It’s hard enough to win a GABF medal in an IPA category. In 2021, North Park Beer won two—one hazy, one West Coast. Founder Kelsey McNair discusses their dogged approach to improvement and new techniques to maximize the flavor and impact of hops.

Aroma: “Lemon and red grapefruit– hops aromas, grain sweetness, and nice hints of pineapple as it warms. Bitter orange, candied citrus, green onion, garlic, and honey add to the juicy character.” Flavor: “Aggressive hops bitterness is piney, resinous. Biscuity malt helps round out the finish. Hint of higher alcohols in the finish. Bitter orange, more scallions, a touch of earthiness, and a lovely caramel note. Complex flavor and great mouthfeel. Finishes with a lingering bitterness.” Overall: “Big earthy hops bomb with very light oxidation. This beer is high enough in IBUs that you really need to let it warm thoroughly before drinking. As it warms, some nice fruity, citrusy flavors help balance out the aggressive hops bitterness. The hops profile comes across somewhat murky, which isn’t to say it’s bad—it leaves one guessing, which can be quite rewarding. A nice double IPA overall.”

Brewers are experimenting with a variety of ways, old and new, to squeeze even more aroma and flavor from their hops and cram it into their beers. But how much hop saturation is too much for drinkers?

From Sapwood Cellars in Columbia, Maryland, here’s a homebrew-scale iteration of their ever-evolving, Azacca-and-Citra-powered hazy double IPA, Pillowfort. Note the mash hops and cold dry hopping—two signatures of the Sapwood Cellars method.

Inspired by tantalizing descriptions of cream ale from the early 20th century, this recipe combines ideas from both the pre- and post-Prohibition eras—including corn in the grist, dry hopping, and above-average strength.

The dry-hopping techniques often used for today’s IPAs can lead to spikes in diacetyl, attenuation, and other issues. Here are ways to avoid it—from different hopping methods to detailed quality control analysis.

Steve Parker, cofounder and head brewer of Fidens in Albany, New York, details their approach to building the kind of soft, juicy, impactful hazy IPAs that keep you going back for more.

Developed by Keith Villa, this recipe for a nonalcoholic peanut butter–flavored porter provides a significant dose of THC from dry-hopping with cannabis.

Pull levers, turn knobs, spin wort—from whirlpools to “dip hopping,” here is a detailed look at some specific hot-side techniques and gear for dialing in substantial hop flavor and aroma.

Go beyond the standard three-addition hopping schedule to test other techniques for injecting hop character into your beer.

It all started with Tipopils... Matt Brynildson, brewmaster of Firestone Walker, talks about the beer that sparked his Pivo—as well as a growing number of Italian-inspired pilsners—and the core elements of this burgeoning sub-style.

This throwback recipe has a tad more malt backbone and sweetness than today’s leaner West Coast–style IPAs. (It tastes like America.)

From our Illustrated Guide to Homebrewing, here are things to consider while your batch moves from fermentation to that time when waiting (and perhaps adding a thing or two) only makes your beer better.

Missing summer already? This creamy, sweet milkshake IPA might bring it back.

Hops-forward lagers may be the last genuinely unexplored area of beer composition and style: let’s enjoy it and help define it.

Stan Hieronymus explains the creeping phenomenon of dry-hopped beers that seem to have minds of their own—and ways to keep them under control.

From a word on water to dry hopping, fining, and carbonating, cofounder and head brewer Evan Price shares an overview of Green Cheek’s process for West Coast–style beers.

A beer that smells or tastes like the lawn you just mowed is likely to disappoint.

For brewers who read and sponge all the info they can find, it may be hard to believe: The authors of two of the most influential brewing books of the past decade run a brewery together. In suburban Baltimore, Scott Janish and Michael Tonsmeire are experimenting at Sapwood Cellars.

It’s a pernicious problem for today’s brewers: the risk of hop creep from dry-hopping. In this detailed video course, Russian River cofounder and brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo digs into the root causes—and lays out strategies to beat it in your own brewery.