More often than not, when craft beer fans get together one topic always seems to stem for the conversation.
What was your “gateway beer” that kicked of your pursuit of craft beer nirvana?
I use the word pursuit, as I’m often reminded of the following quote from Local Beer Celebrity Tom Cizauskas;
“What’s my favorite beer? I don’t know, I’m still looking”
Craft Beer is about the journey and not necessarily the destination. Yes, I know that’s horribly cliché to say but it holds true in everything we do here a DC Beer.
So, What was your “gateway beer”?
We love comments so please lets us know. I love hearing how people remember the moment they realized that what they knew as beer was hardly beer at all.
Read more about Tom Cizauskas and his infinite amounts of beer knowledge at http://www.yoursforgoodfermentables.com/
Tags: Tom Cizauskas
New Glarus R&D Golden Ale
BlueMoon and Widmer — you gotta start somewhere –
North Coast Red Seal
DeGroen’s Pilsner. I still miss the Baltimore Brewing Company.
Chimay and Three Philosophers…had them on the same night, so it was the combination of the two that got me interested in Belgian beers and craft beers.
Delirium Tremens
Although it’s not a craft beer, sadly, I must say Amber Bock because it opened the door to all non-piss beer.
Otherwise, Fat Tire and Boulevard Wheat.
Magic Hat #9….but now I can’t stand the stuff!
St. Bernardus Abt 12
Gouden Carolus Classic at the Publick House in Brookline, MA.
It’s really difficult to pinpoint just one, but if I had to, I would probably say Columbus Pale Ale as it was my go-to ‘good beer’ at Ohio State. I was drinking craft throughout college but not exclusively and without really pursuing them.
A couple from the Squatters family: Captain Bastard’s Oatmeal Stout and Full Suspension pale ale.
It probably started with my first sip of North Coast Old Rasputin, then shortly after that, my first taste of St Bernardus Abt 12 sealed the deal.
This doesn’t really count, but I used to buy Moosey non-alcoholic beer at the corner store when I was 12 years old. I guess that makes it my gateway beer.
My gateway beer, the one that made me start homebrewing, was Pete’s Wicked Ale, and a little later, Sam Adams. As for the newer generation of craft beer, my gateway beers were Dogfish Head 90-minute and Ommegang’s Three Philosophers.
Yuengling/Sam Adams proved to me that there were more tasty lagers than the macros. Magic Hat turned me on to the ales.
Paulaner Hefeweizen when I was studying abroad in college.
Odell’s Easy Street Wheat
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Just to show how old I am:
Wild Goose Amber and Thomas Point Light Golden Ale, back when the brewery was so new they didn’t even have a sign up at the brewery, and they rewarded you with a fresh, cold bottle if you actually found the place.
Since I was going to school and interning in Ohio during my early drinking years, my love was all thanks to the fine folks at Great Lakes Brewing Company, which is why I am so stoked to see them in this area!
Probably Sierra Nevada Pale Ale . . . had one back in the day, and said, “WHOA, what’s THAT?”
Victory Hop Devil
Has to be Anchor Steam. Followed by Sierra Nevada. I grew up in South Louisiana, the land of Bud, Miller, and Dixie Beer. So a steam beer and a true ale were revelations when I first had them. But it took me many years to fully appreciate good craft beer, like the fragrant hoppy ones we have now.
I agree with both Natasha and BManning! St. Bernardus Abt 12 was the beer that turned me over to the “good stuff” and definitely North Coast Old Rasputin to the stouts.
Yuengling Porter – we had kegs of it at my frat in Philly and it blew me away. Until then, I thought Killian’s Red and Rolling Rock (”from the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe” – neat!) were exotic.
Samuel Adams (as it was known in those days, before they shortened it to Sam) Cherry Wheat or Anchor Steam.
Heineken. As was pointed out above, you have to start somewhere. I moved on to Shiner Blonde and the rest is history.
DogFish Head 60 minutes/ Starr Hill