Well, I'm a relatively new craft brew drinker. I do still drink swill, but thank my lucky stars for a former supervisor. We were at a training conference in Nashville, Tn. and he talked me into a black and tan at the Flying Saucer. I was skeptical at first, having only had nasty beers up until that point. Luckily, I've progressed a bit and will continue my quest for the perfect brew. That happened in '01 or '02. After that, I learned to homebrew and the rest, as they say, is history. By the way, my first truly good beer was enjoyed at the age of 38. Sad...really sad.

When I was younger my dad would try micros at restaraunts and I would try it and usually liked it. However, I still bought macroswill for a couple years of college. My first eye opening experience was trying Boulevard Bully! Porter on tap when I was 21. I loved the stuff. Then I started buying beer like Anchor Steam and Redhook ESB for drinking at home. A boss bought me a card where I could get one free a week at a local brewpub, I learned a lot there. Then, after a beer festival I looked for good beer online and found ratebeer. It's been all downhill since.

I always hated beer. I couldn't stand the way it tasted at all, and would only drink hard liqour. One day I was at a friends house, when I lived in Colorado, and he asked me to grab a beer for him while I was getting something for myself. I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was some kind of Honey Brown beer from a local brewery. I had never really paid attention to micros, thinking that all beer was pretty much the same (I had only tried BMC products), but I was curious and gave it a try. I was surprised how good it was, so I started trying micros. That was ten years ago, and and I haven't looked back since.

i got into craft brews as soon as craft brews got into me. I didnt really used to like beer much at all, drinkin what everyone else seemed to enjoy pounding down.........I got started with german Hefe-weizen and lately i've bascally been trying differnt micros from around the country......... My body doesnt really let me get drunk anyway so there's a limit and I go for Taste.

I started out drinking **** like Killian's in College, then went to Newcastle and Guiness. After a few years of drinking that stuff I bought a book of beer ratings (can't remember the name now) and starting buying and trying the highest rated beers in that book. All hell broke loose a few months later when I found Ratebeer. I think I was about 27 when I really started to get into craft brews.

I have liked trying different brews since I began drinking. It really developed into a hobby since I found beer pal. That has lead me to beer nerdom.

quote: Originally posted by Upstate Dave I have liked trying different brews since I began drinking. It really developed into a hobby since I found beer pal. That has lead me to beer nerdom.

quote: Originally posted by Timmyk77 Sorry if this has been asked in a previous forum, but I was just curious how everyone got in to micro and craft brews. I feel like I got in to this at a late age (27), and I was never really exposed to it until recently. How I got in to it was I worked with Dansting who talked a lot about micro brews and how crappy Bud and other macro beers are. He even started a guys night out kind of thing where he took people out to local brewpubs once a month. I really didn't get into it though until Dansting let me go along on "Beer Trip" and we tried 12 breweries in five days. I'm almost to the point of obsession now, and I love it.

It's all good. I didnt' start seriously until I was 25. A new friend of mine is 50 and has been into craft beer less than a year. His son got him started after a trip to Germany. He kept telling his dad stories of all the great beers he tried. Better late than never!

quote: Originally posted by aabrewer318 i got into craft brews as soon as craft brews got into me.