New England IPA By Samuel Adams

The fascination over hazy IPAs isn’t slowing down. More breweries are going in which make this style more accessible than ever. This is especially true when a larger nationwide distributor decides to brew one. Sam Adams New England IPA is one of the most readily available beers in this style.

Samuel Adams is one of the original craft breweries in the USA and aren’t always associated with being on the front of trends. But when you really think about it, they make a very wide variety of styles so it shouldn’t be too surprising that the made a New England IPA.

Review Of Sam Adams New England IPA

Two of the key factors that drove the early demand for New England IPAs was their limited availability and short shelf life. These hazy IPAs were made in small batches and were known for losing some of their flavor shortly after being packaged.

Those are two things that large breweries want nothing to do with. They produce larger volumes of beer and then ship it across the world. It has to be able to last a few months in the can.

But it appears that Sam Adams and a few other breweries have started to crack the code on making a shelf stable New England IPA.

This New England IPA comes in at 6.8% ABV with 35 IBUs.

Sam Adams released the New England IPA in four packs of 16oz cans. This is the same format that most small breweries use for this style. Depending on where you find it, the price will vary from $9 – $12 per four pack which is a very good price for this style.

Here is how Samuel Adams describes their New England IPA:

Born inside our nano brewery in Boston, Samuel Adams New England IPA is a medium-bodied, hazy brew featuring a big punch of citrus juiciness.
The slight sweetness is perfectly balanced by the pineapple and grapefruit hop character, without being overly bitter. Clocking in at 6.8% ABV and a low 35 IBUs, the unfiltered IPA provides a burst of fruited hop aroma and leaves drinkers wanting another sip. In comparison to West Coast style IPAs which have prominent hop bitterness and a light, dry mouthfeel, New England IPA’s are generally known for a juicy, luscious mouthfeel and opaque, hazy appearance – and are best enjoyed fresh.

Initial Thoughts

I can’t complain; I’ve had a ton of different New England IPAs from all over the country. These beers were really hard to get for the longest time but beers like Sam Adams New England IPA are changing that.

But there is concern that a nationally distributed product might not be able to match the flavor of the small batch, limited release beers.

With that in mind, I approached this beer with some skepticism. While I didn’t feel like I had to be as good as a Trillium or Treehouse beer, there are certain factors that I was looking for.

When I opened the can, I didn’t get the huge aroma that many beers in this style have. It poured a really pleasant gold color with a bright white head.

The haze appearance is definitely there but not in a murky way. The aroma is citrus heavy and is really inviting.

Tasting Notes

After having a nice experience with the aroma, I was looking forward to tasting it and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed.

Citrus flavor dominates the flavor profile. I get orange and lemon primarily but their description points to pineapple and grapefruit. Either way, you can expect nice citrus to tropical flavors.

I get a good amount of the juicy characteristic that you’d want from this style. It does have a slight hop bitterness in the finish but it is soft and passes fast.

The only thing it really lacked was the heavy body and mouthfeel of other New England IPAs. But I am not too critical about this because it seems that the beers that have the best mouthfeel also have the shortest shelf life.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot to love about Sam Adams New England IPA. I believe they just about nailed the style while still being able to mass produce it and be shelf stable.

And I appreciate that they released it in four packs of 16oz cans. It’s the packaging that we’ve come to expect from this style.

It won’t be the haziest, fruitiest, or juiciest but you also won’t have to wait in line or trade for it. I think that’s a fair trade off.

Related Article: Understanding The New England IPA “Haze Craze”

Conculsion

The New England IPA continues to be one of my favorites. And while searching, trading and waiting in line has been fun; I love that this style is now available on store shelves every day of the week.

If you are a fan of New England IPAs, I recommend checking this one out. If you’ve never had the chance to try this style, this is a great one to start with.

Either way, Samuel Adams has done a great job continuing to be a part of what craft beer is rather than just being a part of its history.

Have You Tried Sam Adam’s New England IPA?