Best NEIPA maker from OG breweries

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by bubseymour, Sep 16, 2020.

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  1. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader


    That's certainly a good point: Tree House isn't shipping beers nationwide, and whatever product Sierra Nevada puts out, they know it has to be palatable after at least a month of transit and storage; they can't rely on every hoppy beer being a week or two old when it reaches the consumer, but they can rely on the consumer wanting it to still taste fresh.

    With that in mind, you don't put out the "best" NE IPA you could make: you put out the "best" NE IPA you can make that will still be pretty darn good when it reaches the consumer.

    Hell yeah, context matters. I often conclude a review, especially of an IPA or a lager, with my thoughts on how a beer that may not blow my socks off while carefully reviewing on a Sunday might be a welcome addition to a local draught list. I will, in fact, drink Hazy Little Thing on tap (although I'll default to Jai Alai, given the choice), but I won't buy a six pack. :slight_smile:
     
    #21 Roguer, Sep 16, 2020
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  2. TheIPAHunter

    TheIPAHunter Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,026) Aug 12, 2007 California
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    None of them. I know I'm going to get flack for this, but there's a reason none of them jumped on board, initially. If I want a really good NEIPA, I will look elsewhere.
     
    #22 TheIPAHunter, Sep 16, 2020
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  3. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Alot of you are mentioning mostly the big distro brewers, but how about any long standing local brew pubs or nano's in a city/town that recently decided to jump into the NEIPA game. Anything noteworthy out there to give a shout-out to?
     
    #23 bubseymour, Sep 17, 2020
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  4. KingforaDay

    KingforaDay Pooh-Bah (2,445) Aug 5, 2010 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Surprised no-one has mentioned Lagunitas. Or are they not considered "Craft" anymore?
    They've put out a number of very good Hazy/Juicy IPA's IMO. Some of the Born Yesterday releases are as good as a lot of the better local stuff I've drank and Phase Change & Hazy Memory were also tasty beers.
     
    #24 KingforaDay, Sep 17, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2020
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  5. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Oskar Blues is pre 2000. I think they have been doing hazies well with their can o’bliss series.
     
    #25 GetMeAnIPA, Sep 17, 2020
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  6. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    If born is considered a NE style then that’s the best one. I am not saying it is or isn’t. I can see an argument either way.
     
    #26 GetMeAnIPA, Sep 17, 2020
  7. BikeChef

    BikeChef Pundit (961) Dec 27, 2007 District of Columbia
    Society Trader

    The OG shelf NEIPAs seem to get the mouthfeel, low-bitterness, and haze aspects right, but they generally fail to bring the hop flavor. I'm sure it's mostly due to the shelf-life and freshness factors mentioned here. However, when visiting some of these OG breweries over the past few years, I find most of them have at least one pilot/brewery-only NEIPA on tap, and they generally aren't all that great-- certainly not on the level of Treehouse, Other Half, Aslin, etc. There seems to be some "secret sauce" that breweries can't quite figure out when it comes to NEIPAs .
     
    #27 BikeChef, Sep 17, 2020
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  8. Amendm

    Amendm Pooh-Bah (2,589) Jun 7, 2018 Rhode Island
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Wormtown Brewing Company was founded in 2010. Their NEIPA Don't Worry is one of my favorites. It's the sister Beer to their famous He Hoppy, a West Coast IPA.
     
    #28 Amendm, Sep 17, 2020
  9. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    I think one aspect is cost. NE IPAs are so heavily hopped because they are so focused on aroma and late hop additions. SN’s hazy little thing is $8.99 a six pack around me. Local breweries doing NE IPAs really well are $15.99 for a four pack.

    treehouse’s green got its name because they used so many hops that the boil was green....at least that’s what I read somewhere.
     
    #29 GetMeAnIPA, Sep 17, 2020
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  10. deleted_user_373835

    deleted_user_373835 Initiate (0) Sep 24, 2009

    Dogfish Head American Beauty Hazy Ripple
     
    #30 deleted_user_373835, Sep 18, 2020
  11. jakecattleco

    jakecattleco Grand Pooh-Bah (3,749) Sep 3, 2008 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    But I'd never consider Mountain Standard an attempt at a NEIPA though. A great modern WCIPA sure (though I miss its predecessor to have the name), appealing to those wanting something with less perceived bitterness and some juicy aspects. I have the same feelings towards Drumroll, but at least it appears hazy.
     
    #31 jakecattleco, Sep 18, 2020
  12. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,966) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sudwerk was always a lager focused brewery. In the last couple years they've added a series of hazy IPL s that are pretty solid
     
    #32 unlikelyspiderperson, Sep 18, 2020
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  13. Cstamp3084

    Cstamp3084 Pundit (902) May 3, 2020 Maryland
    Trader

    Troegs lucky holler hazy ipa is the best i've had. Troegs founded in 1996
     
    #33 Cstamp3084, Sep 18, 2020
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  14. ManBearPat

    ManBearPat Pooh-Bah (1,813) Dec 2, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    okay
     
    #34 ManBearPat, Sep 18, 2020
  15. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Maybe from the description on BA?

    "Our cross-continental IPA. Made with Australian and American hops, this citrus heavy IPA opens up in the glass with notes of pineapple, tangerine, and orange rind. It’s sharply bitter and nearly 8% ABV. . . The name comes from the initial batch in which, post boil, the wort looked green from so much hop particulate floating around. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes."

    Cheers!
     
    #35 JackHorzempa, Sep 18, 2020
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  16. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Ha! good news is I didn’t make it up! But it’s not a new revelation.
     
    #36 GetMeAnIPA, Sep 18, 2020
  17. hillind

    hillind Savant (1,007) Apr 24, 2010 Pennsylvania

    Lucky Holler is a nice beer. I also like Victory Cloud Walker. Nothing out of this world, but they work for affordable, easy to find options.
     
    #37 hillind, Sep 18, 2020
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  18. AMessenger

    AMessenger Aspirant (269) Mar 17, 2018 Pennsylvania

    My thoughts exactly and it is why the way NEIPA/Hazy IPA has evolved is frustrating. The aggressive hop flavor is the reason these beers became popular while the haze was more of a minor feature. The emphasis that is now given to hazy appearance instead of the aggressive hopping with so many breweries makes me reluctant to order them. A hazy beer hopped like Bells Two Hearted isn’t a NEIPA, it is a cynical cash grab, and brewers passing these off as NEIPA are gravy-training those that are building up the style in the correct, but more expensive, way.
     
    #38 AMessenger, Sep 19, 2020
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