It might feel like they’ve always been around, but New England-style IPAs have only been a style since 2004. This is when John Kimmich, brewer and founder of the now iconic The Alchemist in Vermont, first brewed the wildly popular Heady Topper. In the last 20 years, this IPA style has exploded.
There are more than 9,000 breweries currently operating in the U.S., and there’s a good chance (besides the breweries that specialize in specific beer styles) that most of them make a New England-style IPA or two.
The reason this beer style has become so popular is because it’s the ying to the West Coast IPA yang. That is to say that the classic West Coast
The best hazy IPAs
The style is known for its juicy, fruity, hoppy flavor profile. This makes it a perfect beer for the hazy, humid summer days. But summer doesn’t last forever. The time is right to stock up on New England-style IPAs. Lucky for you, we found some of the best that are available (mostly) everywhere. Keep scrolling to see all of the juicy, hazy, tropical fruit-filled choices.
Sloop Juice Bomb
With a name like Juice Bomb, you should have a decent idea of what this beer is all about. This 6.5% ABV “Northeastern IPA” is unfiltered, hazy, and memorable. This dry-hopped, crushable beer is known for its mix of ripe tropical fruits and dank pine with little to no bitterness. It’s a well-balanced and effortlessly juicy brew, and it deserves a permanent spot in your summer refrigerator.
The Alchemist Heady Topper
No hazy IPA list is complete without the OG. The Alchemist Heady Topper is the beer that started an
Offshoot Relax
This 6.8% ABV hazy IPA gets its hop aroma and flavor from the liberal use of Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra, and Centennial hops. It’s hazy and unfiltered and known for its flavor profile of candied orange peels, tangerine, caramelized pineapple, mango, and a hoppy, yet not bitter piney finish. This is the kind of hazy
Rogue Batsquatch
We don’t know what a Batsquatch is, but we can assume it’s some kind of mythical creature. There’s nothing mysterious about this beer, though. This popular hazy IPA is brewed with 2-row base malt, flaked wheat, malted wheat, and oats. It gets its juicy, tropical fruit, citrus, and lightly dank flavor profile from the use of El Dorado, Mosaic, and Belma hops.
Ommegang Neon Lights
Cooperstown, New York’s Brewery Ommegang is well known for its Belgian-style beer prowess. But the brewery also makes a complex, flavorful hazy IPA called Neon Lights. This 4.3% ABV session
Toppling Goliath King Sue
This ferociously juicy, hazy IPA is adorned with a roaring T-Rex. Brewed exclusively with Citra hops, this 7.8% ABV brew is known for its mix of caramelized pineapple, guava, passionfruit, mango, tangerine, and sticky, resinous pine. It’s a juice bomb that finishes with enough hop bitterness to appeal to classic
Bottom line
Even if you’re a West Coast IPA drinker, you can understand the appeal of a hazy
And while the West Coast IPA is a great choice for the summer months. We believe the crushable, juicy fruit flavor of the New England-style
