Columbus IPA, the old blah label bottles were great. Eating dirty pine needles off the forest floor. Nothing like that since they changed the recipe. Enjoy
For me, it's Boulder Hazed and Infused. When Sleeping Giant took over brewing for Boulder they didn't just change the beer a little, they overhauled it into something else entirely. It went from a generously dry-hopped but mild red ale to a generic bad hazy pale ale. Just kill it off and call the new one something else if that's what you're going to do. As far as Fat Tire goes, that change wasn't as sudden as a lot of people realize. The beer was silently reformulated 3-4 times over the course of more than a decade. It got lighter and less rich with each revision. The new golden one was definitely the biggest step away from the Fat Tire of old, but it wasn't a single giant reformulation.
Most every ale from pre-craft macro brewers in the 1970s-1990s. Here's a mixed sixpack worth, for example: Ballantine XXX Ale Ballantine India Pale Ale McSorley's Cream Ale Genesee 12 Horse Ale Yuengling Chesterfield Ale Rainier Ale It always amazed me that as craft beer grew in that period, these brewers kept dumbing down their own ales - some of which actually inspired the new craft brewers.
I used to be a fan of Stone IPA from a decade+ ago. The stuff they are producing now, not so much. I took note that you entertained it might be changing taste buds but I personally don't buy that explanation as regards Stone IPA (and others). There are brands that I very much enjoyed 'back in the day' and still enjoy today (one example being Heady Topper). IMO, Stone IPA of 2026 is just not the same as it was in 2016 (and before). Cheers!
It's too early for me to get started, as topics like this one really bring out my passion. How about Flower Power? That was a gem of a beer until the head cook left to form his own venture. I'll start there, as I could go on forever. Peace...
I mean, it is widely known that Mitch Steele thought he could "improve" on Steve's OG recipe. While I enjoy both versions, nothing beats the original. Anyone trying to say otherwise either wasn't there, or they're full of sh*t. I lean heavily on some combo of the two. Cheers!!!
Bert Grant beers were very polarizing I thought. His ipa was really dry and hoppy (and I'm generally a fan of dry, hoppy ipa's), and I found his perfect porter borderline undrinkable (the smoked leather and tobacco component was very off putting for me - I bet I would love it today). Of all things, it was only the scotch ale I could drink with regularity. I believe that ended up being his most popular beer (which still seems crazy to me). He was a man ahead of his time imho.
The craft brewers that expanded to regional and national distribution encountered problems in establishing reliable distribution. The pre-craft brewers of those niche brands probably had similar headaches that led to the products being discontinued. Steg. Porter went through some hard times when first acquired by The Lion. Matt's Saranac line was (and is) an attempt to become craft-adjacent. I had a sample of UC Cream Ale in the 80s that tasted good too (maybe upgraded?) At least a couple of nice lagers disappeared too: Pabst Andeker and Huber Augsburger (reg., dark, and bock).
Beers I don't drink because of the changes post 2010. These are the big ones I can think of that are still produced. Columbus IPA Stone IPA Fat Tire Boston Lager
Maybe Live Oak Pilz? The last 6-pack I tried was terrible, and I'm hoping it's because it was just really old stock.
Two contenders. Sixpoint Resin (less a change, and more from contract brewing and expansion. @JackHorzempa has talked about this in detail and has a more informed experience than I on the matter, but suffice to say that Resin used to be a fridge standard for me, and now I never touch it. (Some of that, yes, you can chalk up to a changing personal palate.) The Alchemist Heady Topper. Bring out the torches. I hate dank flavors; in fact, overly pot-like flavors make me physically gag and sometimes throw up. Ever since HT went in a danker direction, I really can't drink it anymore, and it used to be one of my absolute favs. I know I'm in the minority here. Honorable Mention: Prairie Bomb! I can - and do - still drink it, but once they started mass producing it, it's never been the same beer as back in the wax-cap days. There's absolutely zero heat, and if there's any vegetal peppery flavor, that's drowned out. I don't think the switch in coffee sourcing was an improvement, either. It's basically just a high ABV imperial chocolate stout now.
It's all subjective. I believe Founders ruined FBS and CBS without even changing the beer, when they dumped the baby and the Mountie. I realize they had no choice but to 86 the Mountie, after the horse threw him.
I agree I used to really like fat tire, now it is unrecognizable another issue I have had with new breweries before they’ve scaled up, their recipe moves around until they’ve figured out how to freeze it My local brewery makes a great DIPA which when I first opened a can it was like getting wacked with a pine bough, then that tailed way off, now it has come back some
Since we’re naming names, I live near Fiddlehead and Second Fiddle used to be wonderful, now it has tailed off some. I also think the recipe for 90 minute has moved around some
As far as beer improving, I think it happens but usually with smaller places. They're more likely to dial in something that they like or get access to hops/malts the might not have have access to before. They learned some new tricks. Maybe they even just listened to some basic feedback. For the places brewing on the larger scale, they often run into the opposite issue. They might not be able to get enough citra or cascade or whatever to brew enough to line grocery stores across the region, so they have to pivot. It isn't always wise, but they also tend to think on a macro scale. What sells to 150 customers in a tasting room doesn't really matter as much as what the distributor and salespeople are able to get onto shelves and draft accounts. They can't pivot out of making a flagship that XXX accounts are expecting, so they have to change it.
yup. think lee chase made a tweek or two to steves recipe or they just got better at brewing with him there.
