What was your first craft beer?

Sunshine wheat in 96.

 

Redhook in the late 80s.

 

Founders Breakfast Stout and Rogue Chocolate Stout, but I was too young to appreciate them.

The first beer that really blew my socks off was last year when I picked up a bottle of Mikkeler Santa's Little Helper 2012, then I started tasting all the belgian strong darks (Rochefort 10, ABT 12, etc) and loved them. From there I went to Ten Fidy, which got my into imperial stouts, and eventually Ruination - which sparked my love of IPAs.

My first homebrew was an Amber Ale that actually came out pretty good .

 

Pete's Wicked Ale

 

Probably SNPA but I'd say my beer advocate days really began with Fullers ESB & London Pride when I lived in London.

 

Sam Adams Boston Lager

First Purchase when I started drinking craft - Fort from Dogfish, crazy, I know

First game changer - Gulden Draak

 

Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout

 

Ninkasi Total Domination

 

Founders Breakfast Stout. Still a favorite. I go thru at least 2 cases every year.

 

Chimay... I think it was blue, but it might have been red. I can't remember for sure.

 

Leinenkugels Summer Shandy, and Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

 

Shiner Bock years ago. Then Sam Adams Boston Lager about 10 years ago and snowballed from there.

 

I had some craft beers but Southern Tier Unearthly was the one that truly opened my eyes

 

I suppose I can honestly say that my first "craft" beer was the one I brewed myself. The year was 1979. President Jimmy Carter signed the law that made it federally legal to brew your own. It was still against the law in Pennsylvania, but that didn't stop us rebels. Anyhow, it was a pale ale, and it was my own.

 

I'm pretty sure it was Bass Ale in the late 80s.

 

For me, Grolsch was the first one where I realized that beer was not just something to give you a buzz - wow, this can be a real beverage.

 

Koenig Ludwig got me started looking for better beers than the mainstream. Had some in one of my favorite restaurant Gasthaus in Peachland, BC, Canada, one of the nicest places on earth.

 

Shortly after my Grolsch revelation, I was introduced to the wonderful world of German bier, Warsteiner, Bitburger, Hofbrau, Spaten and Hacker-Pschorr opened my eyes to the variety out there.

This started me on my quest to try something new at every opportunity and also caused me to avoid American beer for the longest time. I've only recently started to discover the quality American brews that have been the result of the craft brew revolution in the United States.

 

I would buy a few things a John's from time to time. I lived with a bunch of drunks and on weekends beer/booze was fair game. I did my craft drinking mostly at The Sanctuary or at Fitzpatrick's after they opened their brew pub. Most of my time drinking was spent downtown at Jake's, Sports Column, Brother's and so on. Craft choices at those bars was sparse during those years. When I moved in with my gf, now wife, John's started getting more of my money.

 

Same for me as what had turned me off from beer, wasn't present in chimay, and of course there's the whole new world this stuff brings to the table. I thank God for those Trappist Brothers.