The first craft beer I had was a Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA.
My step-father had hosted an event during the previous weekend and a friend of the family left some beer in the fridge. He asked me to bring him a couple at the grill and I had my first taste of legit IPA. To say it knocked my palate on its ass is an understatement. Bitter . . . but with a flavor component that I dove into. Ahhhh, memories. Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to take a roll back through a few beers on the Flying Dog roster to see how they compare with my current tastes.
Golden orange, light head, and the nose is definitely on the 'earthy/mulch' side of a hop smell vs. crazy citrus or floral. Taste is a medium-shot of hop flavor, kind of creamy in the body, and with an expected bitter grapefruit finish. I have to say, this is better than run-of-the-mill, but this is nowhere near the monster I remember. Ten years is a piece of time to move through, so it's not surprising that opinions and taste patterns have changed with experience. Red wine was like that for me - the first time I tried it, my taste buds couldn't take it. A few years down the road, and it's not a problem.
I hold a spot in my memory for this beer. I simply never had an idea that beer could be like this. In hindsight, it's not such a bad thing to have waited that long - the odds of me being able to handle this stuff back then? I'm thinking, "very, very low."
Anyone else remember the first craft beer they tried?
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