Sam Adams Boston Lager still thrills me in a glass. That may sound weird, but that beer was my first introduction to a beer that wasn't a mass produced, pale colored Budmillercoors. And it was in Boston, at Faneuil Hall Market at an outdoor section of a bar. I was in town there for a wedding, and we decided to try this beer advertised on the table tents. It was 1988 or 89. The waitress brought them out and poured. It was a revelation to see it, and the wonder continued when I tasted it. There was no going back.
I still come back to Sam Adams. It's a go-to beer, and pouring it brings me back to that spring day at Faneuil Hall.