My first taste of beer was probably a Blatz, 
that’s what I remember being in the house as a kid, and there’s also a picture of me as a toddler that features a can...
My first beer of choice when I was able to choose was Stroh’s. Stroh’s was brewed in Detroit, Stroh’s is what my high school friend Paul’s family would buy in long-neck bottles by the case, Stroh’s even brewed a Bock beer seasonally. Stroh’s Bock was a more flavorful darker beer and back then the word was it came from cleaning the vats in the spring, I have learned different since, but it was my first exposure to a “specialty” brew. I don’t remember my Dad ever drinking a Stroh’s but here’s a picture of him doing so, it was taken before I was born.
Another beer of choice I remember is the Schlitz “Tall Boy”,
it was the cheapest, biggest single can you could buy, so it was popular during my senior year of high school, back when the drinking age was 18. Many different brews were sampled when I went away to college, favorites were Löwenbräu Dark and Labatts 50.
Through my college and young adult years Canadian beers were preferred, Labatts, Molson and Upper Canada. I discovered Upper Canada Beers while visiting my wife’s relatives in Ontario and I would bring home an assortment of as much as customs would allow, Publican Ale was my favorite.
One of my first exposures to a quality domestic micro-brew was Christian Moerlein Beer and I’ve been hooked on them ever since. I try most new micro-brews I find, beer is like food … you don’t eat just chicken, you don’t eat just beef … you try different things, and my favorite breweries are the ones who like to experiment.
I’ve found that some of the best beers are brewed locally, it’s hard to beat Michigan brews from Bell’s Brewery, Short’s Brewing Co. and Founders Brewery. Some favorites from each are:
Hopslam Ale – Bell’s Brewery-An Imperial/Double IPA brewed with honey.
The Liberator – Short’s Brewery-A Double IPA with compliments of fresh lemon and orange zest.
Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) - Founders Brewery-An Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and chocolates then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year.
The most recent beer I’ve tried is from a recipe derived from early civilization, it’s called Theobroma which is brewed by Dogfish Head Brewery. It utilized cocoa in its flavoring and proved to be a very enjoyable beverage. My latest purchase that is chilling and I’m looking forward to sampling is Dogfish Head’s “Red & White”, a “Belgian-style white beer with the robust complexity of a bold red wine”… and in the future look forward to a jazzy “Bitches Brew”.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
A couple good beer blogs:
guys drinking beer
the drunken polack
.
.
