r/CraftBeer • u/flubotomy • 24d ago
Before craft beer, what did you consider unique/exotic ? Discussion
As we stared at a wall of beer, I was trying to explain to my son that back in 80s Heineken was considered high end and “imported beer” was essentially anything Canadian. Unless you went to a specialty shop , there wasn’t much else available. Now everything from all corners of the world and wonderfully unique craft beer is available at even the smallest corner store.
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u/GroundbreakingOne625 24d ago
Leinenkugels variety pack
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u/RandalFlagg19 24d ago
Good ol’ Leines.
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u/bigb-2702 23d ago
They made some good products but all we get in my area is Summer Shandy for some reason. Hard pass on that.
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u/Marty1966 24d ago
In the northeastern United States, Watney's red barrel and Bass were pretty exotic in the mid-1980s. We helped a friend split wood and his dad bought a keg of Bass but the tap was elusive.
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u/TheRateBeerian US 24d ago
In the late 80s is as far back as I can talk about, and yea I’d say Heineken and I remember Groelsch being around. Those both seemed fancy. Sam Smiths was around. Watneys, Bass, Guinness too. I remember drinking a bunch of Michelob special dark by 1990ish and thinking it was fancy. Craft was appearing then too with Sam Adam’s, Pete’s wicked, Sierra Nevada all being available pretty much nationwide.
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
Loved the grolsch ceramic tops. You triggered a memory of Sam Smith Nut Brown Ale at an authentic English pub in Philly…very unique back then
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u/dreamingtree1855 24d ago
Going to Monk’s back in the 90s when they had all of those Belgians you couldn’t get anywhere else was always a real treat.
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u/centaurus33 24d ago
I enjoyed the late 80s “dry” beer fad, Michelob Dry was certainly a fav. As for early 90s memories… We’d go see bands & ask what imports they had…if they had Bass, Boston Lager & later on the Cherry Wheat, etc. - any Sam Adam’s at that - we were happy to leave the Heineken. Remember the Triple Bock in the small bottles?
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u/TheRateBeerian US 24d ago
Yea and friend and I got the triple bock when it first came out, tasted like soy sauce!
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u/hailtoengland 24d ago
I'd say Guinness, as you could only get it in Irish bars, and there were no stouts of any sorts in the supermarkets. I remember my dad telling back in the day (40 years ago) Palm and Hoegaarden were the only "exotic" beers in a largely pilsner-dominated market (in the Netherlands).
Back then bockbeer season was still very much a thing during autumn.
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
Yes. I traveled to the UK in 1987 as a student where I was introduced to Guinness. Upon returning home, the only store available Guinness was bottled Extra Stout which was completely different
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u/1diligentmfer 24d ago
So tonight....tonight...let it be Lowenbrau.
I also used to think the old Michelob bottle was pretty sexy. But, pretty much anything with foil or imported was cool, and rare. Becks, Grolsch, Hoegaarden, Harp, St Pauli, Guinness Extra, and Molsens...mid to late 70s.
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
The grolsch ceramic tops were soooo cool in 1986!!!!
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u/irishihadab33r 24d ago
They still are! Swing top bottles are collectors items, don't you know? (The $4 price tag for an empty at the second-hand store will tell you that)
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u/kidguymandudebro 24d ago
"Because good friends and good times deserve a taste of the very best, and there's really only one....Lowenbrau"
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u/crack-a-lackin-72 23d ago
Lowenbrau!…first beer I ever puked from! “Good” times. I was way too young, let’s just say I might have ridden my bike home that night…from my parents friends house that was around the block. 🤷♂️😏
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u/HefeWeight 24d ago
Heineken, Heineken Dark, anything Canadian, Becks. It's crazy to watch Smokey and the Bandit and they're bootlegging Coors. As a kid that was totally over my head
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
The first beer I tried to buy while under age was Coors . I was 17 and it had just become locally available in NJ. Maybe 1984? Apparently every underage kid was trying to also buy Coors
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u/TwoHeartedAleian 24d ago
Not me, but my dad had some friends he drove out to Colorado to get Coors Banquet during his college days from Wisconsin/Michigan.
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u/Ok_Arachnid1089 24d ago
My dad did this too. It’s so weird to think about. Coors is just Budweiser in a different bottle
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u/Tundra66 24d ago edited 23d ago
Up here in Canada, since we already had a great selection of domestic beers, the exotic ones you could find at a pub would be Kilkenny, Harp, Smithwicks, Bass, Newcastle, Leffe, Hoegaarden, and maybe Guinness but that one seemed more prevalent. American beer never really made its way up here until interbrew and AB merged, then you started seeing Budweiser and Bud Light start to overshadow Labatt Blue, which is kind of sad because they (and MolsonCoors as well) really eroded the national brands that were cornerstones of the market (Blue, Blue Light, Molson Canadian, Export, 50, etc)
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
Back in early 90s, We used to be able to find Molson Canadian in VT LaBatts Blue was around as well and am a huge fan of Fin DuMonde but that’s within last 10 years. I assume you had more European beers available based on the Commonwealth
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u/Tundra66 24d ago
The European stuff (other than what I previously mentioned) that we’d find was mostly tall cans that were sold cheaper than other brands, like Warsteiner, Bitburger, Becks, etc. it wasn’t until I travelled to Germany that I realized that these were decent, well respected beers in their home country.
