The New England IPA (NEIPA) or Hazy IPA has come to dominate the beer landscape with most breweries having at least one (or sometimes entire portfolios) devoted to the beer style. But how did this happen? In 2013, a small group of breweries in New England, all of which were quite tiny at the time, began to brew a beer that took what we knew of as IPA (bitter, clear) and turned it on its head, creating a thickish, orange colored beer with tons of hop flavor but not a lot of bitterness.
The world took notice and all of a sudden, the NEIPA was a worldwide phenomenon. Let’s go back to the beginning and talk to two brewers from New England who were in the room when it happened, their experiences with the beginning of the trend and how it has changed their approach to brewing today.
Guests
JC Tetreault is the co-founder of Trillium. Since opening in 2013, Trillium has grown from a small brewery to a hospitality icon – now operating five active locations in Boston and Massachusetts, including two full-service restaurants. Most recently, Trillium created their own spirits line and built a distillery at their Canton flagship location – with spirits crafted from grains and botanicals grown at their farm in Connecticut and other locations. Combining his background in Biology and Biochemistry with rule-breaking innovative techniques, JC and Trillium are able to create a wide range of beers that consistently earn the praise of reviewers and beer fans alike. Quality and experimentation are always at the forefront in JC’s approach, whether its beers and spirits or Trillium’s approach to sourcing ingredients from suppliers or growing them themselves, all the way to the brand’s commitment to sustainability and community involvement. At home, you’ll likely find JC training for the 2025 Boston Marathon or puttering in his garden.
Matt Westfall is the owner of CT’s Counter Weight Brewing Company, and has been working in the beer industry for more than 20 years. He co-founded Counter Weight Brewing in 2017. The CW team has been focused on brewing a wide variety of styles, exploring old world traditions as well as experimenting with new processes and techniques.
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This episode is sponsored by:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, where trailblazing runs in the family. From crafting a movement with their iconic Pale Ale, to taking the IPA haze craze nationwide with Hazy Little Thing – it’s an adventurous spirit you can taste in every sip. Find your next favorite beer wherever fine beverages are sold. With new brews for every season, there’s always something to discover. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. Still Family-Owned, Operated & Argued Over.
Em Sauter
Em Sauter is an Advanced Cicerone®, cartoonist, author, beer reviewer, international beer judge and public speaker who runs the award winning website Pints and Panels, which focuses on visual beer education. Her first book "Beer is for Everyone! (of Drinking Age)" was published in 2017 by One Peace Books. Her second book "Hooray for Craft Beer!" was released in April 2022 with Brewers Publications. Em is also co-host of the All About Beer Podcast. She lives in New England with her husband Matt and two cats- Milbo and The Geen.
Don Tse
Living near seven malthouses, Don Tse is a freelance beer and malt writer and consultant known globally as The Don of Beer. He has been active in craft beer for over 25 years and has famously sampled and written tasting notes on almost 27,000 different beers. He is the co-host of the All About Beer podcast. Don has also written for magazines and presented on beer in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine and Singapore. Nobody in those countries thinks his jokes are funny.