When it comes to warm weather IPAs, it’s difficult to beat the refreshing, juicy, hazy, tropical fruit-laden New England IPA. This popular IPA style is a safe haven from the sometimes aggressively bitter West Coast IPA. The best part? Since this style has taken off dramatically in the past five years or so, there are plenty to choose from.
To help you pick a (new, to you!) hazy worth drinking, we asked a handful of well-known craft beer experts, brewers, and beer professionals to tell us their picks for the most underrated hazy IPAs on the market and they didn’t disappoint with their answers. Below, you’ll find some well-known beers that perhaps don’t get the acclaim they warrant and others that should immediately be on your radar. Let’s dive in!
Lone Pine Oh-J
Mike Haakenstad, brewing operations manager at Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina
ABV: 8.1%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
Everyone knows the New England heavy hitters so we will skip all of those. What most people may not know of is a beer called Oh-J from Lone Pine Brewing Company out of Portland, Maine. This beer is on par with the best New England has to offer. Huge aromas of citrus that carry through the entire sip, very well balanced and drinkable, and perfectly carbed every time (which aids in the great mouthfeel). Not sure why this beer doesn’t have the love as some others, maybe it’s the size or location of the brewery, but this beer is excellent and you should have it.
Old Nation Boss Tweed
David Ringler, director of Happiness at Cedar Springs Brewing Company in Grand Rapids. Michigan
ABV: 9.3%
Average Price: $19 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
Old Nation’s Boss Tweed has a bigger Vienna malt backbone with really citrusy fruit aromas that hit the spot for me. This 9.3 percent double New England IPA carries notes of mango, tangerine, and guava that pair well with its pilsner malts.
Funguys Double Agent
Josh Lancaster, brewer at Seven Sounds Brewing Company in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
I recently had a Double Agent Hazy IPA from Funguys Brewing (Raleigh, North Carolina) that stood out as on par with some of the best hazy IPAs I’ve had from world-renowned breweries like Treehouse Brewing. Double Agent has a luscious mouthfeel from oats and lactose sugar that is perfectly balanced with malt character and juicy hops. Fun Guy’s are already making a name for themselves, but I think this IPA is going to grow indefinitely in popularity.
Timber Miles of Trials
Sean Towers, owner and brewer at The Seed: A Living Beer Project in Atlantic City
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: $8 for a 16-ounce can
Why This Beer?
I do think that some of the better and more consistent hazy IPAs on the market these days are coming from Timber Ales. Most recently we have enjoyed Miles of Trials, an IPA dry-hopped with Nelson and Strata hops. Clean and soft, yet not overly sweet and cloying, and layered with saturated, bright, hop character, Trials has been an IPA that I find myself easily finishing a 16-ounce can of (a feat that all too often is not the case). Timber Ales IPAs tend to not be receiving the same hype as their BA releases simply because of the availability, but don’t let the “shelfie” status fool you! Each and every one of the Timber IPAs can hang in there with the best of them.
Real Ale Fresh Kicks
Hector Cavazos, owner and head brewer at Rebel Toad Brewery in Corpus Christi, Texas
ABV: 6.6%
Average Price: $9 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
There are so many good ones out there, but I can say that Fresh Kicks by Real Ale is always consistently good. It has a great hazy look and just the right amount of dankness. Brewed with Azacca, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Strata hops, it’s fruity, juicy, and well-balanced.
Wind Shift Solar Tsunami
Chris Meyers, co-founder at Crane Brewing Company in Kansas City
ABV: 7%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Wind Shift Solar Tsunami is my choice. This is a great hazy IPA. It’s brewed in small batches, so you know it is going to be fresh. Brewed with a mix of El Dorado, Citra, and Cascade hops, it’s loaded with juicy, hazy, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors.
Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing
Mike Kelly, senior brewer at Harpoon Brewery in Boston
ABV: 6.7%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
Why This Beer?
Even though it’s popular, it still doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Hazy Little Thing from Sierra Nevada is a juicy, hop-forward hazy IPA that is approachable, affordable, and readily available across the country. Hazy Little Thing is the perfect beer for someone looking to get into hazy IPAs, but also for the hazy IPA drinker looking to have more than a few pints.
Subversive New York Nectar
Alex Wenner, owner of Lasting Joy Brewery in Tivoli, New York
ABV: 6.5%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
It’s hard to say there is anything like an underrated hazy IPA these days. One of my favorites that doesn’t get enough credit is New York Nectar from Subversive Malting + Brewing in Catskill, NY. Made with entirely New York state grown ingredients, it is very soft, very juicy, and has a surprising seven percent ABV. Considering the current trend of using hops and grain from all across the globe, it is amazing to have a beer that can compete with the highest-rated offerings that are made entirely with ingredients from my home state.
SingleCut Beersmith 18-Watt
Frank Gervasi, certified Cicerone
and general manager at Arizona Wilderness Brewing in Phoenix
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $16 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
I’m going with SingleCut Beersmith’s 18-Watt. It’s a session IPA at five percent ABV, and I feel like SingleCut gets overshadowed by the wealth of great New York breweries. This was a beer I kept on tap often back when I worked in New Jersey and it packed a ton of flavor (mango, tangerine) without coming across as grassy in a smaller beer.
Platform Terra Trooper
Nik Mebane, brewmaster at Wynwood Brewing in Miami
ABV: 7.7%
Average Price: Limited Availability
Why This Beer?
Terra Trooper from Platform Brewing is my pick. The guys from Platform sent us some beers a bit ago and this one really stood out to me. We can’t find many of their products down in South Florida, so I haven’t had many of their beers before. This one was very citrusy and juicy but didn’t feel overloaded with hops. It was nice and balanced, not overly sweet, not overly bitter.
The Alchemist Heady Topper
Jesse Mix, regional manager of beer and soft drinks at Sprecher Brewing Company in Glendale, Wisconsin
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $20 for a six-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
Heady Topper still isn’t very accessible though highly praised. This is unfiltered and unpasteurized beer in its raw form. It’s very resinous, piney, and fruity but with a good amount of malt body to keep everything in check. Even though it’s highly touted, it still doesn’t get talked about as much as it should when it comes to hazy IPAs. It’s the pinnacle of hazy IPAs.
Bhavana Grove
Rob Day, director of marketing for Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Massachusetts
ABV: 8%
Average Price: $16 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
Why This Beer?
Grove from Brewery Bhavana is my pick. It’s hard to describe this other than to say it’s a soft, delightfully citrus beer that hides the booze quite well. I don’t think Bhavana gets talked about for their IPA much, but they do it well.