Are New England IPAs overrated?

You are not the only person who feels this way.

 

Shitty ones are overrated. Delicious ones are rated just right, youknowwhatimsayin?

 

I haven't had many. Some people have described Born Yesterday as New England-like IPA. If they are that way I'm in.

Having said that I've had (I believe) 3 NEIPAs, all made in California. The first one Modern Times Accumulated Knowledge was super delicious. Then I've had two at Monkish brewery, and they were pretty bad, awesome nose, but very very insipid. So, I'm on the fence.

Anyways I'm gonna try to find some more...

 

They aren't overrated if you love them. I have enjoyed the ones that I've drank but can't see them becoming one of my favorite styles.

 

"I mean a lot of them taste more like a mimosa than a beer." I suspect that the two qualities of:

• A nice velvety soft mouthfeel
• A "juicy" quality

are not qualities that you highly value in a beer?

I am not a big fan of the turbid/murky/opaque appearance of the so called 'NE' style IPA but the other qualities I mentioned above are highly appreciated by me.

So, my answer to the question is "No".

Cheers!

 

I agree 100% I've had NE IPAs from NE that are great, but have been extremely underwhelmed by local offerings. Just because a beer is cloudy doesn't make it good.

 

It's all preference. I love NE IPA's (and not just cuz I live here). Everything else tastes grassy, syrupy and thin to me. Not to mention, that they're all fresh for me. I still like a good old school IPA from time to time, but I'm on the NE train for life.

 

One could say the same for bourbon barrel aged beers, some of them just taste overwhelmingly like booze, not beer. It's really just personal preference, who cares about rankings, it's just a list of what is currently popular among those who take the time to rate/review beers. I'm just glad there are so many different styles of beer available and that there are innovative breweries out there.

 

To me it has less to with the appearance and more to do with the quality and if it's well made. I like the West Coast clean and crisp IPAS and also a well balanced "traditional" style with a nice malt base also. As long is there is all this to choose from I'm fine. So no.

 

I never get that mouthfeel; they are always brittle and chalky to me. Disjointed and disappointing as well. And I can get juicy in plenty of other beers. Personally, if I never have another one of these types of IPA it'll be too soon.

 

And then this opens a whole can of worms as discussed many times: what is considered a New England IPA. Is it just the look, feel and juicyness. Is MBC Lunch considered a NEIPA? How about Lawson's Sip of Sunshine. Both brewed in NE but without those characteristics.

 

I don't t know, I quite like mimosas. Maybe I oughta try harder to obtain a couple of these.

 

The ester compounds that contribute the bulk of the unique flavor to the most "hyped" NE IPAs can be somewhat of an acquired taste IMO....especially for brewers like Trillium that are really pushing the degree of juiciness/turbidity to absurd levels. The whole experience is just so different from the traditional English IPA norm -- or the other more recent popularized variations starting w/Vinnie C and PtE/PtY -- the root of a large % of the other IPAs on the market. If it doesn't appeal to you -- your conclusion that hype is involved is certainly logical. Most of the big boys that fanned the flames on the hype are still doing it right IMO and their growth/off the charts sales for a few years running says it's here to stay. TH doing about $10M a year in direct sales from their little brewery in the middle of rural central MA w/13 employees -- think about those numbers -- bananas!!! Had this one Thurs night -- and it was spectacular....

 

I'm in the same boat as a lot of you. I think some brewers focus too much on the appearance of the beer trying to make them look like a milkshake. The best brewers of this style realize it's more about the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel. The appearance is just a by-product of the specific hops and specific yeast strain used. Honestly the appearance is a bit of a turn off for me, but I can look past that to enjoy the unique flavors and velvety mouthfeel without the face pinching bitterness that has always been associated with IPAs in the past (which I also enjoy, mind you).

 

agree -- the ingredients and techniques being used at MBCO to brew Lunch are way more Vinnie C inspired than Shawn H/JCT inspired IMO. Still a great brew -- just not cloudy and orange juicy.

 

I had a Double Galaxy DIPA from Hill Farmstead a few years back, awesome brew.

Cheers!

 

Couple things to point out to anyone that had a less than favorable experience with their first or first few NE IPAs

• Verify the beer was within one month old when you drank it
• Don't judge the style until you've had a reasonable sample size, and at least one beer from a top brewery known for the style (Treehouse, Trillium, etc)

There are plenty of sub-par NE IPAs these days along with the greats. If you've given it a fair shot, then go ahead and bash. We don't all like the same things, and that is a good thing.

 

I feel that east and west coast IPA's are completely different yet they are the same style. I remember a few years back about hopslam being debated and compared to other IPAs. That said both west or east coast have there ups and downs, some are good some are bad.