Here at Revolution, ideas for a new recipes can come from anywhere. Any member of the Rev Brew Crew can make a pitch for the next great Rev beer – no matter where in the company they work. With upwards of a dozen and a half beers on draft at the Brewpub and Taproom, we’re always on the lookout for the next fan favorite.

If you’re visiting us soon, there are two names on the chalkboard that we want you to look out for – Hop Charger and Pale Brew Skies. They’re two very different beers made by two members of our Packaging team, and we think both are great examples of why anyone can make a beer at Rev.

Packaging specialist Kyle Damon has been homebrewing for a few years and he’s already turned that into a fruit-forward nod to East Coast IPAs for us. In designing the recipe for Hop Charger, Damon focused on yeast, malt, and water profile that would allow the hops to shine bright.

“I designed the recipe to mimic some of the original East Coast hazy IPA beers. And I chose grains that would be subtle enough to let the hops really shine,” Damon said. ​“Most importantly for this style, we changed our water profile to really bring out flavor and aroma while lowering bitterness, as well as give the beer a slightly bigger mouthfeel.”

The result is full of Citra and Apollo hops that lend an incredibly fruity nose and citrus flavors that evolve to a grapefruit-forward bitterness and slight pine notes on the back end. 

“Apollo is typically used as a bittering hop, but I read online that people had started using it in whirlpool and dry hop additions for aroma and flavor,” he said. ​“After testing it myself, I would agree. The aroma is crazy.”

The result is a great fruit-forward IPA with a refreshing bitterness that keeps you coming back. Damon said he would love to brew another batch of Hop Charger, and until then he’s keeping a close eye on the beer’s Untappd page.

Coy Scottberg has brewed and enjoyed a lot of different beers, but for five years and counting, his favorites have been Belgian Pale Ales. His recipe for Pale Brew Skies isn’t one he concocted for Rev – he’s been knocking out five-gallon homebrew batches of it for years now. In that time, he’s become comfortable enough to play around with the malt bill and the hop profile, but the yeast has always remained the same.

“The yeast we use in this beer is genetically closer to a wine yeast,” Scottberg said. ​“It’s got a kind of chardonnay character.”

When it was finally time to submit this one for a brew day, he went big on the hops–including beloved (and tricky to source) Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand alongside Magnum, Centennial, and Mosaic. After some trouble finding the Nelson Sauvin hops, our friends at Half Acre generously stepped up with enough hops to create Scottberg’s beer.

“It took a while to find the Nelson Sauvin hops. Usually, you’d substitute something else in, but these hops were irreplaceable for the character of the beer,” Scottberg said. ​“It’s funny, I’ve had Nelson Sauvin beers, and they haven’t done a ton for me. What I love about it here is its resonance with the other hops and the unique yeast.”

After a wait that seemed longer than it actually was (“I’m a pretty patient person – just not with my beer,” Scottberg said), Pale Brew Skies debuted at the Taproom and Brewpub. It’s a beer that showcases the peppery Belgian yeast alongside the white grape Nelson Sauvin flavors before ending with a snappy dry finish that begs another taste. 

Now, he said, Scottberg keeps an eye on everyone’s glasses at the Taproom when he’s grabbing a post-shift beer. 

“It’s kind of easy to see who’s drinking Pale Brew Skies–it’s got a bit of haze compared to our other beers. I always hope they’re enjoying it,” he said. ​“I know I’m happy with how it turned out.”

If you’d like a taste of Hop Charger and Pale Brew Skies, they’re both currently on draft at the Revolution Brewpub and the Revolution Taproom. Come by for a pint, take home a crowler or two, and see why we’re always eager to hear new recipe pitches from the Rev crew.