2017 was insane! We are astounded by how much we accomplished in our first year, and 2018 is set to be even bigger. We are planning over 50 new beers, as well as a number of other changes.
Incipient and Genetic Drift have been our two base beers since the beginning of Speciation. For 2018 we have decided to move away from this naming scheme to avoid confusion. What this means is that, beginning January 2018, each individual beer will have its own name and accompanying illustration from our friend David McKie (art_by_graves on Instagram). Dave is an amazing and unique illustrator, and we think his style fits our brand well. You may have seen some of his other illustrations on Transient's bottles and cans. We are really excited to give each beer a fitting and unique illustration.
Incipient will stick around, but from now on it will always be a dry-hopped golden sour. Genetic Drift will always be our dry-hopped Saison base. If there are any other ingredients added (spices, fruit, etc.), then that beer will have a unique name. We are also introducing more dark sours and dark Saisons to the lineup. Look for a lot of fruited sours, pastry sours, wild saisons, lager/wild hybrids, and Brett IPAs!
Also, soon we will be launching our Laurentian Spontaneous Series, where we will be cooling wort near each of the great lakes in a coolship to collect the local microflora and create a beer completely unique to that place in time and space! These beers are the absolute epitome of who we are as a company. Expect straight spontaneous blends, dry hopped versions with local hops, fruited versions with whole local fruit, and a few crazy experiments.
On the taproom front, progress is being made! Ceilings have been painted, floors have been sealed, and quotes have been received to do the bathrooms, plumbing, and electrical. We also have to change the zoning language for Plainfield township to allow for a taproom in an Industrial zone, but that should be done soon as well.
We are all very excited to see what 2018 holds for Speciation.
Cheers!
Mitch Ermatinger