How hazy IPAs became one of the most popular beer styles in America

If you’ve only been drinking beer for a few years, you might not realize that the haze craze hasn’t been going on for as long as you think. Although it may seem like every craft brewery from Tacoma to Tampa produces a New England-style IPA, this style didn’t exist before 2004.

This juicy, hazy, cloudy IPA style has only been brewed for a little more than twenty years. That’s a blip in the overall history of beer. But, in that short amount of time, the hazy IPA is arguably one of the most popular styles. There are almost 10,000 breweries currently operating in the US, and you can bet most are making at least one New England-style IPA.

So, what’s the story of the New England-style IPA? Who invented it, and how did it become one of the most popular beer styles? Keep scrolling to learn this and more about this beloved IPA style.

What is a New England-style IPA?

For the uninitiated, the New England-style IPA (also known as a hazy IPA) is a murky, cloudy, sometimes unfiltered IPA variety that’s known for its juicy, memorable flavor. While they differ depending on who brews them and the ingredients included, there’s a good chance they’ll feature flavors such as orange peels, tangerines, grapefruit, mango, guava, caramelized pineapple, and sticky, floral hops.

They’re known for their smooth, almost velvety, and juicy mouthfeel, with very little bitterness at the finish. They have a ton of hop aroma and flavor, and the lack of bitter hop flavor is due to the liberal use of dry-hopping. Hazy IPAs are also known for their fruity flavors and fruit esters from English ale yeast, and thanks to the liberal use of hops like Nelson Sauvin, Mosaic, Citra, Galaxy, Idaho 7, and Amarillo hops. They get a creamy mouthfeel from the addition of oats and wheat.

What is the history of the New England-style IPA?

While the New England-style IPA was officially recognized as a style by the Brewers Association’s Beer Style Guidelines in 2018, its origins date back to the late 1990s in Vermont. This was when The Alchemist founder and brewer John Kimmich began experimenting with IPA brewing techniques in an attempt to create a new, innovative, hop-forward beer. His creativity finally became a reality in the early aughts, and the beer world has never been the same.

While the genesis of some beer styles is difficult to pinpoint after decades or even centuries of production, there is no debate about the creation of the hazy IPA. The first New England-style IPA was The Alchemist Heady Topper. Released in 2004, it was brewed to optimize hop aroma and flavor by not pasteurizing and filtering the beer. The result was a hazy, juicy, hoppy, and memorable beer that has stood the test of time and remains one of the most sought-after beers in America all these years later.

Not only that, but it has given rise to an IPA phenomenon in the last two decades. Breweries like Tree House, Trillium, Sloop, and other well-known brands have based their whole identity around the style. It’s wildly popular and can be found on brewery menus across the country.

How are New England-style IPAs made?

The cloudy, hazy appearance and juicy, creamy flavor come from specific brewing techniques. These processes include a higher chloride-to-sulfate ratio in the water chemistry, along with the use of pale malt and high-protein malts like oats and wheat, aromatic, fruit-forward hops, yeast strains known for their fruity esters, and dry-hopping with hops like Amarillo, Galaxy, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra.

The best New England-style IPAs

If you’re trying New England-style IPAs for the first time, you should start with the OG. Your hazy IPA journey should begin with The Alchemist Heady Topper. That is if you can find it. It’s still not available in large quantities outside of Vermont and the rest of New England.

Fear not. There is a glut of other New England-style IPAs worth trying. Some of the best options include Tree House King Julius, Hill Farmstead Abner, Toppling Goliath King Sue, Parish Ghost in the Machine, Trillium Vicinity, Old Nation M-43, and Sloop Juice Bomb.

Bottom line

Even if you’re not a fan of the classic, hoppy, bitter West Coast IPA, this doesn’t mean that you should steer clear of the New England-style IPA. It’s quite the opposite. All you need to enjoy a hazy IPA is to have a love for hop aroma and flavor. New England-style IPAs are characterized by their creamy, unfiltered, cloudy appearance and are loaded with tropical fruit flavors and floral, earthy hops. All without the bitterness drinkers expect from IPAs. If that’s not reason enough to get on the hazy IPA bandwagon, I don’t know what else to tell you.