Port's Mongo was the first time that I really appreciated a sense of 'too much hops' that turn some people off while elate others. I'm really getting into Saisons and Henneppin led the way for me. First any kind of Stout I ever had was Sammy Smith's Impy, and I loved it immediately, so no learning curve there. I think what happens is that one needs to be in the perfect mood to start appreciating a new (to him) style. His palate has to be craving its characteristics, even if the mind isn't aware of it. And then suddenly one is compelled to try another style again, and when it's the right beer: WHAM! Now we're fans! It's part intuition, part chance.
Great post man! IPAs - Stone Ruination - I stopped by bev mo to pick up a couple bombers and figured I'd try it. I think at that time I was already really into imperial Stout, but I thought IPA s were too skunky or something (ya, I was naive). I remember trying that first sip and being so overwhelmed by the fresh hop flavor - it was awesome! I started picking up IPAs all the time. Stout/Imperial Stout - Oskar Blues Ten Fidy - I knew I liked dark beers but then I tried this and it converted me from just trying dark beer to enjoying it on pretty much am academic level. I used to drink Guinness at the back for 5 dollars a pop and I now would rather stay sober knowing that I can get this for 14/4 pack. Great beer. Belgian Quads - Rochefort 10 - I had no idea what this was until I got a bottle of it and took it home to try one afternoon. I was so surprised by how good it was I started trying all the belgains I could. For a while I was just obsessed with Belgians (before I ever got into stouts or IPA s ). Sour - Bell's Oarsman Ale - picked up at a store on the way back from MI to AZ first year of med achool, had no clue about what craft beer even was. I took that first sip and immediately wanted to know how they made a sour beer. (I now know this is a sour mash recipe, although a pretty light one). Since then of course I've looked into the Belgian lambics and Saisons, the first of which I really tried were Lindemann's Framboise and The Bruery Sais on de Lent. Beers been a journey for me - way back in the day I tried Old Raspy, Founders Breakfast Stout, and Rogue Chocolate stout - but it was waay to early at the time.
My first real escape from the big breweries was Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. Out after work one day with the group and my boss at the time bought me one to try. WOW. It was awesome. But for a couple years, that really didn't change me much; still didn't know what was really out there. Then, my brother in law sent me a subscription to BA. One of the first things I noticed was a lot of talk about this stout called Founders Breakfast Stout. When I saw it in my local store, I bought a 4-pack. That single beer has changed me forever. It is still my favorite of all. But, I realized with help from BA, that there was a world out there with great beer, all I needed to do was open my eyes. Now, the journey has begun!
The first beer I had that I really truly liked was Fullers' London Pride (I was studying in London at the time). Up to that point I had only tried a couple pale Euro lagers, and concluded that I didn't really like beer. Then I was at a bar with a friend who demanded that I try a London Pride, and that is when I realized how tasty beer could be. So, I would regularly order it, but I didn't branch out much from that until I tried a Chimay Blue on a whim in a restaurant. That is when I realized how diverse and complex beer could be, and so I educated myself and tried all sorts of things after that. Now even after I have tried a number of great beers, I keep coming back to these two because they are what opened my eyes to what clever people could make out of some simple ingredients.
I hated beer until I stumbled across a bottle of Chimay blue. Before drinking Chimay I thought all beer was supposed to taste like chilled urine. That beer introduced me to quality beer leagues ahead of macro swill. At the time living in a small college town in Louisiana, I didn't have access to much variety so I mostly drank Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Chimay which a local grocery store sold. A few years later, I spent a summer at my brother's house in Boulder Colorado, and that opened the flood gates.
Victory Helios is a gateway Saison. Before long, I found myself hanging around street corners at midnight for other great beer.
The first stout, and one of the first craft beers I ever had, was a Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout my dad let me try when I was around nineteen. What an introduction to good beer...
For me, it started back in 1988 when I was going to school in Scotland, and was able to break away fully from Bud Lite/Miller Lite, etc. I started with Newcastle Brown Ale, and then on to Guinness and Murphy's Irish Stout, then I found the cask conditioned beers. OMG. I then kind of backed out of drinking entirely for several years, and got back into beers about 2 years ago. Started right in on Oatmeal Stouts and Porters. Really enjoyed Expedition Stout - absolutely exceptional. Still, I have been at the low IBU end of the spectrum, and didn't care for IPA at all. Visited FFF early this year with some friends, had lunch and a flight of beers. Honestly, I thought they were all too hoppy. Then I had a Sculpin. I had that "a-ha" moment with higher IBU beers, and I've been on a strong IPA kick this entire year.
Same here. I was into Pale Ales (SN being my intro to craft) and tried a Frambois just to try something different. A little too sweet for my palate but hey I liked the barnyard, horseblanket, etc. Anyway a friend brought me a Lindemans Cuvee Rene and I was hooked. My first Wow sour was a Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus, followed by Fou Foune. Just picked up 6 Duck Duck Goozes yesterday and got a sample taste in the serving room. Cannot wait to pop the cork on the first bottle in 18 days...(my birthday).
