Market Watch, September 2018

New England style hazy IPAs have become a leading trend well beyond the region for which theyre named Atlantas Porter Beer Bar always stocks at least one and guests gravitate toward the style 84 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM SEPTEMBER 2018New England IPAs Make Their MarkThis approachable hazy style has broad appeal beyond the core IPA fanPHOTO BY TK TKTheres no mistaking the popular beer style these days at Bier Cellar a two unit Maine beer store New England style IPAs are the most sought after beers among all IPAs says owner Greg Norton Theres strong demand from local consumers and tourists alike He adds that the style accounts for as much as 90 of the stores IPA sales and that unlike West Coast style IPAs New England style IPAs or hazy IPAs arent bitter but appeal to IPA fans because of their distinctive hoppiness Hazy IPAs have been gaining recognition among craft beer lovers in recent years Ken Grossman founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co says the style offers approachability and drinkabil ity with big hop flavor but no bitterness The brewer rolled out Hazy Little Thing IPA in January and Grossman reports that the beer has done extremely well since its launch and is one of the top selling new craft SKUs Demand has exceeded our expectations twice over he says Sierra Nevada is considering expanding the brands packaging options beyond the current 6 pack of 12 ounce cans and boosting marketing support New England style IPAs like Hazy Little Thing have risen in popularity thanks to the reputation of hard to find brews from the regions most sought after breweries like The Alchemist Heady Topper in Vermont and Tree House Julius and Trillium Double Dry House Congress Street in Massachusetts In general the style is unfiltered yielding a hazy appearance that often features floating yeast particles while the addition of hops late in the brewing process results in enhanced aroma and less bitterness Moreover the use of certain new hop varieties gives the brews citrus and tropical notes James Campbell beer specialist and buyer at Bay Ridge Wine Spirits in Annapolis Maryland says novelty is helping to drive sales of the style IPAs have been strong for a decade he explains Hazy IPAs offer consumers a different looking product Bay Ridge stocks up to 20 hazy IPAs priced between 10 and 16 a 4 or 6 pack with Hazy Little Thing its top seller In addition to Sierra Nevada Boston Beer Co is among the leading craft brewers now marketing hazy IPAs Samuel Adams New England IPA was rolled out nationally earlier this year and feedback from drinkers has been overwhelmingly positive according to brewer Megan Parisi Among other brewers marketing hazy IPAs Stratford Connecticut based Two Roads Brewing offers Two Juicy Unfiltered Double IPA which it produces just once a month When its released its a hot item notes co founder and brewmaster Phil Markowski Demand for hazy IPAs is no longer limited to the North east In the last year New England style IPAs have become very popular says Marie Greguska owner of Discount Liquor which has two locations in Wisconsin Custom ers are really seeking them out She notes that the stores post new arrivals on social media and within hours custom ers arrive to purchase them Discount Liquor stocks about 12 different hazy IPAs generally priced at 10 16 a 4 or 6 pack In Atlanta Porter Beer Bar features at least one New England style IPA 6 8 a 16 ounce pour among its 40 draft brews according to co owner Molly Gunn We havent had to promote them she says They sell themselves Freshness is a major consideration for New England style IPAs Parisi notes that Boston Beer collaborates with wholesal ers on a freshness program to ensure the quality of the beer on the shelf Retailers are also cognizant of the importance of main taining the styles quality Bier Cellars Norton for example points out that his stores only sell locally produced hazy IPAs generally priced at 13 21 a 4 pack of 16 ounce cans and inventory is strictly managed to prevent back stock Retailers and brewers are cautiously optimistic that hazy IPAs will continue to win over consumers Theres no indi cation of a slowdown says Markowski Grossman expects the style will persist pointing to the consumer acceptance thats already been seen And Bier Cellars Norton spurns any notion that New England style IPAs are a fad Were seven to eight years in with brands like Heady Topper he says Thats pretty long for a fad mw Terri AllanBEER BUZZMW0918_