Sunday 4 July 2010

The First Time...

The first time I tried beer it was horrible. I was just a boy.

The first time I went to the pub I had a pint of lager.

The first time I got drunk it wasn’t because I had too much lager, it was because I had too much cider.

The first time I tried a dark beer it was too astringent, it was too different.

The first time I tried proper cider it tasted like sour apples and horse shit.

The first time I tried Newcastle Brown Ale I felt cooler. I was cooler.

The first time I tried good cask real ale was a revelation. It was Hobgoblin or Gales HSB.

The first time I tried a hoppy pale ale I didn’t like it. I wanted it to taste like Hobgoblin or HSB.

The first time I had an 8% beer I couldn’t believe how strong it was. Just a half of that one.

The first time I had an imperial stout I couldn’t believe how delicious it was, how big and different.

The first time I had an Innis & Gunn I thought it was the best beer I’d ever tasted.

The first time I tried Orval I didn’t know why it tasted that way.

The first time I tried lambic I was warned: “It’s as flat as a witch’s tit and sour as hell.” That made me want it more. I hated it.

The first time I had Stone Ruination IPA I discovered hops. I discovered I loved them.

The first time I had Drie Fonteinen Gueuze I realised why people love gueuze.

The first time I really enjoyed a saison came as a revelation. See also: wheat beer, lager, US-style barley wine, tripels.

The first time I had a pint of beer seems a long time ago now.

5 comments:

  1. Good post, am familiar with a lot of that. First time I tried Stone Ruination I thought it was insanely over the top. Im still not a fan of propper cider. An I first got drunk on tiny bottles of French supermarket lager at home, the stuff is rank.

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  2. The first time I blogged about beer I realised that this was a seriously enjoyable way to get involved and give something bak to people. And the first time I realised there were a lot of us out there that felt the same way, I raised a glass in cheer.

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  3. "The first time I had a pint of beer seems a long time ago"

    The first time I had a pint of beer WAS a long time ago! (-;

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  4. I didn't like beer a long, long, long time ago.

    Sometimes I wish I could go back to being an age where beer didn't do it for me.

    However, at least I have beer. I like every good beer, and some that aren't that good too.

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  5. I can remember my first pint of cask beer, but then it was a bit of a religious experience.

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