How did you get into craft scene?

Yeah going to West Chester really spoiled me on Victory and Iron Hill.

 

I never did! The craft beer came to me. I was 14 when I drank Warstiener for the first time, (out of one of those 5 liter "mini- kegs") back in 1986. My best friends mother was a German citizen who used to have "care packages" sent from her family with German foods and always a mini-keg! She gave us one for New Years Eve in 86! My first Dead show a year later gave me my first SNPA. My older brother took me on vacation to a show in Ventura, CA and we traded two cheeseburgers and a couple "cigarettes" for a six pack of Pale Ale in the parking lot. When Sam Adams was being contract- brewed by Pittsburgh Brewing, it sold pretty well in the local area, so we could usually find and sneak one or two from a fathers fridge. So, I've kind of been there from the beginning. Thank You, Earl, Sean, and Mrs. Porter!

 

I went to college in Ft. Collins surrounded by brewerys.

Craft keggers

 

I went to college in Vermont. There's a very popular beer there called Switchback, and it's still one of my favorite pale ales. It's what was on tap at all the parties, and my overage hook-up for booze was a homebrewer, so if I wasn't drinking his homebrew, he'd pick me up things he thought were good. Among the first things he got for me were Old Rasputin, Allagash White, Longtrail Doublebag, and Vermonster.

In all honesty, Vermonster was the most popular "party in a bottle" among my peers in college. Going to a party? Grab two Vermonsters and you won't remember the walk home.

 

Mine was gumballhead by FFF about 6 or 7 years ago. I remember my first sip to this day, I thought it tasted like sun screen! Haha. I toughed it out and had one each day. By the end of the six pack I fell in love, and here I am today!

 

I moved to Germany when I was 19 so I started my drinking career drinking good German beer, and thinking American beer sucked. I came home on leave in the summer of 2004, and ended up trying Summit Oatmeal Stout at Mayslack's Bar in Nordeast Minneapolis. That one beer completely changed my thinking on what American beer could be, and there was no turning back.

 

Grew up with my grandfather while he was a distributor for Pearl Beer down in Yorktown Tx, so really I knew about beer was Pearl, Lonestar, Buckhorn and Jax! I remember the first time I tried a Sam Adams Lager thinking I could never drink this stuff again...it was way to rough. A few years later I spotted another brew by Sam Adams...the Longshot Hazelnut Brown Ale. I loved all the different flavors! I decided to revisit Sam Adams Lager (this time actually tasting it instead of chugging it) and it just grew from there.

 

I remember this day like it was yesterday. My father called me and told me he had found this amazing beer bar down in DC and wanted to take me sometime. This was right after college and I had begun to experiment with different beers, such as Shiner Bock, Rolling Rock, Amstel Light, etc... I reluctantly agreed while wondering to myself what the hell an "amazing" beer bar could entail.

Said day finally came and we walked into a place called Churchkey. The bartender handed us a menu which was basically foreign to me so I told him to pick one of his favorites. I still remember the bug eyed look I gave my dad after I took that first sip. I remember saying "What.. Beer can taste this good?" A couple beers then turned into a $250 bar tab and a fun ride home. That $250 seems like nothing compared to the amount of money I've spent since. Thanks dad.

 

Sometimes we get lucky. I drink and try a lot of craft beers. She for the most part supports my passion. Lucky for sure.

 

I grew up in Northern California, so when we wanted something "nicer", we'd always buy Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (this was the 90's). Which was great, but it didn't stoke my interest in craft beer. It was just kind of "there".

I started home brewing about ten years ago, and that's when I really developed an awareness and appreciation for other styles of beer. I've been exploring ever since. I've tried beers all over the world and all over the US, but now I drink almost exclusively Californian beer. Between Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Firestone, Stone, Ballast Point, Green Flash, and Hangar 24 I've got plenty to choose from.

 

I was at a kick-ass BBQ place when visiting my old home town. Tried to order a draft beer, but the bar man asked me how often I would be there. Told him this might be my only time. He said, "Then you need to try this...", and set me up with a Founders Backwoods Bastard. I had no idea beer could be that good!

 

Frankenmuth World Expo of Beer 2012.
Sam Adams brewery tour July of that year.
Ventured out pretty quickly.

Wasted no time.

 

my sister in law lives up in burlington. i was pretty pleased to find a hobby that gets me out of the house for at least half a day no matter the time of year.

 

Beer festivals back in 2005-2006

 

randomly i bought a bomber of SN Torpedo mainly cuz i thought i could catch a buzz of the extra 2%.
i did. two and a half years later theres no looking back

 

Started in Germany in 1969. I was 3 years old and my dad let me taste his Parkbrau. I can still remember going to the gasthaus with him. I went back to the same place in 1980 and got to belly up to the bar as a 14 year old drinking warm cask beer and schnapps that tasted like moonshine. The beers in 1980 were very strong, I would guess he brewed them upwards of 10% or higher. They were a big difference from the Pabst and Old Style I was drinking my freshman year in an Iowa high school.

 

drank regular beer for 33 years, went to colorado in 2012 on vacation, loved the lifestyle and got healthy, lost 50 pounds and have only drank craft beer since.

 

In high school and early (only) college year I was always a heavy weed/recreational drug user and I hated the taste of beer. On a trip to Vegas when I was 21, I remember enjoying a 6 of SA Boston Lager and from there I just started getting into hoppier and hoppier beers. Didn't matter who the brewery was, just what the ABV was. Not till earlier last year that I had my first BCBS that it hit me like a ton of bricks how amazing beer could actually be. Now I can't go a day without enjoying the taste of at least one beautifully crafted brew

 

I was a binge drinking BMC guy, until I met my best friend Kevin. He was getting into IPAs and introduced me to good beer. The circle he ran with was into craft beer and since I have integrated my friends with his, we have a decent beer geek clique.