Tier Ranking all the NEIPA Breweries

Trillium in tier 1? Wild. They have so much hop burn, Tree House is way more consistent so I'd put them up there instead. And Threes? Fuck those guys

 

Holy crap, usually I disagree with lists somewhere between strongly and completely. Even now I am finding it hard to write these words-- nice list, I agree. A few I haven't tried, most I have.

 

Wanted to get in this post before a ton of people make the same tired negative generic comments about NEIPA/haze like half the posts on forum now.

But yeah, solid list. I think I should try some more Tier 3 beers, a lot of those I've missed. Agree with above post, I would move Trillium down now unfortunately - I wish they could return to form. Maybe they should go back to the OG bombers, those were incredible (jk).
Maybe add Monkish in there too.

 

Funny. I put Trillium lower because of the lack of creamy texture. I've had some from them that pour just like orange juice. You should have to work to make a boss pour, your beer shouldn't pour that flat naturally.

I also put Monkish a little lower because of the hop burn / green note.

My list:

• TIER 1 (Hop nirvana - every sip is a kaleidoscope of joy)
  • Hill Farmstead, Tree House, BKS, Modestman
• TIER 2 (Excellent, just not magical)
  • WeldWerks, Other Half, Trillium, Outer Range, Monkish
• TIER 3 (Very tasty, yet could be even juicier)
  • Narrow Gauge, Singlecut, Cloudburst, Toppling Goliath, Alma Mader, Stoup
• TIER 4 (Nice but nothing special)
  • Bearded Iris, Aslin, Hoof Hearted

Would like to try more Modestman. I haven't had much, but each example was absolutely stellar.

 

I didn't think Cloudburst was known primarily as a Murk producer.

 

I haven’t had the pleasure of drinking too many of these beers, but I have had a couple from Bissell Brothers & thought they were fantastic.

What tier do they belong in?

 

Trillium in Tier 1?! Maybe 5 or 6 years ago. Certainly not now. More like Tier 5. Have you had their stuff recently?

 

Alma Mader isn't known for NE IPAs either, but they make quite a bit. They just don't let NE IPAs dominate their tap list portfolio. I included them in my list though since they release quality NE IPAs consistently.

 

Yikes. I'll atone for my sins for not including Bissell Brothers in my list. I'd put them Tier 2, with the ability to move up. I haven't been privileged to trying much of their stuff.

A friend of mine texted me during a vacation that she was drinking "the best beer of her life." She's a pretty picky foodie, and enjoys drinking good beer. The beer she was referring to is Bissell Brother's Swish. Would love to try that one some day. It appears in BA's Top 250 list.

 

I appreciate the Canadian content @StJamesGate !!

I like both Boombox and Superflux, and probably agree that overall, the latter is better. I’d add that for BC, I think a couple Backcountry NEIPAs I’ve had are at least as good as Superflux if not better.

Having had several offerings from all the big names in the Canadian NEIPA game, I’d argue that above Superflux by at least one tier are Bas Canada and Barncat. Probably both somewhere between your description of tiers 1 and 2, but closer to 1. Also, I’d rank Badlands and Messorem Bracitorium higher than Superflux. Wood Brothers and Third Moon are at the Superflux level. In that 4th tier or slightly above are Blood Brothers, Trailway, Cabin, Kilter, Sir John, Rouge River.

Solidly in at the 4th tier would be Willibald, Counterpart.

The recent small batch NEIPAs at Bellwoods have been noticeably better as well. If it keeps up, they are in at 3 for sure. One to watch is also Ayawan. I’ve had limited exposure, but so far, so great.


I like your list generally. I find Other Half need a couple weeks in the can minimum to be at their best generally. but when you can wait, they are near the top of the heap. I like where you have Threes. Where do you place Root & Branch? After Threes and OH, they were the other standout when I visited NY. Actually, probably a bit better. I’d have Equilibrium much lower. Too much burn for my tastes.

 

Totally, the lack of creaminess and hop burn work together in Trillium beers. I tried to be a fan since they're local and widely acclaimed, but it's just not for me. Oh well, Tree House will always keep me in the hazy game

 

Looking at your first two breweries, I’m not sure how strict you are being with those rules with regard to your choices.

 

Yep, that’s one of their beers I drank.
I thought it was outstanding.
I got the opportunity to drink Swish & MBC Dinner in the same sitting. IPA bliss!!

 

District 96, Monkish and Root+Branch definitely belong in tier 1. I'd also move up Tree House and move down Trillium, EQ and Great Notion.

Bissell has a case for tier 1 but definitely no worse than 2.

I love Grimm including their NEIPA but to me they're probably closer to tier 3.

 

I would place Bissell Brothers either in Tier 1 or at the lowest Tier 2.

Cheers!

 

HF doesn't really make NEIPAs like others. Your tier 2 is too inclusive. Other Half is very hit or miss since the expansion. I'll only do Tier 1 and 2 here. Threes IPA's would go into tier 4 for me by your descriptions, they aren't that great. EQ ipas are straight up bad.

Tier 1: Trillium/Monkish/Treehouse/Root + Branch/Fidens/Parish. You could potentially throw Electric in here too (I haven't had enough of these to comment but people speak extremely highly of them)

Trillium when they put it together they make the best examples of the style but they can be hit or miss. Their top beers are that good that they warrant inclusion in the top tier even with the inconsistencies of the core lineup


Tier 2: Hop Butcher, Bissell Bros, D96, Burial, Green Cheek, Vitamin Sea, North Park

Tier 3/honorable mentions: Blackstack, Alvarado Street, The Veil, Great Notion, Other Half, Humble Sea

There are probably others I could throw in tier 3, I'd consider that one to be very wide.

 

I enjoy ranking in general but it might be easier if they were regional rankings/only posted in the region forums. That being said, I might give it a try with the caveat that all my picks will be from the northeast.

 

National rankings make sense in the context of trading. How likely I am to trade for something relative to what I have access locally factors into the tier rankings (ie I'll trade for stuff I consider tier 1 even if I have good options locally, whereas I wont go through as much effort for tier 3 stuff)