Top 44 Hazy New England IPAs and Double IPAs
Hazy New England IPAs and Double IPAs have exploded onto the craft beer scene as one of the most popular styles in recent memory. We outlined the 44 best examples of those brews that our judges have ever had the privilege to review.
Hazy. Juicy. Cloudy. Milky. Lush. Pillowy. Hazy New England IPAs can be described using a seemingly endless variety of adjectives, yet these myriad words still seem to lack that ineffable something that makes this nascent style special.
In 2018, the Brewers Association unveiled the Juicy or Hazy IPA style into the Great American Beer Festival, and the category immediately broke records with a whopping 414 entries for judging in the category. That number only represented a small handful of Hazy New England IPAs that are available on the market, so we thought it was high time that we compiled a list of the finest examples that our judges have reviewed throughout our history.
This list features 44 of the best Hazy New England IPAs and Double IPAs that have ever been reviewed by us, but that by no means makes this a definitive document. Seeing as the ranks of Hazy New England IPAs and Double IPAs continue to swell by the day, this list only represents beers that our judges have reviewed. If we haven't reviewed one of your favorites, implore your local IPA-maker to send some samples our way so our judges can discern whether their best examples deserve to stand among these giants of the style category.
We hope you enjoy this list. Read on and stay hazy!
#44
91
Transmigration of Souls
Orpheus Brewing
Double IPA
"The flavor featured strong bursts of tropical fruity bitterness with a honey-like malt character, but with a pronounced alcohol kick in the finish. After a few sips, I was struck by the beer’s quite rounded bitterness, which almost seemed mild for the style. It finished with a medium amount of carbonation and a slight sourness. The carbonation level left much of the beer’s hop flavor swirling around in your mouth. While the finish did linger, I was left with the alcohol of the beer, not hop bitterness, on my tongue."
- Judge Rodney A. Tillinghast
#43
91
Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 5
Wild Leap Brew Co.
Double IPA
#42
91
Don't Call it Hotlanta
Monday Night Brewing
Double IPA
"Notable flavors include tangerine, resin and earth, all supported by a biscuity malt backbone. Not overly bitter, but with enough IBUs to keep hopheads satisfied. It finished fizzy and medium-dry, which enhanced the drinkability of the ale, and concluded with a peppery note, backed up with some alcohol. A very smooth beer with oodles of hop goodness to relish. "
- Judge Rodney A. Tillinghast
#41
91
Alpha Abstraction, Vol. 7
Wild Leap Brew Co.
Double IPA
#40
91
Low Viz
Arches Brewing
New England IPA
"Any malt character is completely buried beneath the dense hop aroma with a seemingly clean fermentation profile. This beer is a medium gold with dense haze but no particulate present. A medium-sized white head is densely packed with fine bubbles and sustains itself well. The bitterness seems a bit restrained overall for an IPA but is within an acceptable range for a New England variety."
- Judge Sean Coughlin
#39
91
Alpha Abstraction, Vol. X
Wild Leap Brew Co.
Double IPA
"Alpha Abstraction Vol. X pours dark golden, is very hazy, and sports a big, fluffy off-white head. The aroma is of moderately strong piney and resiny hops along with a hint of malt. The flavor again features aggressive piney and resiny hops with a hint of malt and a touch of sweetness. The beer finishes moderately bitter with prominent piney and resiny hops and a hint of malt. This is a very good Double IPA."
- Judge Michael Heniff
#38
91
Holy Roller
Urban South Brewery
New England IPA
"Aromatically, this is a big fruity and hop forward beer! Great tropical fruit, guava, grapefruit, light malt, along with a notable apricot ester. Very fresh and bright with no grassy notes. It's well hazy and pale gold with a frothy off-white head. Upon tasting, the bitterness stands out. Not quite harsh but a bit sharp. Big and fruity hops lead the way and very clean."
- Judge Brian Eichhorn
#37
91
#SabroMo
Peter B's Brewpub
New England IPA
#36
91
Phantom Bride IPA
Belching Beaver Brewery
American IPA
#35
91
Puff
Sixpoint Brewery
Double IPA
"Nothing seems out of place here, but then again, the hop flavor would bludgeon any wayward note into oblivion. This full-bodied beer with above average carbonation completely fills the nooks and crannies of one’s palate. The moderately-high alcohol isn’t hot, though a bit of hop-related astringency comes through (which is not unexpected for the style). If you’re finding that the typical IPA or even Imperial IPA is just too weak for you, this beer may be your cure. It’s larger-than-life hop charge is conceivably what gives the beer such a hazy appearance; it happens when you squeeze the life out of a hop’s lupulin glands. In this case, they were sacrificed to the mighty Puff."
