The Beer Thread • Page 102

I remember when Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was too bitter.

 

My buddy that used to buy for us before we were 21 brought back all the stuff we wanted from the store (bud, some Sky Blue malt beverage or whatever) and picked up a sixer of SN Pale Ale because his step dad always drank it. Everyone had one sip from the bottle and we dumped out all six and thought it was disgusting.

 

I went from macro beers I drank to get drunk to blue moon to oberon (mini kegs were great to take to parties) and then to two hearted where I stayed for a long time.

 

That's a pretty solid transition. Both Oberon and Two Hearted are still great beers.

 

My first real craft beer experience was when a friend I worked with recommended picking up a bottle of DFH 120 minute. I remember buying it felt like a drug deal. Going into the beer distributor, the owner going into the back room to get it and then hitting me with "ok that'll be $12". I was like, damn this better be the best beer I've ever had.

It wasn't. Good times.

 

Yeah. Growing up in Kalamazoo meant that my first experiences in bars are each of them having a macro and two hearted on tap. I'm surprised Two Hearted isn't too malty for ya

 

I hated beer when I started drinking. My friend convinced me to do Irish Car Bombs with him, and the Guinness I had to pass through to get to the middle was what first got me into beer.

 

Yeah it was probably Guiness that first turned me on to the idea that there is more out there

 

My friends and I were always just the drink to get drunk type, so we just stuck to Keystone/Busch/whatever was cheap. First real craft beers I had were Dogfish Head 60 Minute and Magic Hat #9, which I just picked up 6 packs of on a whim one night when we were going to a party.

I mean, I guess Yuengling is technically the first "craft" stuff I had, but that's nearly on the same level as Bud/Miller/Coors stuff out here, so I don't really count that.

 

I picked up Modern Times Blazing World, Firestone Luponic Distortion Vol. 003, Alesmith IPA, and Green Flash Soul Style IPA at Trader Joe's today (great that they let you get singles over there). IPAs aren't my typical go-to but it should be fun to try these out!

 

Same, though I think my first craft beer was Breakfast Stout.

It's crazy to me that early 20's kids start drinking craft beer as their first experiences to beer when for me it was nothing but PBR and Coors because it was cheap and easy to get.

 

I'm so glad I found this thread when I was 19 lol

 

Partly due to this thread but partly because good beer is everywhere in Chicago, I started making the transition between freshman and sophomore year of undergrad. Had a couple buddies who were older or had IDs so we'd often do variety packs of Goose, Sam Adams, or Shiner as a transition. I started getting my dad more into it around this time with stuff like Lil Sumpin' Sumpin', Sucks, Dale's Pale Ale, and the like and it really took off from there.

 

I thought I just hated all beer because my only experiences with it in high school was like Bud Light and Coors out of beer pong cups. Always liked liquor more. But I had a Yuengling when I was 18 or so and it was drinkable, then really liked Blue Moon and then discovered craft beers.

 

Where would you be getting the flavor from the hops then, just adding more late boil or flameout hops? Because I thought the wort was still hot enough during the hopstand/whirlpool stage to extract some flavor as well as aroma and then the dry hop was to get the crazy aroma only.

 

I ended up with quite the haul today from my liquor store guy:
2 2016 KBS
4 2016 Backwoods Bastard
1 Founders Harvest Ale
1 Prairie Bomb!

I'm pretty happy.

 

It's something I'd want to experiment with, but it'd just be some late-boil hops and then hop stand.

 

Has Omnipollo made it's way to the U.S. yet?
Currently the best brewery in Europe. Some of the best beers I've had.

 

Yeah they get out west and out east. I had one of their IPA's they made with a colorado brewery that was killer.

Edit: just checked and it was Abrahadabra and it as fantastic.

 

Luponic Distortion Vol. 003 was quite good. I also tried Modern Times Blazing World today, and I think I must just not care for "dank" hops. The taste was fruity at first but followed by an earthy, weed-y taste I didn't like. I don't think it's a bad beer, just not my taste.

 

Good call. I live about half hour from Yuengling so they were pretty crucial in turning my friends and I away from Lite. We call them Yang-Bangers around here. Just a little trivia piece for you haha.

 

Elysian Pumpkin is really good. I was almost certain I lost my palate for pumpkin beer until I had this.

 

Yeah. Their beers can be bit expensive though and I never know when stuff was bottled.

 

LOL! I love Two Hearted. I know you already know this but I don't have a problem with malt forward IPAs if that's what they're marketed as. It pisses me off when beers are marketed as super hoppy and are malt bombs ::cough::samadams::cough::

Yes! Great art on their bottles as well. Love Fatamorgana.

 

I've actually been pretty impressed with all their versions of pumpkin beer I've had