Mine was in 2005- I was on leave (from being a Navy submariner), visiting my folks in Jax, FL. We went to some German place with many beers I’d never heard of (at the time I was not a beer connossieur)- I ordered Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest from the tap. It was divine- looking back, I think it was at least partially because I had not had a beer in a few months, but it was the greatest tasting beer I’d ever had.
I have still not been able to recreate the experience- possibly because I haven’t been to a place that had the same exact beer… though I keep trying. I do love German-style Marzen beers. I know some people think these are boring, but they’re my favorite.
I lived in Berlin for 14 years - needless to say, every day was a great beer experience.
If you are young and stupid, go to Oktoberfest in Munich (warning, it starts in September and ENDS the first weekend in October) and join in the madness. You will get all kinds of beer on tap that will be similar/better than what you had. Oh, and bring a wad of cash as they charge top dollar. You could go to any of the many beer halls in the city for the same beer, for far less money. Still - Oktoberfest is worth visiting once.
Should you ever get to Las Vegas, they have an exact copy of Hofbrauhaus (directly kitty corner from Hard Rock Hotel/Casino) that is very authentic and they actually fly in kegs of beer from Munich (I don’t want to pay for those air-freight charges!) that is the real deal. A couple of liters of that will set you free and probably send you to bed shortly afterward for a long nap.
I have to say, I thought Oktoberfest was going to be just another overhyped tourist experience, but I was dead wrong. Everything about it surpassed my “best case scenario” expectations. Lots of great food, beer, music, and gemuetlichkeit.
My most vivid memory of a particular beer was the first time I tried Three Floyd’s Dreadnaught, an imperial IPA from nearby Munster, Indiana. My cousin and I were at a bar on a weekend early afternoon in Chicago, when we got curious about this $20 a bomber (22 oz) beer on the menu. It was 2003 or 2004, so $20 a bomber seemed like a lot more back then. Anyhow, we order this strange and expensive beer, and the first thing that I notice is the intense tropical fruit, pine, and citrus smell to it, as it’s being poured. I have never had a beer before that with so much “nose.” You didn’t even need to get near the glass to smell it. This was the most wonderfully fragrant beer I had ever encountered. Then that first sip: an assault of fruity hops, sweet malt, relatively viscous body, and, at 9.5% abv, surprisingly smooth.
That Dreadnaught experience started me on my love for IPAs and IIPAs, although now my beer interests are more towards balanced and middle-of-the-road session type beers. And, of all the IIPAs I’ve had, Dreadnaught is still in my top two (along with Goose Island’s Imperial IPA.)
Perhaps the first time I had a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. I was fully converted to a craft beer lover that day. I had been searching for something bigger, bolder, and a something with a thicker mouthfeel and strength that fit the idea of tough guys swigging tough ALE in a stone room with a fireplace blazing. Found it.
August Schell’s Bockfest is probably the best beer event I’ve been to. They’re the 2nd oldest family owned U.S. brewer after Yuengling, and they’re still operating out of the original brick brewhouse in New Ulm, MN. The brewery is adjacent to a state park, and it’s a full day of polka, hiking through knee-deep snow searching for hidden wooden goats redeemable for prizes, standing around the bonfire, and drinking bock beer that you can have “carmelized” via a red hot poker straight out of the fire.
The finest was probably drinking as many $5 draught Hopslams as I pleased at Chicago’s Map Room and introducing my friends and colleagues to one of the best beers in the world.
Mine occurs annually in late March. I am a regular participator in the BlueBonnet Brewoff in Dallas, Texas which is a large home brewers competition.
On Friday night, micro-brewers from the U.S. and beyond set up booths to let fellow home brewers sample hard-to-find or limited production beers. There is around 30 or so different brewery booths to visit, and most of the booths have a variety of brews to sample. (We are given a 3 oz. sampler glass upon admission to drink from)
Once the micro-brewers sessions ends, we are moved to a separate room where half a dozen or so home brew clubs have their own booths set up to let us try some really exotic brews made specifically for this evening. This session is amazing because of the incredible diversity of brews that are offered. The most notable (but certainly not most favorite) was a maple bacon ale - I was really excited about the infusing of bacon and maple into beer. Though it was certainly different, and I can appreciate a wild recipe, it was nothing near what my mind had hoped for…
I probably sample roughly 60 beers in about 4 hours. It’s a marathon for my palate, but it is definitely the pinnacle of drinking experiences for me every year.
There is a really nice microbrew in Singapore called Archipelago, they have this great open air bar in Little India. I was sitting there trying different beers and writing in my journal, just minding my own business and it turned out that they thought I was some reviewer, they just gave me beer after beer on the house and I sat there getting slowly shit faced. When I left the guy said “I hope you give us a good review!” So I am now.
