New England is now influencing old England to make hazy IPAS

India Pale Ale (now known by the colloquial acronym, I.P.A.) began in the era of British colonialism, in the 18th and 19th centuries. Designed for export to occupied India, it was a style brewed to higher strength, more generously hopped than England’s standard Pale Ales of the time (alcohol and hops both have strong preservative qualities, which kept the beer from spoiling when handed off to East India Company traders).

The fruitily bitter flavors yielded from these hoppier recipes, born out of pragmatism, quickly became quite popular. A century later, they were taken to the next level by West Coast American craft brewers in the 1990s. As with so many things American, the addition of hops became competitive bloodsport in beer making, with a super-sizing of IBUS (International Bittering Units, a scale that was developed to measure perceived bitterness).

As demand increased, new American boutique hop varietals were developed to provide a myriad of flavors when used in brewing. The result was a culture of hop connoisseurship/worship. In the early 2010s, a new riff on American IPA was generated in Vermont, which then quickly influenced brewers in neighboring states. This New Englandstyle Ipa-officially recognized as a style by the Brewers Association in 2018-is characterized by an ephemeral juiciness over bitterness, with a more pillowy mouth-feel than the astringent IPAS popular in the ’90s.

Aesthetically, these beers often have a trademark appearance that’s hazily opaque. Now, this fresh take on India Pale Ale has come full circle, back to the U.K..

Here are five of the best such producers that are providing British beer nerds with excellent spins on the hop elixirs of the U.S. Northeast.

Cloudwater

Manchester’s Cloudwater was voted No. 2 brewery in the world by Ratebeer.com users in 2017 and is easily the producer of the U.K.’S most soughtafter, hop-forward beers.

These perfectionist brewers often re-tweak old recipes from their portfolio to get better and better.

The Kernel

The Kernel team, out of London, simply doesn’t know how to make a bad beer. Likely the greatest classicists featured on this list, their catalog of deceptively simple beers bridges the gap between old school British brewing tradition and new school American experimentation.

Kernel’s exceptional India Pale Ale varies batchto-batch in both alcohol by volume and hop varietals.

Lost + Found

One of the more exciting newer experimental craft outfits in the U.K., Lost + Found has been whipping interesting concoctions since the early days in a makeshift brew-lab out of a townhouse garage.

Its brewers, too, have been bitten by the haze bug and have made terrific contributions. A recent release, R27. TRIO.J, was one such perfectly juicy hopforward delight; think orange juice, light coniferous brightness and tea-like bitterness.

Magic Rock

When a can of beer bears the name “Magic Rock,” you can rest assured that its contents will be worth drinking.

Whether it’s a barrelaged stout, sour farmhouse ale or something hoppy, there is a de facto guarantee of quality.

One of Magic Rock Brewing’s fan favorites, the double IPA Human Cannonball, recently got the New England haze treatment. The limited release, called Neo-human Cannonball, showcases low bitterness.

Verdant

Whenever Verdant releases a new can of beer, it won’t last long on London’s boutique shelves.

One of its most-hyped brews remains double IPA Putty, the hoppiest beer it has produced.