What beer got you into craft beer?

Pete's Wicked Ale, Boston Lager, Harpoon IPA, or SNPA were all favorites in HS and College in the 90's, but my old school favorite from back then is definitely Geary's Pale Ale.

 

Growing up in Detroit, we drank mostly Canadian beers, along with Stroh's, but in the late 80's, early 90's it was Sierra Nevada, and then Boulder Beer Singletrack, I think. (Memory is a bit cloudy from all the beer) There were some German beers mixed in there too, most notably Warsteiner.

 

Hoegaarden hands down, followed most likely by Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Hoegaarden being the most general, and SSOS being what got me into dark beers.

 

"Yeah, you Americans, why don't you go back to strip malls und drink your Zimas and Smirnoff Ices!" - Beerfest

 

CELIS WHITE. AUSTIN TEXAS. 1996. WORKED ACCROSS THE STREET FROM BREWERY

 

I had some beer at Gorky's in the 1990's in Hollywood, but it didn't do much for me. I still hated beer. But then...

BJ's Harvest Hefeweizen and Tatonka Stout, brewed at the Woodland Hills location back in 2000. Never had a bottled BJ's and their beer has taken a nosedive in flavor and quality since they eliminated all the small breweries and moved production to the one big facility.

 

Blue Moon Belgian White when it came out, circa 1995/1996. I liked it and went to the local fancy beer store to see if they had any real Belgian examples, where the owner turned me on to Hoegaarden, Blanche de Honelles, and a few other things in the same vein like Chimay White.

 

One of my best friends brought over a few bottles of Pliny the Elder over to a party. It was love at first sip from then.

 

Two of them, New Glarus Spotted Cow and Capital Wisconsin Amber. Classics that got me hooked.

 

420

 

Live about 10 minutes from 3Floyd's. Good friend from out of town suggested we meet up there on a weekend he was in town. At the time, I was drinking mainly Newcastle. I asked for the lightest/mildest beer they had as I did not like IPA's. They brought out Calumet Queen (which is like water to me now). Thought it was okay, but then buddy gave me a sip of the Zombie Dust. Forget it, game over!

 

in a bar far far away many years ago.....Sierra Nevada Pale Ale started it for me...

 

Hop rod rye was my first wow beer followed by arrogant bastard

 

Henry Weinhard's, I think it was called Special Reserve, back in 1977. But I already had a fondness for European imports so it wasn't a big leap for me.
http://www.henryweinhards.com/HenrysStory/Default.aspx

 

My first "craft" beer was West Coast and my second was enjoy by on tap. After that, I was hooked!

 

Magic Hat #9. It will always hold a special spot in my heart.

 

The growler of local brew I received as a gift on my twenty-first birthday and the first legal beer I had at the restaurant where we celebrated. (Steel Toe Provider & Lake Superior North Shore Wheat).

I can't believe my sister and underage girlfriend got me into craft beer.

 

John Courage

 

I think that was the 'St. Bernardus 9'

 

Gumballhead was my gateway beer.