Continuous and fruitful experimentation with new raw materials and new production processes is always at the heart of microbrewing, constantly creating new beer types.

This is how New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA) started as a subcategory of IPA by brewer John Kimmich in Vermont in 2004. While classic West Coast IPAs aim for beers with high bitterness and aromatic complexity, John Kimmich at his Alchemist Brewery in Waterbury, Vermont, created Heady Topper, an unfiltered, hazy, juicy beer with the appearance of natural juice, emphasizing aromas rather than excessive bitterness, which appeals to the initiated but repels a large part of the consumer audience.

Thus, the first NEIPA, also known as Hazy IPA, Juicy IPA, or Vermont IPA, was born! The beer started as a variation of IPA but spread widely and became so popular that today it is a favorite distinct category. Beer enthusiasts are impressed from the start by the beer's appearance, which is natural, hazy, earthy, and bright. Then, the intense aromas of hops reminiscent of citrus and tropical fruits like mango and passion fruit emerge. And all this without the excessive bitterness that many IPA fans like but it is not really appreciated by many beer consumers.

Craft presents its first batch of Craft NEIPA at the Horeca 2025 Exhibition as a special release beer. Wheat and barley malts, as well as oat flakes, give a rich natural body to Craft NEIPA. Abundant quantities of Australian Galaxy hops and American Citra and Mosaic hops give exotic aromas. We add the hops at late production stages and at lower temperatures after the boil and during maturation to preserve the aromas as the ethereal oils do not evaporate as they do during boiling. We have also reduced hop bitterness as the alpha acids of the hops do not isomerize at lower temperatures to produce bitterness. With the dry & late hopping technique, we maximize the aromas and keep the bitterness at discreet levels. The dense body of the unfiltered beer and the blonde-orange earthy natural color complete the sensory enjoyment.

We innovate by presenting an original recipe, our own creative composition inspired by the pioneering brewers – the English who made the first IPAs for the journey to India, the Americans of the West Coast who revived the IPA category turning it into a canvas of creativity with the use of new hops, and the East Coast brewers who made the more earthy, quiet, and enjoyable NEIPAs. Microbrewing is an endless journey of creation and innovation, and at Craft, we are proud to belong to this global community and we fully embrace its universal values of creativity and free expression. So, cheers with a glass of Craft NEIPA in an original recipe of ours that will see the light of day for the first time at Horeca 2025. We invite you to enjoy it together at our Horeca stand!...