NE IPA Issue

Come back to the NBS BIF in the spring! We're just finishing up #8, check the H&H thread.

 

Keep me posted! I always forget to browse this part of the forum, but I'm definitely interested.

 

You just might find some Treehouse while you are in NYC

 

Nobody is really complaining about it being illegal, though. A couple people have complained that breweries wouldn't like it, but that's almost certainly not true because trading and re-selling increase demand for their products, allowing them both to charge higher prices and sell more product, and it allows them to distribute their product more widely without having to deal with the 3-tier distribution system.

 

All the brewers I know about, including some industry leaders quoted right here in these forums, are STRONGLY against black market and grey market. YMMV

Edit- OMG, re-read your post, if that was sarcasm, my apologies, guess I may need my meter adjusted.

 

I do stupid things like this all the time. It's unbelievably cost ineffective, but I approach the whole thing as if it's an adventure and the beer becomes part of the fun.

Treehouse/Trillium is a weekend trip to Boston, Three Floyds is a weekend trip to Chicago, etc.

Folks obviously make their money go further in terms of the amount of beer they get per dollar spent dealing with sellers on the secondary market though, no question, provided your trip is solely for the purpose of acquiring beer vs enjoying a mini-vacation.

 

Troll. Seven years and you post this nonsense. It seems that you had plenty of help. "Don't but from the gray market", "sounds like you got old beer", "you wasted your money", what more help did you need?

 

Do you have specifics here? What brewing process changes have they made? What were the motivations for the change?

Cheers!

 

I heard a new yeast strain, but im guessing temperature modifications or something as well. I dont believe they ever actually said what they did, but whatever it was is not for the better IMO. Which is a bummer, as they always were my favorite of the style. Still great beers, but not what they used to be. Girlfriend even claims she picks up a nutty note in DDH Congress now, which I read someone else note too... I also pick up a more 'savory' or Umami type finish, which I am guessing is from the yeast somehow, which is weird. Perhaps autolysis from higher ferm temps? I also picked up the note in Mettle and other brews from them recently.

Whatever their motivation to change the process, big FAIL! Breweries should leave things alone on beers that were incredible already.

 

I am not a New Englander so I do not follow the monthly Trillium thread in the New England forum – have other BAs in that monthly thread made comments similar to your comments?

Cheers!

@chipawayboy

 

There can definitely be some can to can or run to run variation in these beers. They are still natural products made by humans.

I’ve defintely had some pretty oxidized cans from Trillium and even the Alchemist this summer. Trillium didn’t surprise me, I was amazed by the Alchemist however. It was three different beers and all had the tell tail oxidation signs.

To me your Trillium can sounds oxidized. Not sure what to say about Alter. Same beer hotside as Julius but different dry hop, which is where almost all the flavor and aroma comes from in these beers. Mosaic of all hops can be all over the map in terms of quality. I wasn’t that impressed with the Focal cans I grabbed at the brewery in both June and August. They reeked of the really shitty aspects of mosaic and Citra. Armpit, sweaty feet, etc.

 

Call me a philistine if you will, but if you had a bunch of Trillium, Tree House, and ALchemist, Heady and Alter Ego would be the worst of the bunch and might seem off.

I still buy a heady whenever we get cans of it in the city out of respect, but it tastes weird next to these new ipas.

Edit: and Congress Street hasn't been great in a while imo. I went through in September and was really disappointed.

 

I would say a very large percentage - 98 or so - are happy with the new profile or can’t really tell the difference. Count me in the latter. I’m often amazed by some of the super evolved palates on BA....X beer hasn’t been the same in months or Y beer doesn’t have the aroma it used to. Really people? I mean I get that there is variation and it’s an organic thing but with the really good breweries that have controlled processes and good supply chains — these supposed changes are for the most part in people’s minds.

 

Scott, do you happen to know specifically what is "new" here? Did they change the yeast strain as was mentioned in post #70?

Cheers!

 

Jack - I’ve heard variations on this theme which I’m quoting from a reddit poster —like I said - I drink the stuff regularly and honestly haven’t tasted many differences w my unsophisticated/challenged palate.

• When Trillium first opened they were using London III for their IPAs
  
  
• After expanding, they changed strains to Conan, fermenting at 73°F/23°C and dryhopping at the end of fermentation
  
  
• They are currently phasing out use of Conan (I don't know why) and switching back to London III (this is the most recent change in 2018).

 

Lol, when you said HT is dated I assumed you meant antiquated or passé.

 

I also read reports that WLP007 was at one point a yeast strain Trillium was using (along with London Ale III and Conan at varying points). I will admit, in my experience with all three yeast strains, WLP007 tends to give me the closest flavor profile to Trillium… But who knows.

I am a huge Trillium fanboy, but there is something different lately and I just don't love the change. Again, this is not just a single beer from one batch.... But multiple beers, months apart when my buddy brings me back a case worth or so of whatever they have at that time when he is in the area. So this is not just normal variation of a single beer, but a new common flavor characteristic. Again, they are not bad by any means what-so-ever, they just lost a "punch" that always put them at the top for me... If it’s just me, then perhaps I’m just growing out of the style. But at least in my circle of friends, I’m not the only one.