Several ones were really game changing to me and made me appreciate a previously unknown/ under appreciated style: - Franziskaner for weissbiers - Westy 8 for Belgian strong ales - Founders double trouble for DIPAs - FBS for stouts - Nogne imperial stout for RIS - Fou Foune for lambic - Preety Things Once Upon a Time KK for BIPAs - JP Madrugada Obscura for sour stouts These were not necessarily best in style but definitely impressed me enough to change my perception of said styles.
Here are a few that come to mind and in no particular "ah-ha" order: Heady Topper Old Dominion Millennium - aged 7 years PtE Cafe Royale Ten Fidy
Came here to mention that as well, great beer. Others I thought were excellent: Duet BA Darklord (Cognac De Muerte, Bourbon Vanilla) Fou Foune Furious Choklat Stone 15th, Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout & Enjoy By Grey Monday
PTE Mountain Standard Cuvée des Jacobins Sang Royal Sang Noir Apis IV These are just a few that blew me away the first time I had them!
I would say these are the beers that I actually said "wow" after sipping the first time, either because it was something I had never experienced from a beer before, it opened my eyes to a style or it took a style that I thought I knew to a whole different level. Arrogant Bastard BCBS La Chouffe Fantome Saison Heady Topper ...in that order
There are too many but one that totally hit most recently was Jacks Abby bourbon barrel Framinghammer. It may be bottled soon for the first time.
how about the new 3beans from sixpoint........ I am drinking it for the first time right now....... and damn, its good!
I forgot the first time I had Cuvee de Tomme. That was time I had a dark fruited sour and it was great.
'12 founders harvest. got 1 as a trade. assumed i was trading for a pack. cannot wait for next year. gonna start pretrading in july
Blind Pig, Ten Fidy, Anchor Porter, Supplication, St. Bernardus Abt 12, Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale. I wish I could go back in time and revisit those beautiful first sips.
Arrogant Bastard Backwoods Bastard Edmund Fitzgerald Heady Topper Breakfast Stout No particular order, but these beers all had me dying for another sip the first time I had them.
CBS Society and Solitude #5 Heady Topper I'm sure there's others I could put, but these three jumped to mind first.
CBS Imperial Biscotti Break RR Supplication Ballast Point Victory at Sea Flying Dog Kujo on Nitro. By no means are some of these the best beers ive had, but they're all ones that when I took that first sip on tap, I said to myself, "holy shit, this is tasty!".
I generally prefer stouts, but I'm drinking my first Lagunitas Sucks right now, and I am amazed at how well-balanced it is. I really liked Nugget Nectar, but I love this beer. I have to tread lightly, because it would be easy to knock three or four back before I knew what hit me.
The ones that blew me away within the last year are: FW Parabola - The best stout I have ever tried Alpine Nelson - The nose, the taste was simply epic Kern River Just Outstanding - blew my mind good FW Wookey Jack - Hands down the greatest Black IPA I have ever tried Alpine Duet - In my opinion, almost as good as Just Outstanding Backwoods Bastard - amazing
Hairy Eyeball Heady Topper Founders Breakfast Stout Utopias Celebrator Doppelbock Victory St. Boisterous Just to name a few...
I'm going to have to go with Bitter Monk. I knew it was going to be good, but I had no idea it was going to be legendary.
I love seeing your list knowingI have ancorage porter and ten fidy in my fridge. Cant wait to try them.
Le Terroir I had no idea what it was and wasn't into New Belgium at the time. That was a wonderful beer that seriously changed my views on the brewery and beer in general.
Narke Kaggen! Stormaktsporter. Cascade Kriek Fantome La Dalmatienne Pilsner Urquell Smithwick's Hopslam Alpine Exponential Hoppiness Odell Friek (2011) Bell's Kalamazoo Stout Westvleteren 12 Rochefort 8 Black Damnation II - Mocha Bomb Pannepot Grand Reserva Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel Sculpin
Lots of East coast picks.... A few that made me panic they were so good...: Avery Tweak Avery Rumpkin Achel Bruin Extra Dark Lord Angel Share Red Poppey Westvleteren 12 Odell Myrcenary Utopias (More for the shock value than anything) Espresso Yeti
Rochefort 8 Pliny the Elder Gavroche Allagash Curieux Uerige Sticke Alt Hill Farmstead Ephraim La Trappe Dubbel
Lucky! Either one of them sounds great right now. But hey I have Lagunitas Sucks and Maui Coconut Porter in my fridge right now so I can't complain.
I'm still a rookie but so far; St Bernardus ABT 12 Stone Smoked Porter Skull Splitter Maredsous 10 Old Chub
Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Doppelbock Hill Farmstead Society and Solitude #4 Hill Farmstead Everett Porter Cantillon Fou' Foune Duet IPA Rodenbach... just about anything
Personally, I like ones that toss my salad. I'd probably have to go with Apple Brandy Barrel Hunie, Hunie, Vanilla Bean Dark Lord, BA Dark Lord (Cognac), Vlad The Imp Aler, 06-10 BCBS, Rare BCBS, Westy 12 (at In De Verde), East End Gratitude (Orange Wax), Surly 5, Black Tuesday, BA Church on the Hill, Beatification Batch 5 and Heady Topper
Dark Horse bourbon barrel plead the 5th Founder's Imperial Stout Founder's Backwoods Bastard Short's Cup a Joe Short's the Woodmaster Bells Blacknote Stout Hopslam Zoe I can still distinctly remember how great each of these beers tasted even though I have not had some of them in over a year.
I swear I sound like a broken record on this site.... cherry rye bcbs I promise. I drink PLENTY of beers besides bourbon county. But my palate is mainly tickled by BC. Cherry rye was so good that I felt like I was visiting another dimension... and bcbs, which I tried before cherry rye, was so good that I left my family in the living room to bond with my beer alone in the bedroom.
