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The whole ‘Craft Beer Epiphany’ concept isn’t new amongst beer nerds. It seems everyone is interested good beer is also interested in THE beer that flipped a switch for someone.
After THE beer, no longer could they look at macro-brewed beer the same way!
Look around. Its all over the place, and for the most part it’s very interesting. For some, it was a defining moment. For others, it was more of a process. For me, it was a little of both.
This website was born in April, 2008. Its original intent was to keep track of the beers that were exchanged amongst several coworkers (The Brew Club) and the idea was that everyone could post their comments and thoughts on any particular beer.
The types of beer that could be exchanged were never limited. If someone brought in Bud Lite Lime, we tried it. Conversely, the same was true for DFH 60 Minute IPA. The beer brought in for exchange literally covered the spectrum from mass-produced to nano-brewed.
Looking back, this was a great way to learn about beer. Before this, I really had no exposure to anything outside of the macro-brew lagers, Heineken, Bass and Guinness, so I was getting a good sampling of everything beer.
Getting to my craft beer epiphany, it wasn’t until November of 2008, seven months after starting this site that I had a truly WOW beer moment. I had a beer style that I never had before, and it simply blew me away when I tried it. That beer was called Mother’s Milk, and its a milk stout from Keegan Ales of New York State.
I was reminded of this little personal beer moment because I happened to see a stack of Keegan Ales product in my local store for the first time! Their stuff wasn’t available in Jersey, and so I haven’t been able to enjoy Keegan Ales Mother’s Milk since 2008! It was a no-brainer that I grabbed a sixer of the elixir (that rhymed!), and went on a short trip down memory lane with the beer that really opened my eyes to how different and deeply satisfying beer could be.
While I had quite a few beers between April 2008 and November 2008, I don’t think I understood enough about beer styles to really appreciate what I was drinking. They were all variations of interesting, but this milk stout was the first beer that truly left an impression.
Since then, I’ve sampled any and all milk stouts that come my way! I’ve even had a couple of them (Left Hand and Lancaster) that I thought were better than Mother’s Milk. Still, this is the beer that kicked the door open for me and so I’ll always hold it in high regard.
What about you? What was THE beer that did it for you?
Oh heavens!
Epiphanies… how long have you got?
I guess I have several, I’ll limit myself to just three, although for the purposes of this reply I’m going to stretch the definition of ‘Craft Beer’ as some of my beer experiences predate the term.
My first was probably in 1975, my parents had relocated to Sheffield, in Yorkshire and, having grown up drinking the (frankly appalling) beers available in Essex in those days, I first enjoyed a pint of ‘Yorkshire Bitter’ – it may have been Timothy Taylor, but I suspect it was a Samuel Smiths. It was a revelation! Beer can have this much body and flavour.
My second was in 1988, and my first trip to New York. It was a bottle of Sam Adams Boston Lager, another revelation! Not all American beers taste like they’ve been drunk by somebody else first. Prior to tasting Sam Adams, the only American beers I had encountered were the usual suspects – Bud, Coors, Michelob… thirst quenching, but nothing to get excited about.
Finally, I cite my first taste of Rodenbach Grand Cru, a rich, sour Belgian red ale. I was astonished (as I continue to be) that brewers can weave such magical flavours out of such simple ingredients.
Bob the Brit
Thanks Bob! So for you it was a series, which is interesting to me. For some reason, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that there might be more epiphanies in the future! (beer history hasn’t ended) Good stuff.
I drank Coors most of my life and didn’t even consider there were other choices except Bud and maybe some snootiy imports in green bottles. Then I had a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and that beer kicked the doors wide open for me. It was a revelation and at the same time an invitation to step outside the box I was in. If it wasn’t for the decision to start drinking flavorful beers, I wouldn’t have begun the most enjoyable hobby of all time, homebrewing. This in turn has changed my life dramatically for the good.
Mark
Beer Diary…
@mark – great story! I’m sure SNPA was ‘the beer’ for many, many people.
More of a beer epiphany than a craft beer epiphany…When I was a teenager, I drank what was cheap and available, Natty Boh when I lived in Maryland, Old Style and Special Ex when I lived in Wisconsin. Every Wednesday evening, my college had a different beer night. Becks Dark was the first “exotic” beer that I had, and while it wasn’t quite love at first taste, it did expand the beer horizons immensely. The next epiphany beer came a few years later, when backpacking through Europe. This was in the days when each nation had its own currency. Belgium was my last stop on the continent. In order to spend the last remaining Belgian francs in my pocket, I bought a couple of Trappist beers for the night ferry to England. One I remember was a St. Bernardus. I was blown away. I’ve sought nano, micro, craft, and import beers ever since. Tonight I had a Sixpoint Brewery Righteous Ale. This hoppy beverage is something I would have never tried if I were still drinking the macros. And probably would never have found this site, either!
@Lee – Sorry for the late reply! Thanks for sharing that story! Awesome!
Like Lee, mine is more of a beer epiphany than a craft beer epiphany. I disliked beer PERIOD until I tried a Yuengling Black & Tan. I know it’s macro but a far cry from the Bud and Miller stuff that I’d tried before. I’ve since fallen in love with the dark brews: Porters, Stouts, Dark Ales. My latest finds are New Belgium’s “1554 Enlightened Black Ale”, and Sweetwater’s Exodus Porter.
I continue my journey, one 6 pack at a time. Tough work, but it’s got to be done!
@Steve – another great story! Thanks for sharing, and try not to work too hard!