What is a Cold IPA? Definition explained by Wayfinder brewmaster Kevin Davey
What is a Cold IPA? Wayfinder brewmaster Kevin Davey explains how, why, and what a Cold IPA is exactly.
By Kevin Davey - (originally published 2/2021)
It started off with a little negativity. I’ve got an opinion to share: I don’t like IPLs. Sure, many are delicious and in no way am I saying that beers defined as “IPL” are bad, but the vast majority are, to me at least, clunky. The clunkiness comes across in two ways depending on how the IPL was brewed. Those two camps are: the “IPA with lager yeast” approach and the “Dry-hopped Lager”.
IPA with lager yeast: recipes in this fashion employ a clean, American IPA recipe and sub the yeast from Chico to lager yeast, usually 34/70, ferment cold and see what happens. The dry hopping doesn’t work the same. The lager esters and uptick in SO2 really does not work with American hops. That sticks out like a sore thumb. Usually, the fermentation is hurried, or it is mis-handled because brewers that try this approach don’t hang their hats on lager styles. They just do not stand out enough to gain any footing.
Dry-hopped lager: This takes a normal pilsner-style recipe and changes the hopping from a classic approach to what we see with American IPAs these days: all the kettle hops in the whirlpool, large dry hop with newer IPA hops (Citra+Mosaic, or NZ+AU varieties, or Hüll varieties). The amount of grassiness is heavy. It lacks the spicey bitterness we’re accustom to with pilsners. This lends the beers to finish sweet and fruity. All of this distracts from drinkability.
Wayfinder Chronokinetic Cold IPA
Back in 2017, when I was designing the early beers for Wayfinder, I really didn’t want to make an IPL. Wayfinder is a Portland-based brewery that makes about half lager beer and half IPA. We may be more known for our lager beers to which I’m delighted. Portland was just starting to see the trend of the NEIPA. I knew I wanted to master that style and put my own spin on it, and we did with Flower in the Kettle IPA. I also wanted to make a clean, West-coast, classic C-hopped beer with a touch of caramel malt (gasp!), and we covered that too with Doomtown IPA named after the classic Wipers song about Portland. But after a while, I just wanted to put my own spin on IPA. It needed to be something that was categorically different than IPL or other IPAs before it.
What I came up with is kind of a blend of lots of things. First, I wanted to incorporate adjunct brewing in IPA. Brewing with adjuncts may be the most American way of brewing so it seems to fit that we make it an IPA, too. Using rice and corn does add a certain body and mouthfeel but allows the beer to be dry without being naked and overly bitter. It also gives the beer its stark yellow appearance. Second, I used our house lager strain of yeast, but ferment it warm (65F) to avoid the excessive SO2. Using a clean fermenting yeast like this allows the hops to shine without a backdrop of ale yeast aromas. We have also tried to make these styles of beer with American Ale and Kölsch yeasts. I’m convinced that many NEIPA enthusiasts might confuse ale esters for hop aroma, (I’m looking at you, London 3) and I wanted to avoid that altogether. Lastly, I added the technique we use for Italian Pilsners: the dry-hop spund or dry hop krausen. In this nerdy process, we dry hop at the tail end of fermentation when there is still plenty of activity or we add fresh fermenting beer to a finished tank with the dry hops. We achieve three things by doing this. 1. We fully carbonate the beer. 2. The still active yeast scrubs any oxygen we add during the dry hopping. 3. Biotransformation of hops.
What we ended up with is decisively unique from IPL or Dry hopped lager. It has a magnificent hop aroma, clean assertive bitterness and a bold, clean finish that makes the drinker crave another sip. I felt it needed a name to differentiate it. So it’s a bit Wester than West-coast, it’s crisp and sessionable, but strong and sneaky. It’s Cold IPA.
Cold IPA creator Kevin Davey
COLD IPAs TO TRY:
Updated 1/24/2022:
Single Hill Brewing Cold Throw IPA
Yakima, WA hop stars Single Hill Brewing have thrown their hops into the ice rink with their new Cold Throw cold IPA. The idea of a Cold IPA style that tried to dampen yeast esters and highlight hops is in line with the brewery’s philosophy on IPA’s already, so the sub-style entry was a no brainer. Cold
Single Hill used Sultana hops for their deep tropical and citrus fruit aromas and resinous character as well. They also tapped Strata hops for their berry and melon aromas that help round out the resinous Sultana and let the flavor of strawberry and pineapple present front-and-center, with pine & resin as backdrop. Cold Throw is available on tap and in cans at throughout Washington.
Seattle, WA’s Reuben’s Brews entered the Cold IPA market in late 2021 with Stay Frosty released in 12oz cans as a limited time offering. It was popular and delicious enough that it will return in 2022 as a late fall/early winter seasonal. Stay Frosty is based on the bold hoppiness of a West Coast IPA with Simcoe, Centennial, Cascade, and Columbus hops and Weyermann Pils, Gambrinus Pils, and Flaked rice for the body. The lager yeast gives a clean body boosted with flaked rice to impart additional clarity and crispness. Gobs of hops build an assertive bitterness, and it’s dry hop at the tail end of fermentation to deliver even more hop boldness. ABV 6.9% IBU 50
McMenamins Brewery Cold as Ripe Cold Double IPA
Oregon’s famed brewpub, movie theater, and hotel properties brand McMenamin’s teamed up with Great Notion Brewing to make their Ripe IPA into something new. McMenamin’s Edgefield brewery took the base recipe of a New England-style Hazy IPA, they beefed it up with an extra tropical but cold and light bodied IIPA at 8% ABV. Available now on draft and in cans at most McMenamins’ locations.
