O Canada

Do you have one of those beers, that may not be the best tasting one but for some reason strikes a chord deep within your soul? Perhaps it was the first beer you ever truly enjoyed, or the beer you were drinking during your first Metallica concert.
I went to college for a year in the hinterland known as "The North Country", the northenmost part of New York that borders Canada. Being so close to our mild-mannered friends to the north, a large variety of Canadian beers was available to a wide-eyed young pup looking to expand his horizons.
I never liked beer much at that point, having mostly just drank Bud and Milwaukee's Best from kegs. My preferred alcoholic drink of choice was, of all things, blackberry brandy (Ah, the travails of youth)
But much like we owe the Canucks a debt of gratitude for giving us The Tragically Hip, I must also acknowledge their role in my beer awakening. Being so close to Canada, there were a staggering variety of Molson, the iconic brewery of Canada, to choose from; I had only seen the regular, standard issue Molson, and not that often, in New York. But this was like a Molson menagerie.
And there was one in particular that tasted better than any beer I'd had before: Molson Red Jack. The amber color, the crisp, malty finish. In my limited capacity of experience, I had never tasted anything like it before.
Does Molson even make Red Jack anymore? I didn't see a mention of it on their Web site. Would I even like it if I tasted it now? Who knows, it was probably just a run-of-the-mill amber ale.
But I'll always hold a dear place in my heart for Red Jack, for it began opening my eyes to a larger world, and initiated a life long journey.