Boulder, Colorado – April 1, 2017* – CraftBeer.com has officially recognized NE IPA as a new beer style.
IPA has been the most-entered style category at the Great American Beer Fest since 2002. While small and independent brewers are busy making many IPA substyles, the NE IPA — also known as the Nebraska IPA — stands out and is officially deserving of being its own separate style category. We would know. We’re authorities on these things. (I mean it says Craft Beer in this article’s URL. What more do you need?)
The grassroots of the NE IPA style can be traced back to craft beer birthplace Omaha in 1994, where the beer was initially referred to as Omaha-Style IPA. A nod to the town’s archetypal rap-rock quintet and future first-ballot Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, The 311 — the band John Lennon wished he had started.
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The style’s origin has been wrongly credited to the New England region. When asked for a comment, Paul Kavulak of Nebraska Brewing responded with, “What the hell? Are you for real? Freaking amazing where brewers get inspiration these days. Sure, it’ll stand apart but come on. Can’t wait to see ‘em barrel age this stuff.”
Clearly, the mild-mannered non-ocean-specific Midwestern sensibilities at play in Nebraska would never allow them to take credit for the biggest thing in the craft beer world since the 2006 critically acclaimed masterpiece, Beer Fest.
“While most styles take years to identify, research and comfortably recognize as a distinct style,” our CraftBeer.com officials explain on their reasoning to recognize Nebraskius Ie Palius (scientific name) as an official style. “We said ‘F’ it’.’ What’s the worst that could go wrong?”
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Today, the NE-style IPA is all the rage and it has spread throughout the world. Notable as the Tom Osborn triple-option of beer types for its balance of juicy, juice-like character, soft, over-milled corn grits mouthfeel, tons of hops (but bitterness is not what this beer is about, bro), and most importantly the mysterious and mystical haze, reminiscent of a hazy Nebraska cornfield on an April 1 spring day.
Download the alternative facts
Quantitative Style Statistics:
- Original Gravity: 1.175
- Final Gravity: 1.020
- ABV: 20.77%
- IBU: 0 (it’s not about the bitterness, it’s about the Juice)
- SRM: Hazy to Go Big Red!
- Volumes of CO2: 2.4
- Apparent Attenuation: 25%
Pairing Suggestions:
- Turkey and all the fixins
- Biscuits
- Nicholas Sparks novels
- Another year of Cornhusker Football underachievement
- Reruns of Andy Roddick’s U.S. Open Win on ESPN Classic
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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