- Judge Michael Bury
#34
92
Tony Goes Dancing
Back East Brewing Co.
Double IPA
#33
92
Secret Spot
Duck Foot Brewing Co.
American IPA
"Hop and ferment flavor are well-married in the mid-palate with the clean and creamy citrus fruitiness well balanced against the distinctly toasty and grainy malt framework of the beer: fresh orange and peach fruits dominating through to the dry and delicious finish. Body is medium-light and conditioning is moderate with a distinct creaminess to the mouthfeel. Overall, the beer hits all the marks typical of a New England/hazy variant of the style – fresh and juicy sweet citrus/orange fruitiness with reserved bitterness in a very clean and sharp (and quaffable!) package."
- Judge David Sapsis
#32
92
Belt & Suspenders
BuckleDown Brewing
American IPA
#31
92
Urban Lumberjack
WestFax Brewing Co.
New England IPA
#30
92
Two Juicy
Two Roads Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"In short, this is a well-executed New England-style Hazy Double IPA. Two Roads has somehow fiendishly masked this beer's true strength. Very smooth and potentially very dangerous! If you crave the haze, you would do well to seek this one out. Perhaps it would be wise to invite a friend over to split this 16-ounce can!"
- Judge Scott Birdwell
#29
92
Boomsauce
Lord Hobo Brewing Co.
Double IPA
"Featuring a light gold color with slight haze and a medium white head, this beer's flavor profile featured a medley of hops that were distinctly unveiled in a flowery blend of citrus and pine. A very sweet caramel malt base both supports and balances the high hop levels present here. This is a full-bodied rendition of the style with carbonation at the lower end of the style spectrum, while the alcohol content was quite evident -- contributing to this beer's warming presence."
- Judge James Link
#28
92
Hazy IPA
pFriem Family Brewers
New England IPA
#27
92
Adaptation Ale
Roughtail Brewing Co.
American IPA
"Dank, resiny hop flavors come up front, which are then followed by moderate levels of tropical hop flavors of melon, pineapple, fruit and lime zest notes that linger well into the aftertaste. The finish displays a drying tartness that seems to come from the citrus zest character along with lingering bitterness, which prepares the palate very well for the next sip. This is a very enjoyable and well-crafted brew. There is a lot going on in this one, which is nice to see in a standard-strength American IPA."
- Judge Joseph Formanek
#26
92
Three Harvest
Wild Leap Brew Co.
Double IPA
#25
92
L'Attitude
Cape May Brewing Co. & DC Brau
"The most notable characteristic of the flavor is its balance. The maltiness is well offset by the bitterness, and while, as is expected for this style, the hops and bitterness dominate, this is an exceptionally balanced beer. The pine characteristics from the aroma were present in the flavor, aong with mango, passion fruit, and orange (all hop-derived, I assume). While my mouth was left with a slight resiny feeling, the overall sensation was of drinking a clean beer. The beer had a moderate body with moderate carbonation, no astringency and no acidity. In short, this was an exciting and fun beer to drink. It hit all the notes I expect of an IPA and delighted me with a fruity complexity in the flavor. I would definitely drink this again!"
- Judge Jessica Sullivan
#24
92
Tesseract
Grimm Artisanal Ales
Double IPA
"Although hops are more pronounced in the flavor than was the case in the bouquet this beer wafted, it is still defined by a myriad of fruity esters and citrus hops. Alcohol is on the low end of the spectrum and works well here as malt takes a backseat to the aforementioned fruity character. This is a full-bodied ale with medium levels of carbonation and a subdued bitterness in the finish."
- Judge James Link
#23
93
Samuel Adams Rebel Raw
The Boston Beer Co.
Double IPA
#22
93
Medlock IPA
Six Bridges Brewing
New England IPA
#21
93
Truck Chaser Creamsicle IPA
Wild Leap Brew Co.