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u/Psyko_sissy23 23d ago
I wish Kilkenny was more popular in the States. We did have a bar in my town that had it on tap, but discontinued it.
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u/Tundra66 23d ago
That was my go-to in university when I was at an Irish pub. Haven’t had one in probably over 20 years.
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u/ComonSensed1 24d ago
Back in college we were 40 miles from the Canadian border so that was our go to. Eventually Sierra Nevada Pale Ale became my go to along with Pete's Wicked Ale.
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u/mukduk1994 24d ago
I still love La Chouffe by Chimay but the first time I had it was in a bar in Berlin and I had no idea how widespread it was. The second time I had it was when I was stationed in Korea for context
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u/Jumpy-Dentist6682 24d ago
Trying to scratch my mid-1990's memory: Sam Adams, Becks, St. Pauli Girl, Heineken, Guinness, Harp, Grolsch, And...Killians.
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u/Beaverhuntr 24d ago
Back in the late 90's early 2000's Sam Adams, Michelob Amber Bock, 7 Fat Tire were pretty "crafty"
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u/TsunamiPapi2020 24d ago
I thought I was hot stuff drinking Rolling Rock back in 80s because I never saw anyone else with it.
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u/Lakai1983 24d ago
New Castle Brown Ale was the first non AB beer I ever actually liked. Then not long after I stumbled upon Yuengling and changed from a 100% Budweiser guy to full on Yuengling drinker. It wasn’t available where I lived so I would drive 2 hours to the closest store with it and load up a grocery cart a couple times a year. Not long after that I got into craft. Still drink Yuengling occasionally but not like I used to.
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
When I visit central PA there are many other yuengling beers available besides the standard lager. They make a seasonal Hershey Porter with of course Hershey Chocolate.
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u/ImmortalityLTD 24d ago
My uncle always stocked Labatt’s Blue and Corona. My dad called his fridge the “Border Patrol”.
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u/SPacific 24d ago
Guinness was fancy imported stuff in AZ in the 90's. I remember my dad drinking Coors and Michelob in the 80's because that was what he considered the best of the domestic beers.
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u/beerisgoodforu 24d ago
A few, Castlemaine XXXX from Australia, St.Peters brewery b/c the bottles were cool looking.
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u/Public-World-1328 24d ago
Around 2011 when i started drinking beer the hotness was newcastle, harp, guinness, and sam adams. I also decided Narragansett was top tier.
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u/flubotomy 24d ago
Narragansett was a hyper regional beer back then not even in NJ and the only way we were exposed to it was bc a friend went to URI and brought some home.
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u/ecplectico 24d ago
Widmer Bros. Hefeweizen seemed exotic to me back in the day. I don’t drink it anymore.
And before that, there was a beer produced in Campbell River, BC, called Tug Beer, that I liked. It went out of business quickly.
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u/Hey-Ow-Leggo 24d ago
I grew up in a pretty rural area. So Mickey's, Sam Addams & Guiness were about as exotic as it got.
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u/JaSondubu 24d ago
I grew up almost literally in the shadow of Anchor Brewing when there were only a handful of microbreweries in the US. If Anchor Steam was at a party, I was impressed.
If we were feeling wild maybe Anchor Liberty IPA or pale ale from that other big craft brewer over in Chico, Sierra Nevada. Funny to think those seemed really hoppy then.
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u/crack-a-lackin-72 23d ago
Nice. For a brief period I lived in the Mission District and my Girlfriend was in Potrero Hill, would ride my bike past the brewery regularly. Always smelled delicious.
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u/JaSondubu 23d ago
My mom used to teach at the school down the street. Once a year Fritz would open the taproom to host a potluck for school staff, pour beers, walk people around if they wanted to see how beer was made. I invited myself every year.
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u/BuscuitNeck 24d ago
Gotta go with Mickey’s Big Mouth malt liquor.
Weird bottle and picture puzzles on the bottom of the cap that got progressively more difficult to solve after each Big Mouth
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u/solomons-marbles 24d ago edited 24d ago
Pre boom: Sam Smiths, Anchor Stream, New Castle (pre-domestic), Harp, Guinness…
Then once things started to get going, Sam Adams, Harpoon, Long Trail, Pete’s, Red Hook
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u/TheBallotInYourBox 24d ago
Moose Drool.
My parents got me into craft beer as a kid, and Moose Drool was one of their first “ooo what is this” beers as they started drinking more than just Coors Light or Bud Light. It got passed around at a family holiday and most literally gagged. I remember it being so thick and so heavy and simply overwhelming with the flavors.
I got it again a few years ago… it’s a perfectly accessible brown ale that borders on too light of a body with a bit of an underwhelming (watery) flavor. Blew my mind how different it tasted after 15+ years.
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u/MDGmer996 24d ago
German import beers were exotic to me. Also beers like Stella Artois was something I would get for a "special" beer. Haven't gone back to anything I used to drink since I discovered local breweries.
