The soft, tropical, intentionally hazy American IPA style that emerged in New England in the 2000s and swept craft brewing through the 2010s. Heavy dry-hopping with fruity modern hop varieties, low perceived bitterness, and a pillowy haze (from protein-rich grists and oat/wheat additions) define the style. Typically 6.3–7.5% ABV. Often called New England IPA (NEIPA) after the region where it took shape.
In the glass
Origin
The style took shape in New England, with John Kimmich’s The Alchemist widely credited as its wellspring. Kimmich opened The Alchemist as a brewpub in Waterbury, Vermont, in 2003 and brewed Heady Topper there for years before packaging it; the beer was first canned in 2011, in the days following the flooding of Tropical Storm Irene. Tree House Brewing’s Julius, first sold in 2012, became another defining early example. Heady Topper, Julius, and the cloudy, soft, fruit-forward beers that followed from breweries like Trillium and Other Half established the template now known as the New England or hazy IPA. The style spread rapidly through the 2010s and reshaped American craft brewing, displacing the clear, bracingly bitter West Coast IPA as the dominant expression of the form.
Notes
The haze and soft mouthfeel are deliberate, not a flaw: brewers build them with protein-rich grists and generous oat or wheat additions, then load the beer with late and dry hops to maximize fruit aroma while keeping perceived bitterness low. This is the opposite of the clear, resinous West Coast IPA. Because the haze can be unstable, these beers are best drunk fresh — the prized tropical aroma fades faster than in many other IPA styles.
Defining examples
The Alchemist Heady Topper·Tree House Julius·Trillium Congress Street·Other Half All Green Everything·Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing