New England IPA

Hazy, low bitterness, juicy, floral IPAs were never a New England-born thing. I'd argue that they could be traced back as far as Bell's Two Hearted. Although it leans more towards the floral side, it is unfiltered and has a soft mouthfeel - certainly a predecessor of the IPAs being discussed.

 

I love how I just wanted to spread awareness of Galaxy's Andromeda IPA and I ended up reviving a dead thread and starting a flame war anew.

 

It never really dies, anytime IPA or NE gets brought up in any thread they get partially side tracked.

 

Fuckin' way she goes! *takes a swig of IPA*

 

http://firstwefeast.com/drink/history-of-the-west-coast-ipa/

This is a good read detailing the history of the "West Coast IPA". I can't speak to how factual it all is (I'm not saying it isn't either), but it all sounds about right. Here's a few gems from the article that are pertinent to this discussion.

"A hops-farmer friend of Maytag’s suggested that he use a new Oregon-grown variety called Cascade, which was developed by the USDA breeding program at Oregon State University and released in 1971...For Maytag and other West Coast brewers, proximity to working hop farms offered an opportunity to remix the style with a newfound sense of terroir, deploying locally grown Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, and Chinook hops (to name a few) to imbue their beers with pungent aromas."

"While many notable beers emerged from this scene—Ballast Point Sculpin, Alesmith IPA—few had the influence of Green Flash’s flagship West Coast IPA. By trademarking the term in 2011 and emblazoning it across bottles in giant letters, the brewery effectively codified the regionality of the style and made it instantly recognizable to drinkers across the country (and beyond). Eagle Rock Brewery’s Jeremy Raub explains, “Green Flash West Coast IPA was a really over-the-top double IPA, which was the brewery’s way to say, ‘This is how we do it on the West Coast.’ It was just over 8% ABV, resinous, and hoppy. It had more malt body, and it was ‘dank,’ as people like to call it.'"

 

At least we have one thing in common

 

I'm not a fan of any categorization of IPAs except "American IPA" (there is no "west coast IPA" either), but if you think Two Hearted is an example of the style we are talking about then you need to experience these beers yourself. It's a very good beer, that is FAR removed from the current "New England" style. I think of it as highly malty and mildly hopped. It's old school if anything.

It's annoying that so many people are perturbed by all of this. I find the irony of the west coast folks trying to defend some false legitimacy of a "west coast IPA" while complaining about the possibility of a "New England IPA". The west coast IPA is nothing more than the American IPA, a hoppier version of the English IPA using American varietals.