How to Brew Hazy IPA

To achieve the signature cloudiness and smooth mouthfeel of a Hazy IPA, you need a protein-rich malt base. Unlike traditional IPAs that rely on simple barley malt, brewing Hazy IPA requires flaked oats, wheat, and specialty grains to keep hop compounds suspended and enhance the beer’s creamy body. 

Our Craft a Brew New England IPA recipe utilizes: 

• Pilsen Dry Malt Extract – Provides the base fermentable sugars. 
• Flaked Oats – Increases protein content, haze, and mouthfeel. 
• Carapils Malt – Improves head retention, keeping that fluffy white foam intact.
• Honey Malt – Adds a subtle touch of sweetness to balance the hops.

A Hazy IPA isn’t about bitter hop bite—it’s about massive tropical fruit aroma and flavor. To achieve this, hops are added after the boil and during active fermentation in a process called dry hopping. This enhances aroma and juiciness without extracting excessive bitterness. 

Popular hop varieties for brewing Hazy IPA include: 

• Mosaic – Delivers bold pineapple, mango, and passion fruit flavors. 
• Citra – Bursting with juicy citrus and tropical fruit notes. 
• Simcoe – Brings a balance of citrus, pine, and subtle berry undertones.

When you brew your own Hazy IPA, hop timing is everything. The majority of the hops should be added post-boil, during whirlpooling, or as dry hop additions to keep bitterness low while maximizing juicy aroma.

Yeast selection plays a huge role in Hazy IPA brewing. To maintain haze and enhance the beer’s signature smooth mouthfeel, low-flocculating yeast strains are used. These yeasts stay suspended in the beer longer, creating a cloudy, fruit-forward profile. Our New England IPA Kit includes SafAle S-04 dry ale yeast, a top choice for home Hazy IPA brewing due to its: 

• Low attenuation – Leaves behind residual sugars, adding body and a slightly sweeter finish. 
• Low flocculation – Keeps yeast and hop compounds in suspension, contributing to haze. 
• Fruity esters – Enhances the juicy, citrusy character of the hops.

If you’re looking to brew Hazy IPA at home with a unique twist, consider these optional ingredients:

• Calcium Chloride: Adjusts water chemistry to create a fuller, rounder mouthfeel. 
• Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum): Minerals present in tap water and spring water are important for fermentation. This ingredient helps add minerals back to Reverse Osmosis water or soft water. It also enhances hop character in a beer!
• Lactose: Enhances hop character, making tropical and citrus flavors pop. 

By using the right IPA ingredients you’ll be able to master the Hazy IPA brewing process and craft a beer that’s bursting with juicy, hazy goodness. 

Ready to brew your own Hazy IPA? Craft a Brew’s New England IPA Beer Making Kit includes all the IPA ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions to help you create the perfect hazy, fruit-forward IPA at home. Grab your kit today and start brewing! 🍻

You’ll need a stock pot to brew your beer - 1-2 gallon volume for a 1 gallon beer, a 5+ gallon stock pot for a 5 gallon batch. A stock pot is essential for boiling your wort (unfermented beer). Choose one that leaves some head space for foam in order to prevent boil-overs. Be careful, though, too large of a pot can lead to excessive evaporation, so aim for the right balance.

Temperature control is crucial for how to brew Hazy IPA at home. Maintaining the correct temperatures at different stages ensures proper enzyme activity and yeast performance. Our IPA making kit includes a glass lab thermometer, but you can also use a digital food-safe thermometer to monitor:  

• Mash temperature: 155ºF for steeping grains 
• Yeast pitching temperature: Below 75ºF
• Funnel

A funnel helps transfer the wort (unfermented beer) from your brew pot into the fermenter with minimal mess. Our Hazy IPA making kit includes a 4” funnel to streamline this step.  

Fermentation is where the magic happens! A 1-gallon glass carboy is the ideal vessel to ferment your Hazy IPA. It allows for proper yeast activity and hop interaction while maintaining a sealed environment. A rubber stopper ensures an airtight fit to prevent unwanted contamination.  

A racking cane is a rigid plastic tube that is submerged into your beer to start a siphon transfer. Siphons reduce oxidation and help lift your fermented beer up off of sediment and into bottles. A racking cane is included in our hazy IPA making kit.

After fermentation, you’ll need to carbonate your beer in bottles. You can use flip top bottles, like Grolsch style bottles, or you can use pry-off beer bottles, caps and a capper tool. Per gallon of beer, you’ll need roughly:

• ten 12oz bottles
• eight 16oz bottles 
• four 32oz bottles

A funnel helps you transfer the wort (unfermented beer) from your stock pot into the carboy. A 4” funnel is included in our Double IPA making kit.