I like a good Stout. Now I know most of you are thinking Guinness when I mention a good Stout but Guinness is a little too hoppy for my taste. I prefer **Sam Adams Cream Stout **which is hard to find but worth the effort to seek it out. I’d make it my every day beer if it was available at the local grocery store. Redhook used to make a Double Black Stout that was out of this world! Thick, dark, viscuous, and very tasty. It was made with Starbucks coffee. Man, I could drink this stuff for breakfast! Alas, it is no longer being brewed. My heart is broken. (where’s a cryin’ smilie when you need one?)
I will occasionally pick up a 4 pack of Old Rasputin Imperial Stout for a special treat. Wonderful rich, full bodied flavor. But be forewarned - this stuff will knock you on your ass. 9.5%ABV!! That’s probably why it only comes in a 4 pack.
And a tip for those of you who are not familiar with the wonderful world of beer. DO NOT DRINK ICE COLD BEER! Ice cold beer has no flavor. Take the beer from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 -15 minutes. And use a glass. It will pour better (give you a nice longer lasting head), smell better (you’ll get the full aroma of the hops and grains) and, most importantly, taste better.
Maybe I just completely burned out my tastebuds on IPAs, but the hops barely even register for me in a Guinness. Old Rasputin is certainly much hoppier than Guinness Draught. (It has to be to balance all that malt.)
Easy, for me: the first time I tasted Guinness. I was 19 or 20, at a blue-collarish “townie bar” near University of Illinois. Not a bar known for serving underagers, but I was on a date with the bartender’s friend.
I’d had “beer” before, mostly cheap domestic lagers at parties. Nothing I’d ever liked. I blindly ordered a Guinness mostly on a lark, simply having heard it was a good beer and it being one of only a few taps in the bar. Was alarmed by the cream-topped pint of pure black set in front of me.
I remember my first thought when I tasted it being, “oh, this is probably why people like beer.”
Guinness is no longer my favorite beer (but it’s on my shortlist of favorite “common” ones), but I’ll be darned if I can think of any other moment with such an impact.
Oh yeah! Those IPAs are super hoppy. I do enjoy them on a hot summer day though. And you’re right about the malt in the Old Rasputin. That’s probably why I favor it. I must have a sweet tooth. Hence my preference for the sweeter stouts like Sam Adams and Redhook.
Ah, that does make sense. Guinness is certainly dryer than the other stouts you listed. I assume you’ve tried Left Hand Milk Stout, if it’s available in your area? It’s a bit on the sweet side for my tastes, but an excellent milk/cream stout.
Yes, I have had the Left Hand and I do like it. I do all my drinking on the North/Northwest side and there are a good number of microbrews available. Anytime I see a new Stout or Porter I just gotta give it a try. Goose Island and Three Floyds are a little thin but decent. Samuel Smith’s I don’t care for at all. I think it’s the clear galss bottle that turns me off.
So much beer…so little time.
We once stayed in Strasbourg, and on one of our vacation days we crossed the border into Germany to sightsee. We had fun driving around in the black forest, checking out pretty villages.
It was a hot summer day, and soon we were athirst. Every village had a gasthaus which hung out signs advertising the tempting-sounding beer they poured, but every single gasthaus was closed. We drove on and on, looking for an open establishment, but no luck. We finally arrived at the town of Freudenstadt and thank God there was an open tavern serving beer. The beer was Alpirsbacher, and never was there a more nectar-like beer brewed by man. It was a lovely, hoppy-crisp, floral lager which I’ll never taste again unless I go back to Germany.
The waitress seemed nonplussed by our praise of it. She probably thought we were just another couple of beer-swilling American tourists.
Oh, I didn’t realize you were in the Chicago area. I’m surprised you find Goose Island and Three Floyds thin. I suppose that depends which of their stouts you’re having. Goose Island’s Oatmeal stout is a middle-of-the-road dry stout which I could see being described as thin, but any of their other offerings should be more up your alley. Have you ever had their Bourbon County Stout? That is my favorite imperial stout, bar none. Better than the much-hyped and heralded Three Floyd’s Dark Lord.
ETA: Oh, and this might be too late for you, but February is “Stout-uary” at Hackney’s in the South Loop. Plenty of stouts (mostly on the heavy and sweet-ish side) available for sampling there. Also, if you have a sweet tooth, I recommend you trying the baltic porters. Go for Okocim Porter or Zywiec Porter (and make sure it’s the porter you’re getting–the standard Okocim or Zywiec is a lager.)
Damn! I need to get out more. Completely missed Stout-uary. (There’s a “stout-uary rape” joke there but I ain’t touchin’ that with a ten foot pole.)
The Bourbon County sounds excellent. I’ll keep an eye out for it. I’ve had the Okocim lager before. Didn’t know they made a porter. And if I’ve ever had the Zywiec before it was probably because I was shitfaced and thought I was asking for a Schlitz.
Munich. Beer taken to a level I’ve never experience in the US, and I’ve tried them all. You have not had beer (lager) until you’ve had real German beer.
I liken it to the difference between bread, fresh out of the oven and bread that’s hours old. The “freshness” of the beer in and around Munich was a sublime experience.
