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Alchemist beer community12/13/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Although bitter at ~75 IBUs, it was not a palate wrecker like some west coast style IPAs, many of which were even higher in bitterness. This beer, even though only labeled as an ale, was a big, double IPA clocking in at a respectable 8% ABV. Before the end of January 2004, Kimmich brewed the first version of Heady Topper, arguably the first NEIPA. Opening in November 2003 in Waterbury, Vermont, they named their brew pub The Alchemist Pub & Brewery after noticing a small symbol in the Vermont Pub & Brewery’s old logo, which Noonan explained was the alchemical symbol for fermentation. ![]() John and his wife Jen, who he met while working at the pub, decided to open their own brew pub nearly a decade later after working in a number of beer related occupations. The Six Point Brewers Star which has its roots in alchemy Starting at the bottom, waiting on tables, John eventually became head brewer at the pub, where he experimented with hops in IPAs, a favorite beer style of his. He moved from there in 1994 to learn commercial brewing with Greg Noonan in Vermont. John Kimmich was an avid home brewer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania working in a home brew supply store who decided to make brewing his occupation. However, more importantly to the development of NEIPAs, Greg mentored and influenced the next round of inventive and pioneering Vermont craft brewers.Įnter our next player in the story of NEIPA: John Kimmich. In addition, Noonan is credited with brewing the first version of a black IPA. Not only did Noonan make numerous different beers, but several of them garnered medals at the Great American Beer Festival, GBBF, and other beer competitions. Greg wanted his business to stay as a brew pub so he could brew many different beer styles as well as constantly innovating. A number of other craft breweries had opened around this time but most of them became larger production breweries focusing on a selection of, more well-known beer styles. In 1988 after spending three years lobbying the Vermont legislature to legalize brewpubs, Greg opened the Vermont Pub & Brewery in Burlington, Vermont. ![]() He had published the book Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home – And Microbrewers, which became widely read by new emerging craft brewers. Prior to the 1990s, Greg Noonan had already made a name for himself in the craft beer industry. Despite this rash of IPA innovation, these beers were essentially just slight variations of west coast-style IPAs. Around this time, Smuttynose also released a popular IPA, Finest Kind, followed by other breweries further down the coast such as Dogfish Head’s 60 & 90 Minute IPAs and Victory’s Hop Devil. Harpoon came out with its version of IPA, a style that remains popular to this day. Meanwhile, on the east coast, craft breweries were beginning to follow the trends in beers emerging from the west coast. New hop varieties were also experimented with and became popular in IPAs including the “older” Cascade (citrusy with grapefruit) plus now there was Centennial (Cascade on steroids) and Chinook (piney & herbal, some grapefruit). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s these west coast breweries led the way in brewing innovative IPA–mostly resulting in beers that were higher in both bitterness and alcohol content. But more on that as we dive into the background of New England style IPAs.Īs I wrote in my recent blog post History of the India Pale Ale, the revived IPA by American craft brewers started in California and was boosted by other craft breweries on the west coast including Oregon and Washington, where most of America’s hops are grown. It is interesting to note that so much surrounding NEIPAs has been in contention. Even that statement was controversial just a few short years ago. NEIPA is essentially a sub style of the IPA or India Pale Ale. However, a number of names are in circulation for this style, including New England-style, Northeast IPAs, Juicy or Hazy IPA, Vermont style, or simply “Hazies.” Nevertheless, in the last few years the beer drinking community, including nascent beer imbibers, have embraced the style and vaunted their sales so much that NEIPAs are quickly becoming the leading style of beer throughout the US–and much of the world as well. Even the name is contentious: there is no official name for the NEIPA. Wrapped in controversy since their very beginning, NEIPAs have had a well-storied path to acceptance by the brewing community as well as many beer aficionados. New England IPAs are arguably the most important recent trend in brewing–both currently and for the foreseeable future. ![]()
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