Sshhhh – Insider Information (V2)

Happy weekend NYBP Nation!

IT's TIME to make the very special announcement about the Head Brewer for our amazing and gorgeous New York Beer Project Lodge in Orchard Park. Drumroll please…..

We are beyond happy to announce that NYBP OP’s new Head Brewer is award-winning New York Brewmaster John Hyman, who has special ties to all three NYBP Breweries!

Exceptional word of mouth, award winning beers, and a delicious and creative beer portfolio have made New York Beer Project one of Western New York’s most visited breweries, thanks to the distinctive craft lagers and ales created by the dynamic duo of John Hyman and Jason Crossett, our OG Head Brewer and current NYBP Director of Brewing Operations.

John has been at the OG New York Beer Project for the past 5 years, and was promoted to Head Brewer of Lockport NYBP in 2021. John and Jason have been brewing all the luscious beer pouring from the taps in Victor NY, since thirsty folk in Victor outgrew their small 5 bbl brewhouse in 2022. John and Jason also mentored Brewmaster Sean Hamilton, who was promoted to the Head Brewer position in NYBP Orlando over one year ago.

John has always wanted to take the Brewing process one step further in Orchard Park, so - in addition to a lot of the favs you’ve enjoyed at NYBP, such as Destination IPA, and the consistent top 5 best seller– New York Amber, the OP Brewery will proudly feature wild ales cooled in a stainless steel Koelschip.

This unique piece of brewing equipment from days gone by, and used widely throughout Europe - is a vessel that serves two purposes in brewing traditional spontaneous beer: to cool the wort quickly and to introduce wild yeasts from the surrounding air.

Wild fermentation will be achieved by aging the beer in barrels, as well as in brand new white oak foeders, which can be viewed by guests from the brand new NYBP OP Beer Lodge Tap Room.

John and Jason recently traveled to beer-centric cities in Belgium to study these wild ales and lambic styles prior to ordering our NYBP OP Beer Lodge fermentation and brewing vessels

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What a perfect time for this announcement because today marks a monumental occasion as well. With today’s tapping of the incredibly popular “The One” Hazy IPA series, this marks John’s 100th beer from his recipe that has been scaled up to the official NYBP Production line! We’ll let John tell you about it himself!

NYBP: John, tell us about your 100th beer at NYBP!

John: “The One version 55 experimental Hazy IPA features a trio of exciting new hop varieties. Ahhhhroma paired up with New Zealand South Island grown Superdelic and Nectaron. For this version Phantasm was added to the mash. Phantasm is a powder made from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc grapes and when paired up with our house hazy IPA yeast strain resulting in a very aromatic and flavorful tropical IPA. “The One” series epitomizes experimentation and this version followed suit.”

“This release of the 55th version of The One marks my 100th recipe we have scaled up for production since I started at NYBP in 2018. It’s been a crazy fast paced 5+ years. When I started here there was only one location in Lockport. Now the 4th is soon to open and it’s just wild to think about all the people that have come through the doors and how fortunate we are to have made it this far. Thank you to all our friends out there for liking what we do and continuing to support NYBP.

NYBP: What beers are the most memorable?

John: “Some of the most memorable beers I’ve brewed here are the ones that generated the most hype and excitement and sold out in a short amount of time. The first release of Bomb Pop Sour during the Covid shutdown when there was a line of people standing out to the road before opening. Also, many of the fruited sour beers that sold out in days such as Mystery Airheads and several of the others, something I will never forget. Our beer is only available in our breweries so when people really go out of their way and show up - it is really humbling.”

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NYBP: What beers are you most proud of?

John: “The beers I am most proud of are my light German Lagers such as the Munich Helles and German Pilsner. They are great to drink any time of year and a challenge to brew well. Also, our Belgian Farmhouse style beers like Disco Elephant, a classic Saison which won the silver medal last year at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. Yellowstone Wild Ale, a blend of fresh Saison and several different years of red wine barrel aged mixed fermentation beers, which won a bronze medal last year. I am also very proud of our Hazy IPA’s and “The One” series which, with every version, allows me to experiment with the newest hop varieties and products and continue to push the bar higher on hop flavor and aroma.”

NYBP: What are you looking forward to the most about brewing at the Lodge?

John: “One thing I am really looking forward to is brewing on the new custom designed brewhouse that we worked with UBS in Rochester to have built. Seeing my vision of the ideal brewery go from paper to reality has been exciting. I’m also looking forward to brewing more classic beer styles and expanding our Lager program. Continuing to brew “The One” series in Orchard Park as well as many more IPA’s. But what I’m most excited about is building the NYBP OP Beer Lodge wild and mixed fermentation program. Foeder Crafters of America is currently crafting our oak Foeders and our Koelship at their shop in Missouri. We will have a large wood/barrel aging area which I can’t wait to start filling with barrels.“

“I’m looking forward to sourcing local fruits when fresh and in season to use in the wild and mixed fermentation program down the road and selecting and blending our barrel stock for limited release bottle projects. Look for special small releases of BBA Imperial stouts and BA mixed fermentation projects in the future. These beers are unique and they can be kept for years and are perfect to open up on special occasions or celebrations.”

“One of the most rewarding parts of being a brewer is creating a product that people can enjoy in their down time while relaxing and having a good time with friends and family. I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to work with Jay and the rest of the team here at NYBP the last 5+ years and for all the people I’ve met both at the Lockport brewery and in the beer industry. My goal is always to make the best beer I possibly can and I can’t wait to start brewing at The Lodge and being a little closer to home down in Orchard Park.”

So if you come in and see John around, give him a high five, and congratulate him. We think he’s earned it!

Until next week, and more insider info….

Cheers!