe, Duvel and all the great German stuff that you only found at specialty bottle shops, not Beck's, St. Pauli Girl, etc.
I was turned onto English stuff Samuel Smith, St. Peter's and the much missed Young's Brewing before they were bought by Well's and basically lost all that the Ram Brewery made great in favor of IMO owning the brands. I always found Young's at that time superior to Samuel Smith but I digress.
Even then when their wasn't much hope of many places carrying craft beyond the occasional locals or Sam Adams, and being small of wallet, I sought out better cheaper options, Miller's Lowenbrau, Lowenbrau Dark or Michelob both of which are now lost to time. Michelob Amber Bock is just not what the OG Mich was and I'm left to watch posers drinking Ultra and it's fruity variations and trying not to laugh while thinking, "why drink at all" if it's going to be weak, to each his own.

 

Over here or over there?

 

Tripel Karmeliet for sure! Although to be fair, I was living in a happy, ignorant bubble of Cali IPA’s, but then @Affinity pulled me into an even deeper rabbit hole w/ a game-changing package of Leaner, Coffee Shop Vibes, and Saison du Ble from Side Project. I’ve been falling now for 2+ years…

 

Killian's was an early one here too but after awhile it started to have soapy mouthfeel

 

Most accurately, Anchor Steam, which was the first beer I bought legally when I turned 21, but it was really the trio of Racer 5, Big Daddy IPA, and Pliny that set me on my path to beer geekdom.

 

I was never hesitant to try different beers back in the day that is decades ago, and cheap usually won over flavor. That said, Busch was my go-to.
I don't remember where or when, but Blue Moon w/orange was a (marketing?) twist that intrigued me.

A buddy offered up a beer and said to take a few whiffs before drinking. It was Dogfish Head 90 minute. The aroma opened my eyes/nose/mind to good "craft" beer.

 

Sames. Sam Adams Boston Lager was a revolution in the mouth for me.
Until I had their Boston Ale, then double wow.
I won't reveal how long ago.

 

Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA

21 years old. Grabbed a six pack off a word of mouth recommendation not knowing a single thing.

I chased that flavor for years never being able to re create that first sip experience. It was amazing yet terrible. I thought I was drinking a liquid flower. That pretty much started it all and 8 years later now I'm starting a career in the beer industry next month.

 

In the late 70's here I was mainly drinking cheap beer in high volume, but every once in a while I would grab one of those "weird" beers stores kept near the counter. Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Tadcaster Porter, and Harp Lager are ones I recall. Hiatus when I realized being a borderline alcoholic was stupid. Fast forward to the late 90's or thereabouts and my parents had a place in Vermont. We would grab Long Trail and Catamount regularly, Sam Adams at home. A few more years, and the scene kept exploding - Brooklyn, Victory, Troeg's Dogfish Head were early favorites in Phase 3. It has been a journey of steady "improvement" in a way. Quality and taste over quantity and a wide variety of styles and breweries to pick from. But I do remember the Harp and Samuel Smith's pretty fondly.

 

Anchor Steam, back in the 80's was the first really good beer that I ever had, but the ones that got me into a regular habit of drinking craft beer were Firestone Walker's Double Barrel Ale and their Pale Ale (later renamed Pale 31, and later unfortunately discontinued to make way for a shitload of IPAs .. Hey guys, please bring this beer back!).

 

Was stationed in England, loved Real Ale & then Saw Michael Jackson's The Beer Hunter on British TV & the rest is history.

 

I grew up in Germany, plenty of good beer around, craft beer was not a thing.
Moved from Germany to the US in 2001 and there was Bud, Bud Light, Miller, Miller Light, Coors, Coos Light... well, your get the picture.
MGD was what we usually settled for. One of my birthday parties I had the fridge stacked from top to bottom with MGD bottles. It looked like in a commercial, all labels facing to the front, it was cool! But the actual taste of the beer, questionable...
Hofbräuhaus in Newport was the place to go for a good beer, no doubt about that!
But then I was offered a Sam Adams Boston Lager and from that day on I spotted the tap here and there and ordered it. I would say this was my fist (American) craft beer.
Now, I am huge Hefeweizen fan! Once I figured out where to get Franziskaner kegs, it was on tap at my parties! American brewed Hefeweizen was just different and did not appeal to me, until I had Blue Stallion Hefeweizen from Lexington.
Since then, I have been discovering these craft beers all over. The scene exploded and these days I have a different beer almost every day. Absolutely love it!
I wish I had looked into the craft beer thing earlier, some breweries are already closed and I had never been there (Blank Slate for example).
I will never be able to visit all the breweries I want to see in this lifetime but I will try for sure!!!

Prost!
Hans

 

Over there, Sussex, England. Circa 1996

 

It's weird to think about this because I don't know. Everyone has that one (or handful), but... I don't know what came first.

Okay, so there's this chain here that has a yearly beer tour where you have to drink a certain number of beers to get prizes, and I got recruited to help someone with that, so I was suddenly trying a lot of different things.

Oh, you know... Lindeman's Framboise - I swear someone told me to taste it because it tasted like soda. That may have been the earliest, but I probably didn't even understand it as beer. Then there was ubiquitous things like Great Lakes, Samuel Smith, Ayinger, who knows what else.

 

Before I was of age, early 90s… but a friend of my family had a shop and dealt in microbrews. He brought over a Dixie Blackened Voodoo. First, seeing a beer that dark was crazy, and it actually had flavor. Plus, the label art was great. I actually still have that original bottle hanging around in my cellar / home brewery.
When I turned 21 and started buying on my own, I was a big stout fan - I thought that if you could see through it, it wasn't worth drinking. Then at a fest I had Stone's Ruination on cask, and that turned me into a hophead. More recently I've been into more pilsners and lighter styles. Though I won't turn anything away (except rauchbiers and things with more adjuncts that MHYW.