I was 4 or 5 when I remember tasting beer for the first time. The story goes that my Dad would give each of his children a sip when we’d reach our first birthdays,however I don’t remember that.
Dad had hosted a party the night before. I remember hearing all the noise. My brothers and I were supposed to be asleep,but how can a kid sleep when it seems like everyone is having fun,and us kids are being kept away from it?
The next morning,things were quiet at the house. I was the first person in the household to wake up . I knew there were goodies provided at the party,and one could only hope there might be a few leftovers either left out or in the refridgerator,so I immediately headed downstairs from my bedroom.
What I encountered were lots of empty cans. Schlitz cans. Some cans were smashed,but some were upright,and from checking some of the cans out,some had plenty of Schlitz left in them.. I had tasted soda out of cans,and I liked soda,so maybe there was something to beer?
I took a sip out of one of the cans,then another sip from another can. The only cans I didn’t like were the cans where I tasted cigarette butts too.
This stuff was amazing and something I shouldn’t keep to myself..Ran back upstairs.
“ Howie! You have to come downstairs and try this beer! It’s GOOD!”
Maybe I should not have been so loud ‘cause Howie and I never got back downstairs Mom and Dad woke up fast and banned us to our rooms just like at the party.
There was about a 12 year hiatus between that beer and my next one,but the hiatus was broken with the very same beer sampled that morning.
Happy National Beer Day.