When working with high volumes of hops, a nylon hop straining bag is highly recommended on brew day. Keeping hop sediment contained helps improve the overall clarity in your Double IPA. Keeping hop matter out of the fermenter and out of your bottles improves the overall flavor of your IPA.  

Step 1: Sanitize Everything

Before you begin brewing, proper sanitation is critical. Any bacteria or wild yeast can ruin your beer.

• Mix half of the included sanitizer packet with 1 gallon of water in a bucket or pitcher. 
• Submerge all equipment that will touch the beer after boiling (fermenter, funnel, airlock, tubing, thermometer). 
• Let everything soak for at least 60 seconds. No need to rinse—just let the sanitized equipment air dry on clean paper towels.

Step 2: Heating the Water & Steeping the Grains

• Pour as close to a gallon of water as possible into your brew pot while leaving a few inches of space to prevent boil-overs. 
• Heat the water on high heat until it reaches 155°F (68°C). 
• Place the specialty grains (flaked oats, wheat malt, and Carapils) into the grain steeping bag, tie it off, and steep in the water for 20 minutes. 
• Remove the grain bag and discard—do NOT squeeze it, as this can release tannins and create unwanted bitterness.

Step 3: Boiling & Adding Malt Extract 

Most hazy IPAs won’t use “Bittering” hops, since the style favors fruit forward hop flavor and aroma instad of hop bitterness. Because of this, our Hazy IPA features a short 20 minute boil (just to incorporate the Dry Malt Extract) and no hops will be added to the boil.

• Increase the heat and bring the wort (unfermented beer) to a boil. 
• Once the first bubbles appear, remove the pot from heat and slowly stir in the dry malt extract (DME) to prevent clumping. 
• Return the pot to medium-high heat to maintain a gentle rolling boil. Set a 20-minute timer.

Step 4: Hopstand for Maximum Aroma 

• After the 20-minute boil, turn off the burner and remove the pot from heat.
• Place a sanitized thermometer in the wort and allow it to naturally cool to 180ºF. 
• Once it reaches 180ºF, add the Hopstand Hops. Adding hops at this time allows the flavors of the hops to infuse without adding excessive bitterness. 
• Let the wort naturally cool for 30 minutes, allowing the hops to release their essential oils and juicy aromatics.

Step 5: Cooling the Wort 

• After the 30 minute hopstand, the wort must be cooled to a yeast-friendly temperature of 75ºF before fermentation can begin. 
• Create an ice bath in your sink using ice and cold water. 
• Place the pot in the ice bath and cover it with a lid to avoid contamination. 
• Stir the surrounding ice water occasionally to speed up the cooling process.
• Use a sanitized thermometer to check that the wort is below 75°F (23°C).

Step 6: Transferring to the Fermenter & Pitching Yeast 

• Using a sanitized funnel, transfer the cooled wort into the sanitized fermenter, leaving behind any thick sediment (trub). 
• If needed, add cool water to bring the volume up to the "one-gallon" fill line. 
• Cut open the yeast packet and pitch the yeast (sprinkle the entire contents into the fermenter). 
• Aerate the wort by sealing the fermenter and shaking it vigorously for one minute to ensure yeast has the oxygen it needs.

Step 7: Setting Up the Blow-Off Tube & Monitoring Fermentation 

• Insert a sanitized blow-off tube into the fermenter’s rubber stopper. Place the other end in a half-full glass of water. This prevents foam overflow. 
• Store the fermenter in a dark, temperature-stable location (ideally 60-75°F).
• Within 24-48 hours, bubbling activity should begin in the blow-off tube as fermentation starts. 

Step 8: Swapping the Blow-Off Tube for an Airlock 

• After 4-5 days, once bubbling slows down, swap the blow-off tube for an airlock filled with sanitized water. 
• Fermentation will continue for about 10-14 days. 

Step 9: Dry Hopping for Maximum Juiciness 

Dry hopping enhances the juicy, aromatic character of a Hazy IPA. 

• After 4 days of fermentation, add the first packet of dry hops directly into the fermenter. No need to stir—just let them steep. 
• After 10 days of fermentation, add the second packet of dry hops for an extra boost of aroma. 
• Continue fermenting as usual.

Step 10: Preparing Bottling Equipment & Priming Sugar  

• Sanitize bottles, caps, siphon tubing, and the bottling wand or racking cane.. 
• In a stockpot, heat 1.5 cups of water with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until dissolved and boil for 5 minutes. 
• Allow the sugar water (priming sugar) to cool completely before using.