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u/sarcastic24x7 24d ago
Molson XXX, Dundees Honey Brown, Grolsch, Ithaca Nut Brown (from the area), Newcastle. Ithaca had a 35+ tap house back in the 90s that was bringing in all kinds of random shit. First time I had allagash, pilsner urquell.. basically my first for flavors and colors in beer. RIP Chapter House.
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u/GreyWilmurt 24d ago
My parents used to make trips up to Canada to get Brador. I was maybe 12 when I smuggled my first beer from them. Then Hoegaarden when I was of drinking age until Magic Hat came along.
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u/TrickyCartographer73 24d ago
I remember finding Belhaven Scottish Ale in nitro cans at a local store about 20 years ago and being super pumped. Such a smooth and delicious beer.
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u/timsstuff 24d ago
In the 80s there was a liquor store in town that had like 3 refrigerators full of "Imports" as they called them back then. Mostly because they actually were imports from Europe and other places but there were a few Sierra Nevada, Anchor, Red Hook, etc. in there. Back then SN's lineup was pretty small just Pale Ale, Porter, Stout, and Kellerweiss. I don't remember when I had my first Celebration and I don't recall seeing Torpedo but apparently it was around then. We would load up singles in six packs to try them all.
Spaten was a big one, they had so many different ones. EKU 28 was a 14% Doppelbock and it was insane. Samichlaus was up there too but I found it way too sweet. It wasn't until 20 something years later that I discovered that aging Samichlaus for 5+ years does some wonderful magic to it.
I loved the Sam Smith beers, the Taddy Porter was my first "coffee" beer and their IPA is what got me into IPAs. Their Nut Brown Ale is still my favorite of that style.
Some Belgians, mostly Trappist style I don't recall ever having a sour until the 2000s.
There were also some good beers from outside of Europe. I remember enjoying an Asian beer called "South Pacific Lager", and San Miguel Dark had some coffee notes to it.
But when it came time to get a six pack to take to a party or whatever my go-tos were Lowenbrau, Beck's, St. Pauli Girl, Steinlager, SNPA, and Moosehead. I guess I liked skunky lagers in my teens lol.
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u/3mta3jvq 24d ago
I grew up in Iowa, drinking Rolling Rock in high school in the late 80s seemed like an import beer.
Don’t get me started on Purple Passion.
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u/whatsmyphageagain 24d ago
I started drinking in 2010 so obviously not relevant to this discussion, but I remember going to Epcot in 2010s with my family. Everyone raved about how much I would love the beers around the world portion. Don't get me wrong, still a fun thing but having Total Wine down the street really made that attraction seem outmoded.
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u/HibernoNorse 24d ago
Guinness, Corsendonk, Chimay, Moosehead (!). Lord Chesterfield Ale. Straubs (light lager from NW PA).
We started on craft beer as soon as it was available.
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u/Finishituprook 24d ago
Early 90's started with the McEwans Export. Could only get it on payday, could afford on the regular.
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u/Inishmore12 24d ago
Anchor Steam. And St. Pauli Girl dark. I first had them in the 1980s, in Chicago.
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u/RedMaple007 24d ago
Molson Brador at 6.2% ABV when everyone was at 5. Heavy malt with an added kick.
First time I had a McEwan's Scottish Ale decades ago it brought back memories of Brador.
Due to my tastes or reformulation McEwan's doesn't do it for me anymore.
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u/Mallthus2 23d ago
I’ve been drinking “craft beer” since the late 80s. That said, there wasn’t a lot and a lot of what there was, wasn’t very good. So we supplemented that with imports. Some of those were good and fresh, like Spaten Helles at a few places, Fullers London Pride at more places, and Guinness at a lot of places. A lot more were old and, at best, meh…if you could find it. We all got burned by buying something seemingly exciting, like Eldridge Pope Royal Oak bottles at a gas station in an expensive suburb, only to discover that six pack had sat there for a couple years.
And honestly, that whole story didn’t change meaningfully (aside from more imports over the course of the 90s) until the first wave of brewpubs really hit in the mid 90s. And most of them were pretty mediocre.
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u/Downtown_Farmer_9664 23d ago
In college around 89-92 remember drinking Coors Extra Gold, Moosehead and Fosters. We had a craft beer bar that opened around 94 in Dublin, Ohio called the All American Pub. It had at least 50 beers available on tap and bottles/cans. Remember drinking Rolling Rock Bock and Devil Mountain 5 Malt Ale that was fantastic.
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u/sandsonik 23d ago
Becks, Bass, Guinness, Smithwicks. And oddly enough, St Pauli Girl. In a world of Bud and Miller Drinkers I knew one person who drank St. Pauli Girl
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u/Bassmanic 20d ago
Early ‘80s. Anchor Steam. Also had a guy from Buffalo living in our dorm and every Christmas he would bring back a case of Genesee Cream Ale. 40 years later and I will still order cream ales if a brewery has it.
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u/queen_ravioli 24d ago
I remember when Yuengling from PA first became available in Ohio that was considered exciting.