Field & Forge Brewing Cranberry Cold IPA
This interpretation from Field & Forge in Alberta, Canada might be the first holiday/winter seasonal version of a Cold IPA we have seen, as well as one of the first with fruit. Brewed to drink like champagne and cranberries, the brewery promises a juicy treat where fresh cranberry juice & enigma hops team up to create the cranberry beer cocktail you never knew you needed. Brewed as an IPA with Pilsner malt and lager yeast fermented cold, with a subtle hint of cranberries. 6.2% and 50 IBU’s.
Seattle’s Fremont Brewing has made small batch draft-only Cold IPA’s before, but Baxter is their first attempt released in cans. This Rotating IPA Series is named after and in honor of the pets of Fremont. Ingredients: 2-Row Pale and Pilsner malts, and Flaked Corn, with Citra, Centennial, Citra Cryo, and Strata hops. Aromas of Pineapple and other tropical aromas, pine, grapefruit alongside other citrus notes, with some berry, florals, and grassy. The flavor profile is lightly sweet with mild, gently lingering bitterness, within medium body that is slightly warming and mouthwatering. This 7% ABV and 60 IBU cold IPA is available January - April.
Great Notion Brewing Arctos
In the dead of winter, the elusive Arctic wolf makes its migration in the darkness. Introducing Arctos, a cold IPA brewed with an avalanche of Citra and Amarillo hops and ready to be brought back to your den. 6.8% ABV
Polish brewery Brokreacja collaborated with fellow brewers Piwne Podziemie and tapped Yakima Chief Hops new frozen fresh hops program for So Fresh, So Cold. This 6.2% ABV and 15 Plato Cold IPA is brewed with Simcoe, Citra, Mosaic, Cryo Pop Blend, Centennial, Cascade
Ecliptic Brewing / Wayfinder Cold IPA
This collaboration between Portland’s Ecliptic Brewing and Wayfinder Beer was one of the first packaged Cold IPA’s that brought the sub-style to many new people. First released in February 2021, the one-off beer was so popular it’s back again with a limited release on January 26th, 2020. This straight up version of Cold IPA uses the up and coming new hop variety Talus Hops and Pacific Sunrise. The malts are all Pilsner and it’s fermented with lager yeast for a crisp finish. ABV: 8%
New Image Brewing Ice Köld
Colorado’s New Image Brewing offers a new twist on the Cold IPA by using warm fermented Kolsch yeast instead of a lager strain, creating something like a hopped up Kolsch called Ice Köld. The beer is brewed with flaked rice, and is dry-hopped with Nelson and Galaxy. The result is a bright floral hoppy profile, which is enhanced by New Image’s exploration of biotransformation. 7.7% ABV
Alvarado Street Brewery Acapulco Cold
California’s Alvarado Street and Figueroa Mountain Brewing collaborated on their own crisp, dry “IPA” fermented with clean lager yeast and a mix of new age hops along with some traditional Noble hops in the kettle. Floral vibes and fresh cut grass along with peach rings and fresh strawberry from biotransformation during fermentation. The addition of rice in the grist yields a lean body, making this incredibly easy to throw back. 6.5% ABV
San Francisco’s Fort Point Beer Company makes one of the few year-round available Cold IPA’s. The aptly named Cool is an easy-drinking IPA fermented at a colder temperature than most ales for an exceptionally clean finish. As new as it is familiar, Cool combines Citra, Strata and Ekuanot hops and is brimming with aromas of vibrant tangerine and fresh mango. Like the simple pleasure of meandering through San Francisco on a cool, clear night, this IPA is a reason to fall in love with what was there all along and is available on draft and in 12oz cans.
Rogue Ales Knuckle Buster Cold IPA
Our friends at Revival Cycles in Austin, Texas also like to push the envelope with their hand-built motorcycles, so teaming up on a new style of IPA that uses a cold fermentation technique just made sense. Knuckle Buster Cold IPA turns out fairly light in body with a floral hop aroma and flavor. It drinks crisp and refreshing, perfect for winding down after busting your knuckles in the garage all day. Ingredients: Superior Pils, Flaked Rice, Hallertauer Blanc, Belma, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Comet, Cascade. 6.1% ABV 60 IBU 6 SRM
New Realm Brewing / 21st Amendment Rice Cold IPA
Rice Cold IPA is a mash up of a Mexican Lager and an IPA created by brewmasters Mitch Steele at New Realm Brewing and Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment. The result is a crisp, pale gold ale with substantial hop character. The Cashmere hop is the star in this profile, providing flavors of melon, backed by peach, citrus and herbal notes. Idaho 7, Cascade and Galaxy hops are used to add tropical fruit and piney aromas.
pFriem Family Brewers Cold IPA
The Hood River, OR based brewery teased their first Cold IPA in their 2021 beer release schedule. The crisp and crushable, but very hop forward cold IPA is coming out summer 2021.
Working Hands First Tracks IPA
Cold fermented, light, clean, crisp, dank, citrus and resinous, and bright cold IPA is the first beer out of Hood River, OR’s new brewery Working Hands.
Wayfinder Beer Chronokinetic IPA
An extremely pale yellow IPA cool-fermented to showcase its clean balance of New Yakima hops and tropical NZ varieties. Juicy, tropical, citrus-lemon, mint and a bit of dank. Chronokinetic is a sticky, time-altering journey to the hop nebula.
Wayfinder / Great Notion Cold Kush IPA
A hazy and cold IPA hybrid with oads and loads of Citra and Strata hops with ever-more Galaxy on the cold side. Tons of juicy and sticky hops. Read all about the making of this beer here.