Comparison
American IPA vs New England IPA
What is the difference between American IPA and New England IPA?
The short answer
The main difference is bitterness: American IPA has noticeably more of it than New England IPA. American IPA also leads on resin & pine and bread & biscuit; New England IPA on berry.
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
They share comparable sweetness, body, hop aroma, overlapping strength ranges, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| American IPA | New England IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | IPA | IPA |
| Fermentation | Top-fermented (ale) | Top-fermented (ale) |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Category status | Established | Established |
| Strength | 5.5–7.5% ABV | 6–7.5% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 40–70 IBU | 25–60 IBU |
| Colour | Gold to light amber — 6–14 SRM, 12–28 EBC | Pale straw to deep gold, often with an orange cast — 3–7 SRM, 6–14 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.056–1.070 | 1.060–1.075 |
| Final gravity | 1.008–1.014 | 1.011–1.018 |
| Serving temperature | 7–10°C | 7–10°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Tulip glass, Teku glass, Nonic pint | Teku glass, Tulip glass |
| Clarity | clear | opaque |
How they taste different
| Character | American IPA | New England IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Bitterness | High–Very high | Trace–Low |
| Resin & pine | Moderate–High | Not characteristic |
| Bread & biscuit | Low | Not characteristic |
| Berry | Not characteristic | Low–Moderate |
| Floral | Low | Not characteristic |
| Dryness | Moderate–High | Trace–Low |
| Caramel & toffee | Trace | Not characteristic |
Which should you choose?
- You want more bitterness → American IPA
- You want something more restrained — less bitterness and resin & pine → New England IPA
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.