NEIPA - what's the key?

[Crazy Climber]

Some of the claimed contributing factors to the hazy/juicy New England IPA style include:

* High chloride levels in the water
* Significant flaked grain component to the grist
* Yeast selection (London Ale, Conan, etc.)
* Dry-hopping at peak of fermentation activity

Have I missed any?

Now...from those (or any others), what do you feel is primary in creating the turbid/hazy nature of the style?

[mashani]

I think it's a mix of all of it.

No matter what yeast you use, it will eventually drop out once it's stored cold for a long enough time. It isn't a permanent contributor to haze on its own. But a yeast that doesn't floc out hard during fermentation (while adding all those hops and such) won't drag the polyphenols from all the hops you are adding and whatever is bound to them out of suspension. So it is probably still important to use such a yeast to get that full effect up front, as this probably helps contribute to the full on juicy flavor. And with the unmated flaked grains you are basically getting the protein haze like you would get in a WIT beer which adds to the effect.

I think if you took any of it out of the equation you'd end up with a less desirable result. Or maybe a more desirable result for some people who think NEIPAs look like crap. IE I think you won't lose any of the FLAVOR by leaving out the flaked grains (maybe some body or head, but that could be adjusted for in other ways). You'd probably still have a hazy beer, but not quite so WIT beer like, more like a "normal" chill haze type of problem. I think you would lose flavor by using a high floc yeast strain.

[Inkleg]

Some of the claimed contributing factors to the hazy/juicy New England IPA style include:

* High chloride levels in the water
* Significant flaked grain component to the grist
* Yeast selection (London Ale, Conan, etc.)
* Dry-hopping at peak of fermentation activity

Have I missed any?

Now...from those (or any others), what do you feel is primary in creating the turbid/hazy nature of the style?

I think they all play a role. This is a good read

[Dawg LB Steve]

As far as yeast, check out Bootleg Biology, he has a yeast that is going to ship by months end specifically for NEIPA's I think his is called NEEPAH. The description sounds very interesting for the style
http://bootlegbiology.com/2018/07/06/mt ... le-july-9/

[ScrewyBrewer]

Here's a slightly related question. What's the difference between a New England IPA and a Northeast IPA?

[bpgreen]

Here's a slightly related question. What's the difference between a New England IPA and a Northeast IPA?

There are two divisions in the Northeast Region (using the Census Bureau definition): New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) and Mid-Atlantic (New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania).

So a New England IPA would be a Northeast IPA that was not made in New Jersey, New York, or Pennsylvania, while a Northeast IPA could be made in any of the 9 states.

Actually, I think that it started as New England IPA, but was always written as NEIPA, so some people thought it meant North East.

FWIW, Beer Advocate has officially recognized New England IPA as a style.

My guess is that it's supposed to be New England IPA, but some people mistakenly interpret NE as Northeast.

Then there's this guy, who claims it's Nebraska IPA (but check the date of the article).

[bpgreen]

I was going to say that maybe it started as New England IPA, but since there are breweries in the Northeast (but not in New England) that make the style, that it should now be Northeast IPA.

The problem with that is that there are breweries outside of the Northeast that make NEIPAs, just as there are breweries not on the West Coast that make West Coast style IPAs, but we still use the description of West Coast for those. West Coast IPA isn't an official style, but I think people started using that to differentiate between those beers and New England IPAs.

[mashani]

There really are variants of "Midwest" IPAs and "Older Easterly" type IPAs that are somewhat like more malty and like highly flavor/aroma hopped English IPAs, but aren't classified as a "style" either. West Coast IPAs are like their opposing force with the original concept of an American IPA somewhere in between.

And so called "Black IPA", which somehow became a style, which is fine, but the should have kept its own name like "Cascadian Dark Ale" IMHO since their is no PALE in them at all. But hipsters don't like Cascadian's or something (rebels) and/or refuse to drink anything that is not called "PBR" or "IPA" so they had to "IPA" it for marketing reasons.

I like East Coast/NE IPAs but I personally don't think they should be called IPAs either because they deviate so much from the norm, just like "Black IPAs". Something like "'!'Merican! Juicy WIT Ale" would be more like it. But then again that would make it so hipsters won't drink it because they only like 3 letter words.

[Banjo-guy]

I think the NEIPA refers more to New England because of Heady Topper and Tree House brewery being such hugh,early and influential brewers of the style. I call it Northeast IPA because it fits nicely as an east coast answer to the classic west coast IPAs.

I just came back from a trip to Vermont. There is such a great beer scene in that state! On the way back we stopped in Sturbridge Village ( which is very close to Treehouse) . There is the most amazing beer,spirits and wine store there. It’s name is Yankee Spirits and it is the size of a supermarket. It’s worth a stop if you are on Rt 84 at Rt 90. I came back with a nice assortment of NEIPA and Spencer Trappist Brewing beers. Spencer and Treehouse are both very close to Sturbridge. Spencer Trappist is not open to the public. All of their beers were at Yankee Spirits along with a lot of hard to find beers.

[Kealia]

"My guess is that it's supposed to be New England IPA, but some people mistakenly interpret NE as Northeast."

This is my take on it as well. I also think some people use NorthEast IPA as to set it apart from a West Coast IPA, so it makes sense.

Related: one of the guys I met at this work function was just in Vermont and now says he has a fridge full of 4-packs of Heady. I hate him.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[ScrewyBrewer]

I've been using NE IPA for 'Northeastern IPA' and NEIPA for 'New England IPA'. But for the regional differences, @bpgreen's explanation summed it up the best for me. As for the different locations brewers in every state are making 'Hazy' beers and calling them some variation of the two. There are no conventions in American homebrewing like there are for Champagne and Kolschbier.