As the calendar heads towards summer and the weather turns warmer, beer drinkers have a lot to choose from. You can go pine and bitter hops and head directly towards West Coast IPAs, you can reach for a cloudy, sweet wheat beer, you can opt for crisp, clean thirst-quenchers and grab a pilsner, or you can crack open a hazy, juicy, tropical fruit-filled New England-style IPA. While you can’t go wrong with any of these beer types, today is all about the hazy IPA.
While a lot can be said for the malty, sometimes barrel-aged beers of midwinter, I think summer might be the best time to be a beer drinker. This is especially true if you enjoy hazy IPAs as I do.
What is a hazy IPA?
As the name suggests, a hazy IPA (also known as a New England-style IPA) is a cloudy, tropical juice-filled
Hazy IPAs for fans of tropical flavors
In all honesty, if you enjoy tropical fruit flavors, you can’t go wrong with almost any hazy IPA. This is because juicy, tropical fruit flavors are pretty much a staple of the style. That said, some lean more toward flavors like caramelized pineapple and other tropical fruits.
How I choose my hazy IPAs
When it comes to hazy IPAs, just like with all of my go-to beers, I look for balance above all else. I look for hazy IPAs with a juicy, almost velvety mouthfeel, ripe fruit flavor, and a nice, gentle, pleasant hop bitterness to round everything out. If you have all of these elements, I’m going to love your hazy IPA. In that vein, it’s time to let you in on my favorite hazy IPAs. If you enjoy tropical fruit flavors, you’re going to love these IPAs. Keep scrolling to see them all.
Firestone Walker Mind Haze
Fans of Tropical hazy IPAs will be glad to know that the best thing about Firestone Walker Mind Haze (besides its flavor) is that it’s available almost everywhere beer is sold. Brewed with 2-row malt, Munich malt, wheat, torrified wheat, blonde roast oats, and a proprietary house yeast strain, it gets its hop aroma and flavor from the addition of Mandarina and Cascade hops in the kettle and dry-hopping with El Dorado, Mosaic, Azacca, Cashmere, Chinook, Idaho-7, and Callista hops. The result is a juicy, cloudy IPA loaded with flavors like honeydew melon, mango, ripe pineapple, and gentle, floral, piney hops.
The Alchemist Heady Topper
If you’re going to make a list of tropical-forward hazy IPAs, you’d better include the OG. The Alchemist Heady Topper created the style when it was released in 2004. This popular 8% ABV New England-style IPA is brewed with a proprietary blend of six hops as well as two-row malts, wheat, and a house yeast strain. The result is a balanced, multi-layered beer, centered on flavors like candied orange peels, pineapple, and grapefruit, with a nice kick of bitter, piney hops at the very end to even everything out.
Sloop Juice Bomb
Sloop Juice Bomb might be the most aptly-named hazy IPA ever made. The brewery’s flagship Northeastern-style
Weldwerks Juicy Bits
Another beer with a name that completely explains what’s inside the can is Weldwerks Juicy Bits. This 6.7% ABV New England-style IPA is brewed with pale ale malt, white wheat, flaked oats, and dextrin malt. It gets its hop aroma and flavor from the liberal use of El Dorado, Citra, and Mosaic hops. This creates a noteworthy, juicy, sublime flavor profile featuring notes of ripe berries, tangerines, mango, grapefruit, passionfruit, and pineapple. The finish has just the right amount of hop bitterness, leaving you craving more.
Toppling Goliath King Sue
You might not realize it, but one of the best hazy IPAs comes from Decorah, Iowa, of all places. This is where Toppling Goliath King Sue is brewed. Adorned with a roaring T. Rex, this ferociously delicious hazy double IPA is brewed exclusively with Citra hops. This creates a juicy, balanced beer featuring hints of orange zest, ripe mango, caramelized pineapple, guava, and intense, piney hops at the finish. This is the kind of tropical
