American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
Niall Brennan – DC Correspondent
They go by many names nowadays – anything from the New England IPA, to hazy or cloudy IPAs, and now even “juice bombs.” But whatever you call them these cloudy, less bitter and hugely flavorful ales, they have fast become a nationwide phenomenon.
And here are 5 Essential Hazy IPAs that you need to try before you “kick it.”
Heady Topper
Just as Anchor Brewing’s Fritz Maytag, Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman and Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo might all be rightfully credited for their roles in creating what has become known as the “West Coast IPA….one needs look no further than to Vermont’s The Alchemist for this exciting new variation’s origins. That’s where Head Brewer John Kimmich single-handedly reinvented the American IPA with his take on what he graciously credits, a British tradition.
Still considered by many to be one of the nation’s most coveted beers Heady Topper “IS” the IPA that spawned the movement that quickly spread from New England to brewing capitals all across America. Big but not enormous, this 8% ABV Imperial still generates early morning crowds at their new Stowe, Vermont location – and deservedly so.
Master of Karate
Operating out of a tiny storefront in Herndon Virginia since September of 2015, Aslin Beer is one of the hottest breweries producing hazy IPAs right now.
Master of Karate was their first beer to catch national attention from beer nerds and you can understand why. Hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic and Amarillo and clocking in at a very well-hidden 8.4% ABV this wonderfully opaque IPA drinks like a mango smoothie. You can see why hop heads stand in line for this beer.
Contains No Juice
Alvarado Street Brewery burst into the scene at last year’s San Diego Beer Week when lines for their beers exceeded those at some of the region’s more famous and exalted peers.
And Contains No Juice is a great example of why…
Generously dry-hopped with Citra, Contains No Juice’s cloudy orange color gives way to flavors of Mango and citrus fruits.
Spock It
Torrance, California’s Monkish Brewing is yet another brewery where it’s hard to pick a single IPA, such is the relentless barrage of one-off releases that hit the street from them every week.
This one was one of our favorites of last year though. Will we see it again? Who knows…but you can be assured if you’re drinking a cloudy IPA from Monkish it’s probably gonna be an exceptional sensory journey.
Tree House Haze.
Tree House may not have been the first brewery to specialize in hazy IPAs but many would argue that this Monson, Massachusetts artisan operation may have perfected them.
With so many Tree House juice bombs to choose from it’s hard to narrow it down to a single choice but we eventually settled on Haze. Attractively packaged in a bold purple can it socks you with grapefruit and other citrus notes while retaining a pleasing hop character.
Tree House Haze photo credit: Insurance Guy Beer Blog
