What was your "Gateway Beer/Brewery" into the Craft World?

Russian River Damnation at the Bier Stein Bottleshop & Pub. Crazy to think it was just in October 2012!

 

Lagunitas IPA and Coronado Brewing Orange Ave Wit

 

Prob fat tire,blue moon,...

 

Old Latrobe Rolling Rock, Youghiogheny River Stoney's, Yuengling Porter, Pete's Wicked Ale. Am I showing my age here?

 

My brother in law turned me onto New Glarus 20 years ago...and grew from there...went style to style until I found the styles that I really liked the most...Pale Ales and Stouts are my beer of choice..but still love a good German Pils/Hefeweisen/witbier

 

Founders...

 

Guinness did it for me.

 

I am proud to say that my Dad gave me my first Stone IPA. BUT... as a youngin I had tasted Sam Adams Scotch Ale and my taste buds have never been the same. That was over 20 years ago. My my how the industry has grown!

 

The first micro brew I had was a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat @ a Dead show in 1994. Then discovered Pete's Wicked Ale, Dundee Honey Brown, and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Oh heady times.

 

DFH 60 Minute. Still one of my favorite 6pks ever.

 

This is a tough one... but I'd say a combination of Sam Adams Octoberfest, Newcastle, Blue Moon, and Alaskan Amber periodically over a 10 year period. None of them are particularly amazing brews (especially Newcastle ), but all are very approachable and craft-newb friendly. Eventually, out of sheer curiosity and a dash of adventurous spirit, I started trying everything I could get my hands on (and afford); thus, a monster was born!

 

DFH 60 Minute. Went to college 45 mins from the brewery in the late 90's early 2000's. What a great place to be close to.

 

New Glarus and Lakefront in Milwaukee. Plenty of styles, always good quality, and available at every store in mke. It was a perfect storm.

 

It was probably Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale followed by Bell's Two Hearted Ale.

 

Always liked Guinness, Blue Point,Blue Moon. Ordered several 'weird' beers from Lets Pour last summer and then started looking for craft beer at beer distributors- once I had a Backwoods Bastard I was hooked, have a fridge full of crafts now.

 

Pyramid Heffeweizen. First local beer I got into from a brewery was a Kolsch.

 

Deschutes mirror pond, widmer hefewiezen, fat tire

 

Stone Brewing Vertical Epic '08 was my intro to craft beer, bought it on my 21st birthday

 

The original Black Star golden lager in Whitefish, MT

 

Saison Dupont is what brought me into the beer world.

 

Victory Storm King

 

Black Tuesday 2011 on tap at The Bruery tasting room.. I remember it like it was yesterday..

 

Blue Moon, Bells Amber ale and New Belgium Fat Tire. Now its any double IPA. I turned into an ibu junky.

 

Oddly enough, Hopslam did it for me. Bartender at a college bar got a keg and recommended it. I haven't looked back since.

 

Founders Mango Magnifico, at the Brewery 1st experience with craft beer, had a tier 3 sampler. that was last june and i now have a 35 btl cellar full and iv brewed 4 batches of beer and 2 ciders. i think i have an addiction...

i did drink blue moon and summer shandy before that.. but i dont consider those "craft"

 

During college in Vermont, early 2000's, started drinking Magic Hat. They had a good variety of pale ales back then. Then they sold out so I rarely drink it now!

 

Same here. Shiner's still one of my favorites

 

Shoreline Brewery's Curse The Goat

 

Sam Adams Boston Lager was my gateway into the craft beer world. At the time it was the only craft beer i could get in my hometown

 

Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold...circa 1997 or so

 

Upland Wheat, DFH 60 Minute, and Gumballhead for me in 2008. It's created a monster.

 

For me it was basically Harpoon IPA that got me started on my journey. While I was in college in Maine ('98-'02), we drank a lot of Geary's Hampshire Special Ale, Shipyard, and Gritty's Black Fly Stout. PLus I still remember my first Storm King and Hop Devil.

 

Harpoon IPA got me into good beer after college.

Lagunitas IPA taught me that there were better beers around and got me exploring more.

Heady Topper completely blew my mind and got me really hooked on Craft Beer.

 

Sam Adams Hefeweizen.

 

Bells Two Hearted on cask.

I had other quality beers prior (Stealhead EPA, Smutty Nose PA) but it was Two Hearted that sunk the hook, never to be removed.

 

Kona Pipeline Porter

 

Sierra nevada harvest, specifically southern. Remember I tried hoptimum and a local 'estate' ale and hated them. Then one day I was at a crappy bar and they had southern harvest and I tried it. LIGHT BULB

 

La Fin Du Monde
Duvel

Worked my way through Belgians before I entered the U.S. craft world.

 

Weihenstaphaner hefeweissbier, still my favorite, but its grown from there