Breweries changing beer recipes

Discussion in 'New England' started by ManapuaMan, Feb 28, 2017.

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  1. ManapuaMan

    ManapuaMan Pooh-Bah (1,687) Apr 3, 2015 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Looks like Night Shift is changing the recipe for their flagship DIPA 87. I'm a huge fan of the current version (this news makes me want to run out a grab a bunch of 4 packs). Their Morph line provides an excellent vehicle to learn from new hop-recipes and I know their entire line went through many changes early on so I'm optimistic.

    What are your experiences with changing beer recipes for very (or even somewhat) established beers from any brewery? Love it? Leave it?

    [​IMG]
     
  2. seanwhite

    seanwhite Initiate (0) Jan 31, 2008 Massachusetts

    Would be cool to know some of the improvements, not down to the granular specifics, but at a high level. I think all changes Night Shift has made have been positive, so I would be excited about this.
     
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  3. Newport_beerguy

    Newport_beerguy Pooh-Bah (1,860) Feb 24, 2011 Rhode Island
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I like breweries evolving, so long as the core identity of the beer remains true. It seems like for example Lord Hobo's Boom Sauce is an example of a beer that went through so many tweaks from what it was to what it is now. I like what it is now, but it certainly does not make me comfortable to think it could be changed up again. And at some point with many changes you start to wonder whether the changes are intentional or it is a brewing flaw. It's been discussed ad nauseum by us armchair quarterbacks, but LH would have been better slapping a generic "DIPA" label on the initial versions. Branding and marketing were prioritized.

    A month or so back Proclamation released a slew of DDH beers of their core hoppy offerings: Derivative, Tendril and Stalk. I drank the Stalk like it was water, so well balanced and not even over the top murky like Trillium DDH beers. They posted on facebook shortly thereafter they would make the dry hop the standard for their hoppy styles i.e. the DDH would now be the flagship version of each. This is good!

    In Night Shift's case, I tend to seek out their single IPA's but am not enamored with the 87. So on the surface, incorporating elements of Morph into a new version appeals to me. We shall see...
     
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  4. seanwhite

    seanwhite Initiate (0) Jan 31, 2008 Massachusetts

    Lord Hobo is a spark plug topic - but I think there is a big difference between the approaches between Lord Hobo and Night Shift.

    Night Shift is pretty open and welcoming of feedback, and communicated the change to the beer.

    I don't recall Lord Hobo ever saying they modified or changed any of their staple beers, I do believe they did change them often, but a different approach.

    I prefer the open approach of Night Shift, and keeping their customers aware.
     
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  5. meefmoff

    meefmoff Pooh-Bah (1,922) Jul 6, 2014 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Same for me. I've never particularly warmed up to the 87 (or Santilli for that matter) but have really enjoyed a few Morphs and One Hops. I'm excited to try the new formulation.
     
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  6. infectedlobster

    infectedlobster Crusader (434) Apr 22, 2014 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Bissell Bros. switched up the yeast used in The Substance maybe 1.5-2 years ago. They were open about the change and the beer's appearance changed noticeably with the first batch. I thought the change was a massive improvement.
     
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  7. matthewp

    matthewp Pundit (856) Feb 27, 2015 Massachusetts
    Trader

    I'm a huge fan of Night Shift, from their beers to the way they do business. As others have said I am more of a fan of their Morphs and One Hops but of their core IPA's I've always enjoyed the 87 over Santilli. I look forward to trying the new 87. It would be nice to know what they've tweaked, is it more balanced, have they added or subtracted certain hops, etc.? I think the key here is that they mentioned tweaked rather than changed.
     
  8. Jbrews

    Jbrews Pooh-Bah (2,214) Aug 6, 2013 New Hampshire
    Pooh-Bah

    Sam Adams being probably the biggest craft brewer who openly publicized their tweaks and changes to the new Rebel IPA, and I liked what they did.
     
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  9. nolanz14

    nolanz14 Pundit (827) Aug 31, 2009 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Nightshift's hoppy beers are always hit and miss for me. The only can that is constantly good IMO is Whirlpool and has become a staple for me and others during the summer. That being said I have enjoyed fresh Santilli on tap.
     
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  10. robNSB

    robNSB Zealot (617) Oct 6, 2009 Massachusetts

    Hey all - we are always looking to brew the best possible beer and constantly tinkering with recipes to improve them. This change with 87 was a bit bigger than normal so we wanted to make people were aware that this was done by design.

    With our Morph line of IPAs it provides our production team with a never ending playground to play with all aspects of hoppy beer making. We used that knowledge to bring the 87 more inline with what people were loving about our Morph beers. The main tweaks were around the hop timing/schedule and water profile. The hops, grain bill and IBUs all stayed the same. The change isn't massive but will be noticeable. It's a bit softer and juicier than the OG recipe.

    Any and all constructive feedback is welcomed! Cheers, Rob
     
  11. matthewp

    matthewp Pundit (856) Feb 27, 2015 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Thanks for the information, really looking forward to trying the new version.
     
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  12. ManapuaMan

    ManapuaMan Pooh-Bah (1,687) Apr 3, 2015 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Thanks for keeping us informed! You can tell from the picture that the new 87 will be a lot different than the OG. Will keep an eye out for the next release and give it a shot. Long live transparency.
     
  13. Troutbeerbum

    Troutbeerbum Initiate (0) Dec 5, 2016 Maine

    Marsh Island Pulp Truck IPA. Couldn't get enough of the last batch. I had my local shop save me some when they received this one. Completely different, not bad but not the same. I can honestly say I'd walk by it on the shelf now, whereas before I'd travel a half hour to get some.
     
  14. lic217

    lic217 Pooh-Bah (2,090) Aug 10, 2010 Connecticut
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Would you mind sharing the water changes? I am guessing a change in Gypsum? Just wondering as a homebrewer that starts with distilled water. I like seeing how changes effect the final product in homebrew/commercial beers. If you do not want to share I understand.
     
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