Your Gateway Beer to Craft

New Holland's Dragon's Milk

 

It was a long process.

In high school, I would drink forties of St. Ides Special Brew and Natty Ice, but living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I had some friends who were beer snobs of sorts that wouldn't touch that stuff and would drink Pacifico, Honey Nut Brown and stuff like that. So that weaned me off of the forties.

Then my freshman year of college in Arizona, a friend of mine worked at a liquor store and would bring home Fat Tire. I loved the stuff, but didn't realize it was craft beer or that there was even a concept, it simply was a good beer from Colorado.

But then I moved to Boston and couldn't get Fat Tire any longer. In Boston, I mostly drank to get drunk since it's cold as hell and I was in college, so I didn't necessarily drink for taste. Still, I tasted my first Newcastle there and was obsessed for a long time, had my first Stella and enjoyed that for a while, Beck's same story. A lot of mass-produced European beers, but they were better than BMC, so I was with it. I do remember having plenty of Sam Adams and the occasional Magic Hat, but again, didn't take the dive into craft beer.

Next was NYC, where I was still partying and drinking hard. I remember trying Brooklyn Brewery beers for the first time during my first year there, but they didn't do much for me. I mostly spent the next nine years drinking lots of foreign beers when I was downtown, Germans and Belgians mostly, and Presidente, Corona and Heineken when I was uptown where I lived because that's all the bodegas sold. Tragic really, since I've now learned about so many damn good beer bars NOW THAT I DON'T LIVE THERE ANYMORE. A trip to Germany was a real eye-opener for me, but that only reaffirmed my belief that I should always look for German beers when given the opportunity.

Just as I was leaving, my friend took me to a few craft beer bars, I tried some good beers---none of which I can remember--- and I went to my first beer tasting where I had Bronx Pale Ale, Toasted Lager from that Long Island Brewery, and I think Ommegang. That was the tipping point. But, I left NYC a few weeks later.

Moving to Albuquerque a year and a half ago, I had a whole new city to explore, the Yelp app to discover stuff, and my cousin would send me links to BA to check out beers. When I got that first taste of Elevated IPA, it was a wrap.

Long story, I know, but I think plenty of craft beer nuts probably had a similar experience.

 

Chimay Blue.. And Allagash White. Still love them.

 

I'm getting like Abe Simpson with this story, but...

Back in the 80's, a friend stole a keg of Killian's Red from the Renaissance Faire. That led to Sam Adams and Harpoon, which was the style at the time. Gimme five bees for a quarter, we'd say....

 

Fat Tire.
As much as I don't like the MillerCoors scene, Blue Moon has been a great gateway beer for many. This beer, that many BA's hate, has helped the growth in craft beer (which is awesome!).

 

Before I moved to the US, I drank lots of cask beer in the UK (where I'm from), but I just drank what was available locally, and didn't really geek out about it (with the exception that I'd always order Landlord when I saw it).

When I moved to the US in 2008, I assumed the beer scene was Bud and Bud Lite. Then I found this beer called Arrogant Bastard at our deli and bought a bottle. And then bought lots more. And then found out that this bar round the corner called Blind Tiger was a "craft" beer bar (still can't stand the word craft). Then found beer advocate.

 

Never any BMC for me. Wuz fed BCS through my bottle.

But in reality, FBS was my gateway beer.

 

In the early 90's I was making many business trips to Leeds, U.K. Loved Tetley's Bitter in hand pulled casks from the local pubs. I then started making numerous visits to Seattle and discovered a little brewery called Redhook and specifically their ESB. Stopped drinking BMC yellow fizzy crap ever since.

 

Boston Beer Co. 100%

 

HAS to be Goose Island Honkers Ale.

 

Samuel Adams, really.

I think Guinness was the first pint I ordered at a bar. I thought of it then as I do now -- "eh."

 

Ballantine India Pale Ale.

 

Stone Arrogant Bastard

 

Well, minneapolis has awesome beers, so I've been drinking summit/schell's/surly etc etc for years.

But what pushed me into the "I consider myself a beer snob" range was Bourbon County 2012. Yeah im a late bloomer, but ill be damned if I dont have a decent list put together so far.

 

It was destiny for me.... in high school we drank PBR, Milwaukees best, Bush and natty bo, and i hated it. but once i turned 21 i was enlightened and saw first hand what was possible, and for more than $10.50 a case there was an endless wall of flavor. my local beer store had an extensive collection of warm cases and variety packs that grabbed my interest from the start. i started buying beer that i never heard of just to see what was possible. I got a second job just so i could buy cases and 1/2 cases that ranged from $25-$80 the rest is history!!! if my memory serves (which it doesn't) Im pretty sure Kronnenburg 1886 was one of the first beers i tried that i had never heard of...

 

BCS

As I look over others responses, I realize how odd my gateway really was. I was always a High Life / Bud Light Guy, but my buddy got into craft beer hardcore back and kept brining me different beer to try. BCS is the first beer where I had been like, "Whoa! Beer can taste like that?" Still have a love affair with BCS.

 

Rogue Dead Guy Ale and a couple of Pyramid beers on a trip to Portland, OR

 

lots of Sam Adams and DFH 60

 

Davidson brothers oatmeal stout from Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls NY.

 

Guinness was the first beer that got me thinking outside of the normal light industrial lager box. Once I got used to the idea of flavor in my beer there was no turning back.