http://traffic.libsyn.com/bminusshow/NE_Ipas_craze_with_haze_1.mp3

    Hazy / Murky  / Juicy / New England IPA

Hazy/murky/juicy and New England IPA ‘s are all the hype nowadays and for a good reason – they are very good. The “names” tend to be interchangeable and are the same thing from what I gathered.

These beers tend to have low flocculating yeasts, proteins and/or sediment; giving the beer a cloudy (hazy) appearance. They typically tend to resemble a juice by smell and sight and they taste very tropical with mild bitterness and almost a milky thick texture.

They usually range in the 5-8% range.

Although just recently they were harder to find, you can now find these types of beers a lot quicker. With Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada releasing their hazy IPA’s, you should be able to access this style with minimal searching.

I highly recommend the Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing if you are into these types of beers. Even non IPA people will enjoy this beer.

As time goes on, the beers are getting more fanciful, for example, branching out. Take a milkshake pineapple double IPA, or even a tropical cloudy pale ale to brighten up your taste buds.

So grab yourself this style of beer. Drink away. Just remember there is actually a decent of amount of alcohol in these…

I have made this beer two times now and I seem to be getting better at it. Below is some information I have gathered from research and practice. Enjoy.

BREWING CONSIDERATIONS:

Some brewing techniques I have learned with this style of beer are as follows (I have brewed two to date):   use a low flocculation yeast such as Vermont Ale yeast or London Ale III yeast.

I gotta be honest, I haven’t tried these yeasts yet so my beers lean towards the less hazy style, but they are still hazy and juicy. I have only used my Safale US 05 two times so far, with intentions to try out the former two yeasts very soon.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({

google_ad_client: "ca-pub-8690956074866786",

enable_page_level_ads: true

});

*Update: I did try the London Ale III recently with large success. It makes a world of a difference.

Late hop additions are very important to gather more aroma characteristics instead of bittering compounds. So usually I will pitch hops with 30-40 minutes left in the boil, then usually either with 10, 5 and/or 0 minutes left in the boil.

Some people add flour but I haven’t found the need to do so. I have heard from other brewers that adding flour isn’t the true way or preferred method of making hazy IPA’s.

Always dry hop to enhance the juicy aroma.  With you hop choices, you may consider using more tropical varieties of hops. Many of these stem from New Zealand, but there are plenty of options.

Knowing your hops can make a huge difference, for example  if you want a spicy peppery flavor with your juiciness or if you want straight tropical, your hop variety will have to adjust accordingly.

 

Similar to your grain bill; focus mostly on two row malts as your main grain. Oats and wheat grains are also utilized, at least by me to help with the haze.

Do not filter your beer and think twice before cold crashing. That will take out the haziness.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

     I think this beer style will rope in a whole new slew of craft beer geeks and enthusiasts. How long will this hype last? Who knows. I have concerns about these beers getting a little out of hand with artwork and marketing. It almost seems that this type of beer is getting more experimental and almost brings the craft beer world into a fad or gimmick, but I stated almost.

Now if bigger corporate America duplicates these styles (or any other popular craft beer styles) it wo...