The India pale ale has almost unanimously won over our hearts in an unprecedented way, driving the craft beer renaissance of the past decade. Nearly every brewery, brewpub, taproom, public house and tasting room is pouring one (or three). Brewers across the country are creating their own subsets of the favored style. Our PNW darling, the Northwest-style IPA, flaunts a dry, clean malt bill and a bright, fierce Northwest-grown hop focus.
Now we have the Northeast-style to counter it; no one was prepared for its meteoric rise.
The Northeast, or New England-style IPA, is different than the style of the Northwest with tropical aromas and juicy texture. The NE IPA is partially or wholly unfiltered, ranging from visually hazy to nearly opaque like a glass of orange juice. Oats, wheat malt and certain yeast strains with fruity by-products contribute to the style’s hazy character. Expect low IBUs and more aromatics, the creamy-mouthfeel style is created with practices like last-minute hop bursting and generous dry-hopping.
Is haze the new black? The question is in juicy debate among U.S. brewers. Gather your own impressions, here are some hazy Northeast IPAs taking the Northwest by storm.
3-Way IPA | Fort George Brewery | Astoria, OR | Anything can happen when three great breweries put their heads together (like recognition in our Beer Hall of Fame). For the 2017 edition of this yearly-release, the brewers of Fort George pursued a collaboration with Seattle’s Reuben’s Brews and Portland’s Great Notion Brewing for a hazy, fruit-forward beer. Azacca, X331 (now Strata), Mosaic and Citra mingle with a balanced malt bill for a smooth, juicy experience: “a signal for the start of the summer.”
Crush Series | Reuben’s Brews | Seattle | Reuben’s Crush series has generous amounts of oat and wheat, creating a haze to peak a drinker’s interest. Each beer in Crush series is a single-hop, illustrating a new flavor profile with each monthly release. Previous brews highlight Galaxy, Azacca and Mosaic. This summer, look out for the Triple Crush in 16 ounce cans with 100 percent Citra hops.
Tropic Haze IPA | Silver City Brewery | Bremerton, WA | This Kitsap County brewery contributed to the nation’s “haze craze” with their Tropic Haze IPA; a collusion of oats, wheat and a classified, experimental hop. Notes of mango and sweet citrus stimulate the senses, and the brew balances out with a mild, bitter finish. Lay back in the sunshine with a can of this light, smooth sipper.
Guavasicle | Urban Family Brewing | Seattle | Who says a beer can’t be a creamy treat? Visit Urban Family Brewing for a pint of Guavasicle, a brew that bears more resemblance to an opaque orange smoothie than an IPA. Made with lactose, vanilla, pink guava and Citra hops, Guavasicle will satisfy the most decadent of beer cravings.
Fluffhead | Block 15 Brewing | Corvallis, OR | A rounded, “fluffy” mouthfeel and abundant fruit flavor is enough to keep this drinkable juice-bomb on tap year-round at Block 15’s Corvallis locations. Aromatics of spicy spruce and tropical fruit dominate from late additions of Mosaic, Chinook and Azacca.
Bicoastal IPA | Redhook Brewery | Woodinville, WA | Seattle-area craft pioneer Redhook Brewery marries the best of both Northeast and Northwest styles with an “East Meets West” Bicoastal IPA. The brewery draws inspiration from the Northeast with Bicoastal’s hazy, rounded texture, and channels a Northwest spin with the familiar, hoppy punch. Dry-hopped aromas settle on the nose, and flavors of ripe pineapple and passion fruit shine through.
