Beer Epiphany Moments

Personally, I have a new beer epiphany about every 2 years. Sometimes I tire of a style, other times I just want a new challenge (like forcing myself to like a style I previously hated). My latest one occured when after several years of not understanding all the hype about IPA's I tried a Lagunitas Sucks. Now, IPA's dominate my beer fridge.

 

Odell IPA, knew I was a hop head after that.

 

BBA Stout. I had BCBCS for the first time earlier this year. Been obsessed with beer ever since.

 

Barleywines were what got me into craft beer. I had always thought that beer was good, but had wished it was thicker and more flavorful than the run-of-the-mill lagers, pale ales, brown ales, ambers, etc. My friend (who I hadn't seen in over ten years) then had me down to his place and did a barleywine/old ale tasting with me with some stuff he grabbed out of his cellar. Trying Mother of All Storms, Mikkeller Black Hole, and Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Black Barleywine just blew my mind open. Now beer is my utmost passion.

 

I hadn't really been interested in Barleywines...no reason really, just tons of other styles available, and my small budget got in the way.

Then I tried Bigfoot...and thought this could definitely be a style I'd really enjoy. Then I tried BA Bigfoot...and I nearly had an orgasm in my mouth. I guess you could call that an epiphany.

 

Old Ale is quite the style of beer! Tell me you got an old ale and I'll say PLEASE! Very inebriating and warming, flavorful!

 

Saison. Before my first Saison Dupont, I thought beer was just various combinations of water, malt, and hops, with yeast basically as an afterthought. Saisons—and soon thereafter, other Belgians—introduced me to the concept that yeast was just as crucial as the other three main ingredients.

 

The tripel - light, sweet, generous and the perfect combination of spice and fruit, buoyant on the palate. AND the hefeweizen -the best looking beer, growls a little with intensity, refreshing and flavorful. When done well both these beers have distinctive and stylish elegance.

omy

 

Mine has to be barley wines and old ales.

 

Sang Noir by Cascade for sours...I hadn't been able to understand sours until I drank this one. Maybe it was the fact that it was shared with my buddy that I've known since I was three years old next to a campfire on a cool summer night, but damn...that one made me want to open my wallet and dig deep to try some new sours.

 

Keller Pils made me never want a filtered pilsener again. Of course I have because there aren't enough Keller Pils' around

 

G'Knight was my "what about infinity X infinity" moment.

 

Before trying my first Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier this spring I had vague intentions of trying styles other than IPAs. The only time I've bought more than a single of IPA/DIPA since then has been a 4-pack of Hoptimum. It didn't open up a single style so much as multiple styles that I just didn't think had the power to break the hold that IPAs had over me. As a result I've found my drinking experience to be much richer than it otherwise would have been if I had just ordered another Racer 5 instead.

 

I laugh at that commercial every time I see it and my wife just rolls her eyes at me. Mind = blown.

 

I'd have to go Gueuze. As soon as I tried my first I knew things just wouldn't be the same.

 

Latest one for me has also been sour beers as others have stated. I first tried Duchesse De Bourgogne a few months back, didn't love it, and thought that sours were not for me. Soon after that, I had my first Petrus Aged Pale and Tilquin Gueuze, loved them and now I am hooked!

 

KBS....First ever BA beer. Never tasted anythink like it.

 

It would be hard for me to narrow it down to one. Again, I'm very green to the craft beer scene, so I'm sure there are going to be a few more that blow me away. My first "mind-blowing" Imperial Stout that made me a believer was DFH Bitches Brew followed by Ten Fidy. I am trying to ease into sours, but after having my first Tilquin Gueuze, I can see that isn't going to make things any easier.

 

BCBS no question, it was my first BA stout for starters and at the time when i was just getting into craft i never had anything with a high ABV like this, so that was definitely an experience in its self. but it made me wanna try every style i haven't tried, definitely made me more open minded with craft

 

I remember having Founders Imperial Stout at the brewpub way back in '01 and that opened my eyes to Impy stouts, coffee beers, and darker beers in general. KBS and their Imperial Stout are still two of my favorites in the style and all-time