Double IPA
"The aroma began with a pleasantly intense blast of fresh orange, which was followed by fainter notes of lactose, vanilla and floral hops, all of which were pleasant and complemented the dominant orange nose. Similarly, the flavor profile was orange-forward with malt, hops and the other added ingredients playing a supporting but harmonious role, leading to a sweet, tangy and, yes, creamsicle-like taste."
- Judge Michael McGuire
#20
93
Marine Dream IPA
Coronado Brewing Co.
New England IPA
#19
93
North Island IPA
Coronado Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"Flavors start as moderately strong pine resin followed by a creamy wheat pizza dough mid-palate. The finish turns towards moderately sweet and pithy grapefruit, pulpy orange juice, and under-ripe lemons before a mouthwatering and crisp aftertaste, where a tongue-coating, fresh milled wheat character takes over."
- Judge Tracy Hensley
#18
94
Jucifer
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
New England IPA
#17
94
White Caps
Cape May Brewing Co.
Double IPA
#16
94
Galaxie:503
Black Lung Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"Galaxie:503 pours a milky deep yellow with a long-lasting white, rocky head. The aroma is a cornucopia of tropical fruit with a focus on fresh mango and pineapple that has an impression of sweetness. A candy-like malt character of cookie dough laced with vanilla emerges behind to provide balance to the hops, along with light floral alcohol. The flavor follows the aroma, with prominent fresh tropical fruit of mango, pineapple and guava. The rich cookie dough maltiness emerges mid-palate with a hit of vanilla and medium-low hop bitterness, lingering into a medium-sweet finish."
- Judge Randy Scorby
#15
94
Nectar & Knife
Triple Crossing Brewing Co.
Double IPA
"This beer pours a hazy orange-gold with a huge white head, leaving foamy shrapnel on the glass. Dense hop flavors follow. This DIPA is definitely bitter, but not harsh or extreme by any means. Any malt flavor presence gets lost in the mix, which is a minor issue in this otherwise delicious beer. Sticky hop flavor and bitterness lingers in the dry finish. There is a touch of ethanol in the flavor that belies the serious throat-warming going on. This is a doozy that stands out for being smooth and drinkable without holding back."
- Judge Jim Koebel
#14
94
Life Hopquatic
Melvin Brewing
New England IPA
#13
95
Mirror Universe
Fair State Brewing Cooperative
New England IPA
"The beer is very cloudy yellowish and medium gold. Tasting the beer follows the aroma with a whole boatload of tropical character - the same guava and papaya, a bit more bread dough to hold up all the hops, a slight honey sweetness, there's moderate citrusy tangerine notes too - a whole fruit bowl in a beer! Big flavor and aroma hops, medium low hop bittering, and there's a hint of oatmeal. A moderate body with a fairly dry very fruity lingering finish - and just a hint of lime at the end."
- Judge Nelson Crowle
#12
95
Amirite?!
Springdale Beer Co.
New England IPA
#11
95
Captain's Daughter
Grey Sail Brewing of Rhode Island
Double IPA
#10
95
Hoppyright Infringement
NOLA Brewing Co.
Double IPA
"The medium body allows for excellent drinkability and hop astringency is absent despite the heavy hop load. The beer finishes moderately bitter (perhaps a little low for a typical Double IPA) with a long-lingering grapefruit and mango hop flavor. This is a well executed Double IPA with a pleasant, intense, and complex hop character. At 7.6% ABV, this Double IPA is on the low end of the category for gravity and bitterness but it will hold up well against its peers. Hop heads enjoy!"
- Judge Michael Heniff
#9
95
SFY
Threes Brewing
Double IPA
"The beer pours a hazy gold with a creamy, slightly off-white, lingering head. Oranges and tropical fruits, reminiscent of mango and pineapple, are joined by some underlying pine and dankness. Very low levels of toffee sweetness can also be found hiding underneath the hops. The dank and citrusy hops are fighting for dominance in the first sip. As the battle settles down, the tropical fruits rise up mid-palate and are soon flanked by pine resin. The beer is medium-dry but malt sweetness manages to finish things off nicely."
- Judge Rick Franckhauser
#8
95
Alter Ego
Tree House Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"The aroma is definitely heavy on the Mosaic hops with lots of complex fruitiness – melon, berries, candied orange, apricot and grapefruit all make an appearance. The flavor is similarly loaded with tons of the same hop character plus some additional mango and a touch of pine. The bitterness is moderate and leaves a nice balance, which, along with a light doughy/wheat malt backbone, creates a great vehicle for the hops with a very soft, creamy mouthfeel. A highly recommended IPA."
