NJ beer: 5 juicy, hazy IPAs among the best New Jersey beer at Hop Sauce

For beer lovers this summer, juice is the thing.

New England-style India Pale Ales, also known as juicy or hazy IPAs are currently dominating the beer market thanks to their rich texture, fruity and complex flavor and pleasingly opaque complexion.

Trade organization the Brewers Association added the style to its 2018 beer style guidelines, and the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this September will reportedly be the first national beer competition to feature this year's style guidelines.

National companies are getting in on the craze, with the likes of New Belgium, Samuel Adams and Brewery Ommegang unveiling juicy, hazy IPAs in recent months.

And of course, New Jersey breweries have embraced this movement, to stellar results.

The proof was in the pouring on Saturday, June 2, at the annual Hop Sauce Festival, held at Veterans Memorial Park in Beach Haven.

Presented by Manahwakin-based lifestyle and apparel company Jetty, Beach Haven shop Spice it Up and Freehold-based Shore Point Distributing, the Hop Sauce Festival raises funds for the charitable Jetty Rock Foundation.

A celebration of craft beer, hot sauce and independent music, Hop Sauce featured more than 25 breweries, including 10 from New Jersey, pouring more than 50 different beers.

And it was all for a number of good causes: this week, the Jetty Rock Foundation donated $15,000 in funds raised through Hop Sauce to Barnegat Bay oyster reef replenishment projects through Parsons Seafood in Tuckerton.

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There were plenty of non-juicy brews available for tasting at the festival, with highlights being the Ouija Wheat German hefeweizen from ManaFirkin Brewing Company in Manahawkin, the Free Parking pilsner by Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing in Cherry Hill and Backward Sunrise, a West Coast-style IPA that's part of the DNA Series from Double Nickel Brewing Company, Pennsauken.

But the dominant style for much of the festival was that distinctly thick and juicy IPA variant dominating so much of the beer scene today. Here are five of the best, haziest Jersey craft beers available at the festival.

1. Jersey Devil Double IPA, Brotherton Brewing Company, Shamong

This hazy brew exudes an indredibly mellow vibe that masks its aggressive 8.4 percent ABV status.

It's a lush creation, with peach, tangerine and pine aromas and an incredibly satisfying flavor. This is a stellar example of this sub-genre at its finest.

2. Hopshorne Cashmere Outside, Jughandle Brewing Co., Tinton Falls

A variant of the Hopshorne New England IPA brewed by this Tinton Falls operation, Jughandle Brewing Co.'s Cashmere Outside took the long trip down the Garden State Parkway to represent Monmouth County in fine fashion on Saturday.

The 7.2 percent ABV beer, dry-hopped with Cashmere hops, was both rich and refreshing, a perfectly enjoyable way to kick off June.

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3. Deep in the Green IPA, Brotherton Brewing Company, Shamong

The fact that Brotherton described their Deep in the Green IPA as "dry and dank" in the displayed tasting notes meant this beer was a must-try, and the product did not disappoint.

Brewed with oats and wheat, dry-hopped with American and New Zealand hops, this is a fruity, piney South Jersey creation at a respectable 7.2 percent ABV that absolutely needs to be sampled by local beer lovers this summer.

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4. Special Ale, Ship Bottom Brewery, Beach Haven

The most hyper-local beers of the day had to be those offered by the Ship Bottom Brewery in Beach Haven, seeing as its North Bay Avenue facility is within walking distance of the festival grounds.

Among the company's offerings was Special Ale, a New England-style IPA clocking in at 6.5 percent ABV, brewed with mosaic and citra hops and a bit of lactose.

5. Jersey Juice, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Somerdale

The most mainstream of the Jersey fresh hazy ales, Flying Fish Brewing Company's Jersey Juice India Pale Ale is an incredibly accessible introduction to this style.

With just 6 percent ABV, this is a comparatively light and breezy iteration of the New England IPA style, brewed with a quartet of hop varieties (Styrian Goldings, Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo) as well as wheat and oats.