[andyi]

1974 Wisconsin legal age was 18 - Leinenkugel Red, (Big Eddie Springs - Bury me in Chippewa Falls)
1974 Illinois legal age was 21 - Drinking PBR out in the farm fields

[In The Sand]

Along with others, in my formative years I drank bud products and corona when I wanted to splurge. About 3 years or so ago I had Sweetwater's IPA and 420 and Motorboat. Since then I have not drank bud products, only craft beer. Then, as someone else mentioned, I got ahold of a two-hearted ale. I was sold.

Then about 8 months ago I had a couple of beers my friend had brewed and I remember thinking "Holy sh**, I could be brewing my own beer and drinking whatever I want!"  That started the rapid, unstoppable move to build my home brewery.  Thanks Justin!

[redbeerman]

My roomates homebrew "Young Turkey" was my first foray into homebrewing.  It was pretty darn good.  And Weinhards Private Reserve, too.  We're talking 1977 Boulder, CO.

[liquidbrewing]

Along with others, in my formative years I drank bud products and corona when I wanted to splurge. About 3 years or so ago I had Sweetwater's IPA and 420 and Motorboat. Since then I have not drank bud products, only craft beer. Then, as someone else mentioned, I got ahold of a two-hearted ale. I was sold.

Then about 8 months ago I had a couple of beers my friend had brewed and I remember thinking "Holy sh**, I could be brewing my own beer and drinking whatever I want!"  That started the rapid, unstoppable move to build my home brewery.  Thanks Justin!

You got it buddy! 

[Slowbrew]

I'll admit that one of the things that got me to finally me buy my first kit was "if my mechanically challenged oldest brother could brew decent beer, I can do better".  8^)

I was right too.

Paul

[theDarkSide]

I was always ahead of the curve.  In high school, I drank Michelob Light, while everyone else was drinking Budweiser. 

In college at UVM, we would drink Molson Brador - 6 % ( Canada was only about 45 minutes from school ), although we downed our share of Stroh's 30 packs and stuff we called Hiney Wine, which was a Bartel and James wine cooler ( $12 a case but the next morning made you feel like you had open heart surgery and they forgot to put the heart back in).

After college, Sam Adams ( mostly Boston Lager ) was my beer of choice, and it's been uphill from there.

[hopfenundmalz]

After yellow fizz water in college, Ballantine IPA was a shock go the senses. 1974.

[pinnah]

Northern California gateway. 
I recall Steelhead extra pale and the Sierra Nevada lineup (pale, porter, Bigfoot) as really getting me headed in a different direction from my Banquet Beer roots.

[ibru]

Grant's Scottish Ale and Imperial Stout in the mid 80's.

[morticaixavier]

[...]Hiney Wine[...]

you can find it in the finer stores, right between the buns!

I used to hear those hiney wine commercials driving to school in the morning.

[ibru]

Hiney wine in a can. Saw a Hiney bumper sticker. It read "I love Hiney" with the heart, only the heart was upside down to look like a "Hiney". Funny stuff.

[jlo]

In Minnesota 1995-2010 Zima --> Cold Spring --> Heineken --> Guinness --> Saint Paulie Girl -->  Summit ESB --> Surly Furious --> Drink and Brew Anything

I never really liked the fizzy yellow stuff. I just drank more wine and spirits and less beer back then.  Now I'm all in.

[Herminator]

Growing up in Michigan it was Bell's Oberon but I drank that not because it was an awesome beer but because that is what people in Michigan do in the spring and summer.  I would have to say my gateway was during my graduate degree years in Buffalo being introduced to Flying Bison Oatmeal Stout and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald.  Two beers that changed my life...for the better. 

I have come a long way since my years of drinking red dog and budwiser select. 

[punatic]

I was always ahead of the curve.  In high school, I drank Michelob Light, while everyone else was drinking Budweiser. 

You scamp you!  How daring!

[brewlikeamonkey]

Use to drink a lot of Leinenkugel's beers which at least exposed me to several different styles that I enjoyed.  The eye opener though was one day at a swanky restaurant with my wife.  I accidentally ordered a Three Philosophers and when it got to the table I was like "beer with cherry, gross."  Well after 2 of them, my life was changed, and I was nearly unconscious.