The NEIPA, or New England India Pale Ale to give it its full name, is an incredibly hop forward, hazy beer style that has seen its popularity grow immeasurably in the last five years.
If you’re an avid brewer who’s passionate about modern beer styles, the chances are you’ll want to brew a NEIPA at some point, so we’ve compiled some recommendations on the malts we can deliver to you to help you make that delicious, refreshing beer.
History of the NEIPA
The New England IPA is a variation of the traditional India Pale Ale (IPA), which dates back to the 1780s and the height of the British Empire.
The name India Pale Ale was coined as it was too hot to brew beer in India, so a strong, heavily-hopped prototype beer was sent from Britain to India, with the results being that the beer had not only survived the six-month journey, but it had been transformed during the voyage into an exceptional drink. Thus, the IPA was born.
It was largely forgotten by the late 19th century, with the ‘India’ dropped from the name, but by the mid-1970s, the IPA became a widely used beer style name again, with American craft brewers keen to recreate forgotten British styles.
Its popularity has resulted in numerous IPA ‘sub-categories’ – one of these being the New England IPA, or the NEIPA, which first appeared on the Beer Judge Certification Programme (BJCP) Style guidelines as recently as 2015.
IPA vs NEIPA
The NEIPA’s name comes from the fact it was originally brewed in Vermont, which is a small state in the New England region of the USA. It differs from the traditional IPA in that it is hoppier, hazier and, generally, has a higher alcohol content.
It is also unfiltered and has a much lower bitterness than the traditional IPA and the other IPA sub-categories, while its hazy appearance means it looks not too dissimilar to a fresh fruit juice.
Now, while the hops are undoubtedly more dominant than the malt in NEIPAs, the malts you choose are still important. Below, we’ve outlined some of the malts from our product range that you can use for your NEIPA brew day.
Base Malt for a NEIPA
Golden Promise – Given that the NEIPA is very much a hop forward beer style, a high-performing, well-balanced malt is needed to complement those hops. For that, look no further than Golden Promise, which also helps to give beautiful mouthfeel. Speaking about Golden Promise, Jeremy S. Kosmicki, Brewmaster at Founders Brewing Co. in Michigan, said: “It’s the perfect backdrop for many beer styles and it’s especially good for providing balance in hop forward beers.” In the UK, the likes of Verdant Brewing Co., Cloudwater Brew Co. and Wylam Brewery have all use Golden Promise as a substantial part of the grist in their NEIPAs for the same reason.
Check out all of our Base Malts HERE.
Highly Kilned Malt for a NEIPA
Vienna Malt – Our Vienna enhances the colour, flavour and aroma of all lighter beer styles. Its light, bready and malty notes brings body and it can be used as a base malt – even up to 100% – for a highly hopped IPA such as a NEIPA.
Check out all of our Highly Kilned Malts HERE.
Crystal Malt for a NEIPA
Premium English Caramalt – Lighter crystal and caramalts are used regularly in IPAs to boost the flavour profile even further. Premium English Caramalt, our top of the range caramalt, is useful in a highly hopped IPA such as a NEIPA, as it balances out the bitterness and citrus aromas, while imparting a deliciously sweet malty flavour. Our Caramalt, Crystal Light and Crystal T50 can also make up part of a NEIPA recipe, although this is in very small quantities due to the intended hop dominance of the beer style.
Check out all of our Crystal Malts HERE.
Extra Special Malts for a NEIPA
Malted Oats – Malted Oats have large, thick husks which helps with run off. Once you crack it open, the creaminess of the oats releases a silky smoothness, which imparts a sumptuous velvety texture to your beer. This fullness allows it to take as many hops as you can throw at it for an IPA juice bomb, providing balance. Our huskless oat product, Golden Naked Oats, also works well in a NEIPA for the mouthfeel and extra haze it can contribute. In fact, Kyle Sillars, of Draught Works Brewery in Montana, raved about our Golden Naked Oats and the use of the malt in hazy IPAs such as NEIPAs. Listen to Kyle’s thoughts in the clip below.
Our Dextrin, meanwhile, is particularly useful in very light, hop forward IPAs to balance bitterness when used up to 5%.
Check out all of our Extra Special Malts HERE.
Check out the best malts for other beer styles
- The Best Malts to use for an English Pale Ale
- The Best Malts to use for a West Coast IPA
- The Best Malts to use for a Wheat Beer
- The Best Malts to use for a Stout
- The Best Malts to use for a Porter
If you’re interested in finding out more about our malts or trying them for yourself, then get in touch with our order office team today or contact us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.