Step 11: Siphoning Beer into Bottles 

• Place the fermenter on a high surface and the pot of priming sugar on the floor. 
• Siphon the beer into the pot, carefully leaving sediment behind. 
• Gently stir the beer to evenly mix in the priming sugar. 
• Using sanitized tubing, siphon the beer into bottles, filling just to the neck. 
• Cap the bottles.

Step 12: Carbonation & Aging 

• Store bottles in a dark, temperature-controlled area (68-75°F) for two weeks to allow natural carbonation to develop. 
• After 14 days, refrigerate and enjoy your homebrewed Hazy IPA!

✅ How to Avoid It: There are many points throughout the process where oxidation risks are increased:

• When transferring beer , always use a racking cane or mini auto siphon to minimize splashing and air exposure. 
• When dry hopping, work quickly to reseal the fermenter and limit the time it's exposed to oxygen. 
• When carbonating in bottles, store them in a cool, dark place to slow oxidation and preserve hop freshness.

✅ How to Avoid It: Use filtered or spring water instead of tap water, which may contain chlorine and unwanted minerals. Adjust water chemistry with brewing salts like Calcium Chloride (to enhance body and smoothness) and Gypsum (to boost hop perception). Aiming for a higher chloride-to-sulfate ratio creates a softer, rounder mouthfeel, which enhances the haze and juiciness.

✅ How to Avoid It:  Skip early boil hop additions and instead focus on whirlpool, hopstand, and dry hopping techniques. 

• Whirlpool or hopstand additions (hops added after the boil when the wort cools to 180°F) maximize aroma and flavor without excessive bitterness. 
• Dry hopping during fermentation (after Day 4 and again after Day 10) enhances juicy hop character while preserving haze stability.

Fermentation temperature can make or break your hazy IPA, affecting both flavor development and yeast health. Avoid temperature swings, as they can cause off-flavors or a stalled fermentation. There’s a saying that “brewers make wort, but yeast make beer.” It’s true! Be sure to give yeast the optimal environment and your beer will be better for it.

Oxidation is undesired in any beer, but highly hopped hazyIPAs are extremely sensitive to oxidation, which can cause hazy beers to turn brown and develop cardboard-like flavors. The best ways to reduce oxidation risk include: avoid splashing and excessive movement when transferring wort or bottling and using a siphon to reduce beer’s oxygen exposure. 

Proper sanitation is one of the most important aspects of homebrewing. Any bacteria or wild yeast contamination can ruin your beer. Sanitize ALL equipment that touches your beer after the boil, including fermenters, airlocks, siphons, and bottles. Use a no-rinse sanitizer (like the one included in our IPA Kit) for convenience. Always rinse out your siphon and tubing immediately after use to prevent buildup.

To become a better brewer, you must learn from past missteps and take pride in your improvements! The best way to monitor your progress and brew better beers is to log everything. Get yourself a simple brew journal and log everything from ingredients and their weights, to dates, temperatures, tasting notes and everything in between.

The iconic cloudy appearance of a Hazy IPA comes from a combination of high-protein grains, yeast suspension, and heavy dry hopping. If your beer turns out too clear, it may be missing some key elements. 

How to Maintain Haze Stability: 

• Use flaked oats, wheat malt, and honey malt to increase protein levels and promote haze retention. 
• Select a low-flocculating yeast strain (like London Ale III or SafAle S-04) that stays suspended rather than settling at the bottom. 
• Dry hop during active fermentation (around Day 4-5) to encourage biotransformation, a process where hop compounds interact with yeast to enhance haze and aroma. 
• Avoid cold crashing (chilling before bottling), as it can cause proteins and yeast to settle, reducing haze.

Fermentation temperature is critical when brewing Hazy IPA at home. Too warm, and you’ll get harsh, boozy off-flavors; too cold, and fermentation may stall, leading to a bland, unfinished beer. Maintain a steady 65–70°F (18–21°C) fermentation temperature. Use a fermentation chamber or temperature-controlled space if needed to prevent fluctuations. Higher temperatures (above 72°F) can cause yeast to produce excess esters or fusel alcohols, which may overpower the hop character. Lower temperatures (below 64°F) can slow yeast activity, leading to a stalled fermentation.

Hazy IPAs are best enjoyed fresh! Unlike traditional IPAs, where bitterness can mellow over time, Hazy IPAs rely on bright, juicy hop flavors that fade quickly. Oxygen exposure can also degrade hop aroma and cause off-flavors. Here’s How to Preserve Freshness: 

• Enjoy within 1–3 months of brewing for peak hop flavor. 
• Store bottles or kegs cold (35–40°F) to slow hop degradation. 
• Minimize oxygen exposure by using proper bottling techniques and airtight storage.