Are New England IPAs overrated?

Did you notice any lessening of the turbidity of that beer?

Cheers!

 

After whining on another forum about not being able to get any Treehouse beers, I was sent a mixed six pack with one of everything they brewed that week. I was starstruck for sure. I made sure to sip each one individually and review it. I tackled two on New Beer Sunday (Julius and Alter Ego).

I did make sure to mention both in my review, and in more detail in my personal reflection below, that while both beers are marvelous, and I mean it, neither was a "holy schnikies, I can never drink another beer." I would say the same thing for most any quality New England IPA. They are good, they have a place in the beer world, but they don't deserve the bloated numbers they get.

For the record, I did rate the Treehouse beers slightly below what the BA average is by around a percent or two. Again, I found them to be incredible, but not the model of perfection they are sold to be.

 

Is it overrated? No. There are some awesome IPAs being made right now. I will say that some of the double-dry-hopped offerings can taste a bit ... astringent almost. I do think some IPAs are a bit overhyped perhaps as well, from certain breweries. But overall, I think the ratings are a reflection of the intensely late-hopped flavors and precisely targeted water profiles people are going with.

 

I think they are massively overrated but that is just my own preference. others may love them. drink what you like! Ratings on this site have a lot to do with what is hip and cool at the moment or rarity. those tend to bump the ratings of those beers up a bit. nevertheless, some of the NE IPAs are indeed quite tasty

 

It was still somewhat hazy, but certainly not what a fresh one looks like.

 

They're rated how they're rated. Unless you're thinking there's 'homerism' or herd mentality happening, I would think the high ratings just show there are a lot of people who think the beers are excellent.

Personally, I love the style when done well. I love when you pop the top on a good one and the whole room fills with the aroma of fresh hops!

 

I agree. I get more of a thin, watery impression from the mouthfeel.

 

Not overrated at all. Great evolution of the style and prefer most of them to OG's

 

This x 1000 !

My pet peeve is comments here on the forum like "looks nice and hazy!" as if that is now an indicator of quality. Its no more an indicator than if a beer is clear.

 

I have found great/good beers from all IPA styles (English, West Coast, various blurred all other American IPAs and now NE IPAs). With that said, I feel in this current FY16/FY17 state of the union that brewers making NE IPAs you'll find the reward of a finding a good one vs. the risk of getting a poorly tasting one is quite a bit better probability than the reward vs. risks from the other sub-styles of IPA. Just my findings and my tastes I guess.

 

I enjoy the style but I'm not willing to wait in a line or go far out of my way to acquire one. I also don't necessarily agree that a brewers impressive sales figures somehow equates to quality product (last time I checked BMC is doing a pretty decent job in regards to sales yet look at the reputation they have here). Good sales figures are just that. A gauge for popularity perhaps but by no means an indicator of quality (subjectively speaking of course).

Then again this opinion is coming from a guy who gets wicked excited when a brewery announces that they're releasing a dopplebock, so perhaps my opinion is pretty irrelevant when it comes to this subject

 

While it may be unpopular opinion, I personally think *Tree House* IPA's are overrated in particular. Hand me a Trillium beer though and I am in love.

Tree House IPA's just lack complexity and dimension for me (based on just over a dozen different beers from TH I had fresh on different occasions, including day old stuff I picked up at the source). Juicy, sure... But when it's nothing but 'soft' hop juice, it just doesn't do it for me. Trillium has more dimension with bitterness and the flavors/hops used and for me, a far superior and impressive product.

I really love NE IPA's when they are done well. But it's easy enough to just add a shit ton of hops late and pitch a yeast strain that won't floccuate... It's much more difficult for a brewery to blend hops well for stronger flavors, use the proper water to compliment and accent the hops, add enough bitterness and malt complexity to actually make them interesting to drink... That is the big difference from "meh" to "incredible!" with this style. Some do it better than others, for sure.

 

Doesn't the "NE" stand for North Eastern and not necessarily New England?

 

A lager! *GASP*

 

The term of "NE" can mean whatever you want since there is no official style guideline for this sort of beer.

Cheers!

 

I just posted in the homebrewing forum:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...tential-yeast-for-neipas.481089/#post-5212730

Cheers!

 

See this is the issue I have. I think many of these NE IPAs are terribly unbalanced and to the point that I can't drink more than one. I think Trillium's IPAs and DIPAs are far too sweet and it makes drinking more than one absolutely awful for me. But this just depends on who does it. I think Veil and Cellarmaker, for example, make really well balanced hazy/juicy IPAs. They are the only breweries I have found that hit the juiciness as much as possible while still delivering some level of bitterness and enough background maltiness for complexity to make the beers enjoyable over and over again. I could smell Trillium beers all day, but they don't make a balanced beer in my opinion. As such, I do think that NE IPA is overrated, but only depending on who does it.

 

Overrated? Probably, but then again, I don't post ratings. Tree house and Trillium? Meh. Trillium for example, great nose, great hop aroma. Fine. Hop bitterness on the palate, no. How does one claim to make an Ipa or doiuble ipa with no decernable IBU's? Give me Night Shift whirlpool( similar style, with some ibu's) or better yet, Santilli or 87, everyday. Seems there is something for everyone these days. And we have Jacks Abby too
. Tree house? Wait in line for 12 beers? No thanks. Trillium, $ 20.00 for a 4 pack? Um, no thanks. I'm sure someone else will enjoy. New England and especially Boston has so many great beers to choose from, an overload of riches, enjoy.

 

I get almost no bitterness at all in Whirlpool, which isn't surprising since there are no hops in the boil. NEIPAs I do get bitterness, but it is usually overwhelmed by the juicier late-addition hops.

 

12 cans if your lucky. Tree House has been flat out insane lately, if thats an indication of where the NE IPA lies its here to stay and expanding.The majority of the time you have to wait in line to even park and they get 2,000 people a day through in 3 hours on small backroad. It is worth it though.

Speaking for myself and a few of my buddies you get spoiled on hazy ipa's and when you get served or try a new beer that isn't hazy your expectations go down.