What beer got you hooked on craft beer?

Edmund Fitzgerald

 

New Glarus Spotted Cow. I suspect it's a gateway for many Wisconsinites.

 

Founders Backwoods Bastard the first night, then returned to the same place for Stone Double Bastard the next. No looking back!

 

Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout from Anderson Valley. I was in college and that segued into Old Rasputin at some girl's house and after that it was over

 

The original Black Star golden lager on tap in Whitefish, MT.
1995 sounds about right.

 

I was lucky to be born in an area dominated by three small regional breweries so we didn't really get the dreaded keg revolution.These breweries would certainly qualify as craft these days; indeed two of my present day favourites are clones of Shipstone's brewed by the same brewer but in a 25 bbl plant.Better still, there are plans to reintroduce one of them and it does appear occasionally. It seems strange that after over 50 years of drinking beer and notwithstanding all the newer, stronger "more interesting" stuff that abounds these days I've not found anything I enjoy drinking more.

 

SA Winter Lager. I had started liking Boston Lager at the time, but I remember thinking that WL was amazing. Then I started looking for more variety when WL wasn't available.

 

Arcadia's IPA.. They used to let you help with the bottling process and feed you pizza and beer throughout the day then at the end they typically gave you a sixer per hour worked

 

Dfh 90, hated it at the time. (love it now) Then I tried a new Belgium fat tire, thought it wasn't bad. A few months later tried a victory hop devil and I was hooked. I've since replaced my favorite ipas and pales with imperial Stouts and Belgian Quads then left cheap beer in the dust forever!

 

My gateway beers(as 4-20 approaches)
Boston Lager
Samuel Smith Pale Ale
Spaten Optimator
DFH 90 Minute

 

Heady Topper. Had no idea what it was and wasn't really into it as I made my way through the can. The next day I was jonesing for that unique flavor. It's ruined about 90% of all other beer for me. Or maybe it's saved me from about 90% of all other beer?

 

Summit Extra Pale Ale. My grandpa is an original stock holder in Summit and this beer was not only the first craft beer I had, it was the first beer I had. This beer is still amazing to me!

 

North Coast Red Seal Ale, back in 2004 maybe. Totally eyeopening, I never tasted a beer with flavors like that before. I was in a bar outside Atlanta with 300+ beers, a beer MENU which was mind blowing at the time.

 

Jai Alai for me. After that I wanted to try pretty much everything. A real eye-opener.

 

Fat Tire and Singletrack were one of the first craft beers I liked. But now I don't like Fat Tire and its been awhile since I have had Singletrack. Maybe I should revisit...

 

New Glarus - Spotted Cow

 

Duval, then ommegang beers, then dfh 90.

 

I was spoiled as a new craft beer enthusiast. I had easy access to breweries like Three Floyds, Revolution, Half Acre, New Glarus, & Two Brothers.

Spotted Cow was my 1st
Gumballhead, Zombie Dust, Daisy Cutter, & Anti-Hero came soon after

 

Fat Tire and Two Hearted.

 

victory golden monkey