M AY 2 0 1 8 7 3 Libations meaghan maurice Trending Into Maine It’s time to consult your the season’s beer forecast. It’s looking like a juicy, hazy summer ahead. By Josh Christie T his spring, The Brewers Associa- tion officially added three new styles to its Beer Style Guidelines: “Juicy or Hazy-style” Pale Ales, IPAs, and Double IPAs. Maine’s reaction? About time. Col- loquially known as New England IPAs (or NEIPA), this brew style exploded in pop- ularity over the better part of a decade. While most point to Vermont’s Heady Top- per as the original of the style, many of the best examples are brewed right here in Maine. At Lone Pine Brewing Company, Bissell Brothers, and Mast Landing Brew- ing Company, the juicy, hazy allure of the NEIPA is their bread and butter. So what’s all the fuss? Where the clas- sic IPA is often aggressively bitter, NEIPAs are much softer on the palate. The hop bills tend to favor late additions of hops that im- part fruity and tropical flavors rather than grassy and herbal. Malt bills are cut with wheat and oats, which gives a smoother feel on the palate–as does the occasional addi- tion of lactose. Finally, they’re often left un- filtered, which gives them their signature haziness. Unlike astringent IPAs of old, NEIPAs are floral, fruity, and smooth. The appetite for Maine-made NEIPAs remains fierce, with few signs of slowing af- ter half a decade. In recent weeks, Libby- town’s Bunker Brewing Company released its own take on the style: Beastcoast IPA. Even with customers limited to two 4-packs a person, it sold out within 24 hours. Bat- tery Steele Brewing regularly sells out of beer in its tasting room. And Bissell Broth- Hazy days: T-Shirt Cannon by Lone Pine Brewing uses three hops and plenty of oats to layer complex fruit character with a soft mouthfeel.