- Judge Dan Preston
#7
95
Digital Bath
Belching Beaver Brewery
New England IPA
"When tasting this IPA, I was looking for tropical/citrus juicy fruits and resin/needle-like notes from the hops, frothy vanilla/wheat character from the malt, bitterness balanced by a creamy mouthfeel, and overall something easy to drink without bitterness getting in the way. Oh yeah, and it needed to be hazy. Overall, it nails my expectations. It’s a bit more sessionable than anticipated and is missing the expected aroma or flavor intensity but otherwise is an enjoyable and appropriate example of type. The real strength of this beer is just how much of it one could drink without getting tired of it.."
- Judge Tracy Hensley
#6
96
Juicy Bits
WeldWerks Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"The aroma has an abundance of bright tropical fruit, mango, and apricot citrusy hops. The flavor has a similar hop character with a touch of sweet malt to balance everything out. The IPA finishes very hop-focused with elements of mangoes, apricots and resin with just a hint of bitterness. This IPA is very well done with a beautifully blended, clean, complementing and complex hop character."
- Judge Michael Heniff
#5
96
Rare Trait
Cerebral Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"Creamy. Velvety. Luscious. Tropical. These are the main characteristics of this beer, but it is also much more than that. The beer puts down my skepticism for both "crowlers" (32-oz. cans that are filled from the tap then sealed) and hazy IPAs. With a massive citrusy nose full of grapefruit, orange and tangerine, the hop profile deepens into tropical notes of passion fruit and pineapple with a hint of mango. These tropical notes carry onward into the flavor and make for an incredibly pleasing flavor profile. There is a rounding out of the mid-palate with bready and toasty malt characteristics and a soft but sufficient bitterness. This does not linger at all, which given this beer's turbid appearance, was quite surprising. The finish was clean and smooth, and it left me itching for more."
- Judge Mike Castagno
#4
96
Juicy Harvest
Upland Brewing Co.
New England IPA
"The hop bitterness was very smooth and well balanced. In some IPAs the hop bitterness can be a little assertive, but that was not the case for this beer. The hop bitterness came off as somewhat subtle and smooth, but still retained that delightful criteria of being an IPA."
- Judge Richard Wong
#3
96
Tunnel Vision DDH w/Citra
Bearded Iris Brewing
New England IPA
"Overall, this is obviously a very fresh sample and at the peak of its prime; the spicy aspects in the flavor imparted by the dry-hopping technique should diminish a little over time and become more rounded as the beer matures. This beer reminds me of a bitter version of a New England IPA combining juicy hop flavor and aroma coupled with the firm bitterness of a West Coast IPA -- offering the best of both worlds to the true American IPA lovers."
- Judge Sal Mortillaro II
#2
97
Haze
Tree House Brewing Co.
Double IPA
"The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, but not filling. Fruity and citrusy hops continue on in the flavor department, boldly pushing any malt aside, leaving the drinker tasting pineapple and orange peel. Bitterness is present but somewhat hidden until the finish. As the beer warms further, the alcohol content becomes a little more noticeable but remains very drinkable. The finish is slightly sweet but still dry, with some light malt finally coming through. Despite its obviously large hop content, the bitterness of this beer is restrained with intense hop aromas and flavors in the spotlight and malt simply performing a supporting role. Highly drinkable and highly recommended."
- Judge Graham L. Barron
#1
99
King JJJuliusss
Tree House Brewing Co.
Double IPA
"A massive amount of hops is packed into this beer, and it even shows in its appearance; this beer is a murky deep orange with a big white head that clings to the sides of the glass until the very last drop, which, admittedly, was much sooner than a beer of this ABV should be. This immensely drinkable beer featured a soft, velvety smooth mouthfeel that served as a plush throne for the huge amount of hops to sit atop. Unlike most DIPAs, there's not an ounce of sweetness to the malt, but rather a light, airy, doughy presence. This beer is aptly named as it just might be the new "King" when it comes to Double IPAs. An amazing beer that's incredibly well done."
- Judge Dan Preston
Thanks for reading about these delectable hazy New England IPAs! Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
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