Beloved beers whose recipe continues to evolve

Sixpoint changed the recipe of Hi-Res this year and I prefer the 2014 version. This year the hop flavor seems more subdued and just doesn't give me the wow factor that it did last year.

 

Paging @Sixpoint

Cheers!

 

@Sixpoint is constantly changing/ tweaking their beers. I agree with your sentiments about Hi-Res, but I think they mostly tweak for the better - like with Bengali.

Honestly, most craft brewers probably tweak their recipes on an ongoing basis, until they have been brewing the same beer for enough years, at a high enough volume, to be able to achieve better consistency with a product they are sure of - like with SN Pale Ale or SA Boston Lager.

 

It is our belief at Sixpoint that we must always formulate ahead of the curve. When you make changes, you may lose people along the way, just as Apple did when they decided to get rid of their optical drive, or stop using Flash on the iPad. But we stand by our decisions.

We wholeheartedly believe the 2015 Hi-Res is not necessarily "superior" to the 2014 version, but it is the most relevant, appropriate, and best incarnation for our current fans. The beer industry is constantly changing, and we want to be surfing on the cusp of that change.

The same can be said of our core beers, which be believe the data shows that customers appreciate our subtle changes over time.

As always, we welcome your feedback!

 

Sixpoint Bengali comes to mind.

 

The most obvious one to me (and consequently a beer that is not only my avatar, but also a thread I recently started here) is Navaja by Half Acre. A couple years back I first had it, and it instantly became my favorite DIPA. However, they brew it differently every (or almost every) time, and sometimes drastically so (different hop types, etc.). The latest version is again fantastic, but slightly different than the one I initially loved (this one has prominent citra hops, the other did not).

 

The revival Ballantine India Pale Ale as compared to the one last brewed in the 1990's, which in turn used different hops to the beer in the 70's, and so forth down the line.

 

I heard ticking beers was like Pokemon for adults but this just takes it to another level!

(a wild ale appears!)

 

Project Dank from La Cumbre changes with every batch, both to experiment and presumably to continue tweaking for the better. I also have tasted some Elevated lately that tastes better than I remember (on a beer I rated 4.7 at that) and has me thinking that they are continuing to improve this beer too.

 

Isn't Stone's Vertical Epic literally a different beer every year? (just bein cheeky)

 

Hasn't been made since 12/12/12. And the last one was pretty horrible. Too heavy on Christmas spices. If it's not some kind of a hop bomb, Stone fails at it every time.

 

I liked it more this year! So did most people I have spoken with about it. Thanks - @Sixpoint !!

 

Oh c'mon, Xocoveza says hello! Their stouts are pretty decent as well. I get what you're saying though, they do a lot of weird stuff, and some works, and some doesn't.

 

yes, feedback across the board has been mostly solid and positive!

 

I agree! Stone shouldn't attempt Belgian Styles at all.

 

Ummm . . .

 

Yum! Almost every time. The regular and espresso versions are outstanding. My apologies.

 

AB's Budweiser:

Budweiser's IBU's:

1946 - 20*
1970's - 17*
1980's - 14*
1990's - 12**
2012 - 7-8**

* Joseph Owades and **ABTN​

 

Same here.
Could be just me, but Marble's own DIPA and IPA has taken a sharp turn for the better as well. Marble Red still has that classic piney and caramel malt flavor. But the evolution of their IPA/DIPA combo has changed for the better imho. I guess we'd have to ask the brewers for that confirmation. I know reading here, La Cumbre's own @erway has mentioned in recipe critique threads (years ago) that Elevated moved away from using certain dry hops in favor of others. I'm sure since its inception, there has been small changes.. But this last month for both La Cumbre and Marble, it's been quite noticeable to me... for the better for sure.

Marble DIPA even looks juicier. It has a cloudy HT like appearance. Looking on Untappd, you'd have to go back to October of this past year for that clearer version.

This is why I try to stress to myself, unless its a under rated beer (# of ratings), one may need to look at the most recent scores for a more accurate gauge, because the accumulated BA score (over a couple of years) likely means very little for the majority of the smaller breweries with fluctuating consistency.