Judging hazy IPA fairly against the style guidelines

Start from what the guidelines actually say

The BJCP 2021 guidelines list Hazy IPA as style 21C, with ABV of about 6 to 9% and bitterness of about 25 to 60 IBU. The Brewers Association guidelines list juicy or hazy pale ale, IPA and double IPA as separate styles. Whichever set your competition uses, read it before the flight, not during.

The core expectations are consistent: intense fruity hop aroma, often tropical or stone fruit; a soft, smooth, full mouthfeel; bitterness that is restrained and does not linger harshly; and a hazy appearance. The beer should taste like a hop-forward IPA with the bitter edges rounded off, not a fruit juice and not a yeast slurry.

Haze is not a fault here

The single most common unfair mark on a hazy IPA is a deduction for cloudiness. Haze is part of the style. It comes from proteins and polyphenols from oats, wheat and heavy dry hopping, plus some yeast. The 3 points for appearance should reward a stable, opaque-to-hazy beer with a good head.

What you can fairly criticise is murk that looks like suspended yeast: a muddy, grey or brownish colour, chunks or a thick sediment layer. Colour should still be pale, somewhere between straw and deep gold. Our guide to judging colour and clarity covers how to look at a beer before tasting.

The faults that hazy IPA is prone to

The style has a short list of common problems:

• Hop burn: a harsh, scratchy, almost peppery feeling at the back of the throat, usually from hop particles that never settled. It is a mouthfeel fault, so mark it under mouthfeel and flavour.
• Oxidation: fruity hops fade to dull, cardboard or onion-like notes. The colour drifts darker, sometimes towards grey or brown. Hazy IPAs are very sensitive to oxygen after packaging.
• Diacetyl: a buttery or butterscotch note, often from hop creep. Dry hops contain enzymes that restart fermentation. The yeast then produces diacetyl again late in the process.
• Yeast bite: a bitter, yeasty, sometimes sulphury edge from too much yeast in suspension.

Each of these deserves a clear description and a deduction. Being a modern style is no excuse.

Judge the hop character on what is there

Aroma carries 12 points on the BJCP sheet and this style lives or dies on it. Describe what you smell: mango, passion fruit, citrus, peach, pine, dank. Note intensity. A hazy IPA with faint, muddled hop aroma is a weak example even if it is clean.

Some hop aromas fade fast. Freshness is part of fairness. A beer packaged two months ago may have lost much of its aroma. That is a fault you can name. Our guide to fresh and stale IPA describes how hop aroma decays.

Bitterness and sweetness in balance

Hazy IPA should feel less bitter than a West Coast IPA of the same strength. Some of that is real: lower IBU, more late and dry hopping. Some is perception: a softer, fuller body masks bitterness.

Penalise two extremes. One is harsh bitterness that lingers, which usually means too much early kettle hopping or hop burn. The other is cloying sweetness, where residual sugar and lactose or a high finishing gravity make the beer taste unfinished. A good example finishes soft but not sticky.

Serve it at the right temperature

Hazy IPA judged straight from a cold store at 2 °C will hide aroma and exaggerate bitterness. Around 7 to 10 °C lets the hop character open up. Our guide to beer serving temperature covers the ranges. In a competition, ask the steward to pull hazy entries a few minutes before the flight if they are being served very cold.

Mouthfeel is where hazy IPA earns its name

The soft, round mouthfeel is as central to hazy IPA as the haze. Oats and wheat add proteins and beta-glucans that give body. A moderate finishing gravity adds fullness. Carbonation is usually moderate rather than high, so the beer feels creamy rather than prickly.

On the scoresheet, mouthfeel carries only 5 points, but it is where many hazy IPAs succeed or fail. Reward a smooth, full body with a soft finish. Mark down thin, watery examples that taste like a clear IPA with some haze added. Also mark down beers that are heavy and syrupy, where the body feels more like a milkshake than a beer.

Watch for astringency too. Heavy dry hopping extracts polyphenols, which can give a drying, tea-like grip that clashes with the soft character the style promises.

Separate your preference from the style

Some judges love hazy IPA. Some cannot stand it. Neither feeling belongs on the scoresheet. The question is how well this beer meets the style description, not whether you would order it. Our piece on judging to style versus for pleasure covers this in more depth.

Your first step: before your next flight, taste two commercial hazy IPAs side by side, one very fresh and one a couple of months old. Write a full scoresheet for each. The differences in aroma and colour will train your eye and nose for the faults that matter.

Common questions

Should judges penalise haze in a hazy IPA?

No. Haze is part of the style. Deduct only for murky, muddy or chunky appearance that suggests suspended yeast or a fault.

What is hop burn?

A harsh, scratchy sensation in the throat from hop particles in suspension. Judges should note it under mouthfeel and flavour.

Why do hazy IPAs often have diacetyl?

Dry hops can restart fermentation, a process called hop creep. The yeast then produces diacetyl again late in the process.

What ABV should a hazy IPA be?

The BJCP 2021 guidelines give about 6 to 9% ABV for Hazy IPA, with bitterness around 25 to 60 IBU.