NE IPA
THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK. NEBRASKA IPA (SOMETIME REFERRED TO AS A New England IPA) IS IN MY VIEW A BIT OF A DIAL BACK FROM THE HUGE AMERICAN IPA HOP BOMBS THAT BECAME POPULAR. HOMEBREWERS AND PROFESSIONAL BREWERS ALIKE HAVE BEEN WAGING A HOP WAR ON WHO CAN MAKE A BEER WITH THE MOST HOPS CRAMMED IN. THE ISSUE IS YOU EVENTUALLY GET TO THE POINT WHERE THE BEER GETS SO BITTER AND RESINOUS THAT IT BECOMES UNPLEASANT TO DRINK.
THAT'S WHERE THE NE IPA COMES IN. SURE, IT IS A HOP BOMB, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE EXTREME BITTERNESS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE NEW IPAS. INSTEAD IT IS ALL ABOUT THE HOP AROMA. TO ACHIEVE THIS, ALL THE HOPS ARE PUT IN EITHER RIGHT AT THE END OF THE BOIL OR AFTERWARDS BY DRY HOPPING. HUGE AMOUNT OF HOPS, VERY LITTLE BITTERNESS.
A GOODNE IPA SHOULD BE BALANCED, SOFT, JUICY AND SMOOTH. TONS OF HOPS, BUT NOT TOO BITTER. MOST IMPORTANTLY IT SHOULD HAVE A HAZE - IT'S TELL-TALE SIGN.