Those familiar with craft beer scene, know that the New England ipas have been, probably, one of the most popular and sought after styles of craft beer in the last several years.  Those who have been ipa fans for a long time, have been gravitating away from the piney, bitter, clean, dank, ipa style brewed by prominent breweries such as Russian River, Green Flash, Stone, and many others, and appreciating new ipa flavor profiles.  Not too long ago, on beeradvocate.com’s list of top beers, Russian River had two ipas in the top ten beers of the world.  Now, three of the top ten are New England ipas, and Russian River’s Pliny the Younger, most likely due to scarcity, is the only of theirs still remaining on the top ten.   Breweries around the country are all making their own versions of the style in an effort to capitalize on the popularity of this immensely popular trend.

According to some evaluations of the style, which I find considerably accurate, the New England style ipa has a distinct set of characteristics.   The style is typically a hop-driven pale ale that exhibits fresh, juicy, fruity, hop flavors and aromas.  Usually, this style has moderate bitterness, and a low malt profile.  A soft, creamy, mouthfeel is accented by a crisp, dry finish. The body is normally hazy, but not chunky or unappealing.

One of the most sought after brewers of the New England style ipa, and one of the earliest producers of the style, is Treehouse Brewing Company, located in Massachusetts.  It is possible, given the location of the brewery, and their early offerings of the style, to simply call Treehouse’s ipas, New England ipas.  I’ve had the pleasure of having a few Treehouse ipas, and find them quite enjoyable.

One of my favorite local breweries, Pizza Boy Brewing, recently released a New England style ipa, called Dough Boy.  What better way to gauge it’s quality than by putting it up against some Treehouse beers?

Treehouse Tornado – Technically, this beer is an American Pale ale, but given the abv proximity to the Pizza boy beer, and the pedigree of Treehouse for producing world-class examples of New England ipas, it seem a good fit to throw this into the mix.  The body is hazy, and slightly marmalade colored, with a moderate opaqueness.  A fluffy, white, head sits atop the beer, that takes quite a while to dissipate. The smell is slightly sweet, oaty, earthy, and tinged with some floral notes.  There is also a slightly unpleasant, moldy, wet leaves, vegetal and herbal smell to it.  The taste is earthy, smooth, lightly fruited, clean, and pleasant.  Overall, this is a very solid beer, balanced, but truthfully, very middle of the road. 6/10

Treehouse Doppelganger – This is incredibly similar in appearance to Tornado, though, notably, it is a bit hazier and opaque, and slightly darker in tone.  The head is essentially the same as Tornado, but it dissipates a lot more quickly.  The nose is more dank, and piney than Tornado, but earthy, and with mellow notes of grains, and hints of citrus fruits.  The taste superior to Tornado, with a balanced, creamy, body, boasting juicy notes of tropical fruits, cream of wheat, oats, honey, brown sugar, and finishing with a slight tongue-tingling bitterness that titillates the palate.   This is so drinkable, that its difficult to put the glass down.  8/10

Pizza Boy Dough Boy –  This beer is considerably less hazy than the above mentioned brews.  It comes close to looking like a traditional west-coast ipa with a hint of cold haze.  There is a thin, wispy, white, head when poured, that fades very quickly.  The nose is the best of the three.  It smells like juicy, sugary, pineapple, with hints of coconut, fresh red apples, and papaya, with earthy hop notes at the end.  The mouthfeel is full, with fruity, sugary, flavors being prominent, and some bubble gum notes added, as delicate, earthy hop bitterness accents the chewy, palate-pleasing, flavor profile.   This is discernibly different from the Treehouse beers, and slightly deviates from the style expectation, but nonetheless, incredible enjoyable.  Get some while you can. 8/10

Whether a New England ipa is brewed in New England, or the style is emulated elsewhere, it seems both can exist harmoniously, and appeal to many aficionado’s palates.

Humbly yours,

J