My fist and epiphany are two different subjects. My ephiphanies IPA. Sucks Stout. this was the beer that really got me in to craft Old Rasputiin. Sour. Being in cali my first true sour was Supplication, BLOWN away an amazed. Saison. Never blown away by. had many i've liked. but never that great moment of this is an amazing beer.
First IPA: Goose Island IPA First Stout: Guinness Draught First sour: Lindemans Cuvee Renee First Saison: either Saison DuPont or Ommegang Hennepin
IPA: Dogfish Head 60 Minute Stout (not counting Guinness): Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout Sour (not counting Lindemans): New Belgium La Folie Saison (not counting the grass I ate sucking at soccer as a kid): Goose Island Sofie
Met my brother and his girlfriend for dinner one night. The resturant we ended up at was doing a new belgium sour night where you got a take home glass for each beer you ordered. I got Clutch and I can't remember the other but thought they were very interesting. Soon after I placed an online order and got a bottle of Supplication. That was my biggest wow moment with beer.
Love the post! For me the 2 I most remember as epiphany beers were. Ipa: pliny the elder. I always was an ipa drinker, but I was all about bitterness and ibu. PtE opened my eyes to freshness and hop flavor. Also the experience was awesome. My buddy had brought it back from Cali after a business trip, and we opened it after getting black note on tap during Chicago beer week. We cracked it in the parking lot and I have never looked back! Sour: I had tasted a few sours and wasn't really into them. I didn't understand the style yet. While at the release of BBPT5 we stopped at bells. A buddy convinced me to order raspberry wild one on tap. Again I had a wow moment. My buddy, one of his friends, and I took a tour and saw the wild one barrels. They explained about the acidity levels and how they have to balance it out because barrels are all different. It was awesome. I had recently taken up homebrewing and was fascinated by the amount of work that went into a "bad" style. I have a great appreciation for them now. So Pliny the Elder and Raspberry Wild One.
The beer that really got me into craft was dfh 60 min. After having that beer I think I bought every ipa I could get my hands on for a year. The beer that got me interested in stouts and darker beers was CBC's Charles river porter. Duchess was the first sour that made me love that style. For saisons I'm pretty sure it was saison DuPont that got me excited about that style.
Stout: I'm sure Guinness was the first stout I had, but Young's Oatmeal Stout was the one that really got me into the style. IPA: For IPAs I think possibly Goose Island IPA was the first, but Three Floyds Alpha King and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are the beers that got me started on hoppy beers. Sour: Lindemans Framboise was probably the first, but it was more of a novelty beer (to me) when I tried it. But the first to get me interested in Belgian style sours was Duchesse De Bourgogne. Saison: Probably Goose Island Sofie or Three Floyds Rabbid Rabbit
Very cool post! Now I'm the 4th person to say this beer, but I don't care. At the moment of buying this beer, I drank hefeweizens, red ales, and amber ales. I knew I liked beer, but it was just a tool to get drunk. That was until I bought my first bomber, which was Stone Ruination. I would have never thought to pay more than $10 a sixer or $3 for a pint. This beer was $8 for one bomber! I thought I was just being a fool until I poured it. What a beautiful beer! I just sat there and raved about this beer to my friends. The next week I bought St Bernardus Abt. 12, and I was completely sucked in.
I was sort of into craft beer my first couple years of college, but not in a super beer nerd way yet. I remember having mixed feelings about IPAs for a long time - couldn't get the appeal of the hop/bitter flavor profile. I went to a festival at Horning's Hideout in Oregon in the summer of 2011. Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada were the only 2 vendors for this small festival. I remember the IPA blowing me away. I must have bought 15 that weekend. Since that day I have never looked back, and I have made it a quest to seek out top notch IPAs from all over. For an introduction to sours my first Cantillon tasting won me over. Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy - Cigar City Big Sound Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Ale - Boulevard Coffee Ale Farmhouse - Boulevard Tank 7 Pale Ale - Dale's Pale
Hmmm. Sour - Goudenband: "Oh...this is how sour beers can taste." Wheat - Oberon: "Oh man, this is the best light beer ever!" IPA - Two Hearted: "God damn...this is a good IPA. I guess they aren't so bitter!" Stout - Rasputin: "Wha..Whaat??? This is beer????? I thought Guinness was a stout..." Stout versions 2 - Zhukov: "I thought Rasputin was thick..."
Nearly 2 years ago when I turned 21, I stopped by one of the best craft beer bars near me. I saw Great Divide Yeti on special. I was curious about stouts and gave it a go. RIS has been one of my favorite styles since then; especially when its cold outside.
