NEIPA

The New England IPA is defined by its water as much as its hops. Where a West Coast IPA leans on sulphate to sharpen bitterness into a clean, dry finish, the NEIPA flips that ratio: high chloride, low sulphate. The result is the soft, round, full-bodied mouthfeel the style is known for. Chloride at around 150 ppm enhances the perception of malt sweetness and body, filling out the midpalate and giving hop oils somewhere to sit rather than cutting through. Sulphate stays low (around 50 ppm) to avoid drying the finish or pushing bitterness forward. The chloride-to-sulphate ratio (roughly 3:1 here) is the single most discussed number in NEIPA brewing, and for good reason: shift it toward sulphate and the beer starts tasting like a pale ale; push chloride too high (above 200 ppm) and the beer can become flabby and cloying.

Calcium at 60 ppm is enough to support healthy yeast metabolism and good hot break formation without adding excessive hardness. Bicarbonate is moderate (75 ppm), keeping mash pH manageable with the pale grain bills typical of the style. Sodium at 15 ppm adds a subtle sense of fullness without approaching the threshold where it becomes perceptibly salty.

This profile represents the community consensus that has emerged since the style took hold in the mid-2010s. There is no single canonical NEIPA water (the style is too young and too geographically dispersed for that), but the convergence across homebrew forums, Scott Janish's research in The New IPA, and Brülosophy's exBEERiments is striking. If your water is naturally hard or sulphate-heavy, the style will fight you. Start soft, add chloride, and let the hops do their work.