what is a cold IPA? and why you need to try one
The world of beer can be pretty confusing. You know it’s cold and refreshing, and you probably know your go-to order when out to eat with friends, but what makes an IPA an IPA? Or a Hazy a Hazy…, and what the heck makes a Lager a Lager? But more importantly, have you heard of one of the newest styles that’s making waves in the beer world - the Cold IPA? Today, you'll figure out exactly what makes this fresh style of IPA so delicious!
What you will learn:
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What is a Cold IPA?
How is a Cold IPA made?
What is different about Cold IPA vs IPL vs Brut IPA?
Who is brewing the best Cold IPA?
Where can I find a local Cold IPA?
what is a Cold IPA?
A Cold IPA isn’t just about the temperature that the beer is served at. Cold IPAs are a new style of IPA that blends the lines between a more traditional IPA and a lighter lager beer. Different yeasts and brewing techniques are paired with the typical high dose of hops found in regular IPAs. The result is a clear and hoppy beer with a light and refreshing body.
This new trend in beer is leaving people feeling excited, but also confused. To put it simply, the goal of a Cold IPA is to combine the flavors of an IPA with the light body of a lager. According to Focus On The Beer, “Cold IPAs attempt to bridge the gap between hazy/juicy IPAs and crisp session-able lagers, providing drinkers with a clean, crushable beer that highlights the true flavor/aroma of hops.”
10 Barrel’s Denver Brewmaster, Kay Witkiewicz, is the brewmaster behind the new Rock Hop Cold IPA. "This Cold IPA was born out of my desire to blend the best of both worlds: IPA and Lager. Using refined German lagering techniques with unabashedly American hopping rates created a uniquely balanced and approachable beer for both Lager Heads and Hop Heads alike,” says Witkiewicz “As a German immigrant, this beer marries my heritage with my drive for innovation." Basically, a Cold IPA is the perfect hoppy combination of an IPA and a lager. This style of IPA can be described in two words: hoppy and clear.
Cold IPA Tasting Notes & Style Description:
Flavor: Hop-driven, crisp, light, refreshing
Color: Gold, pale, bright
Hop flavors: Bold, tropical, citrus
Yeast: Clean lager yeast
ABV: 5-8%
Tasting Notes: Hop-forward, clean, light-body, light bitterness, soft mouthfeel
how is a Cold IPA made?
According to BSG Craft Brewing, “Cold IPAs can be distinguished by their details… fermented with lager yeasts at higher temperatures than traditionally done with lager yeasts, and dosed with dry hops at the tail end of fermentation for biotransformation. The hops used are typical of hop packed IPAs rather than the noble hop varieties you’d expect in a regular lager.”
3 Common Techniques for Cold IPA Brewing
Brewers tend to use a lager yeast and pilsner malt to create the Cold IPA. Ironically, a Cold IPA is brewed at higher temperatures than other IPAs in order to preserve the hoppiness of the final brew.
Brewers utilize corn or rice in the brewing process to create fermentable sugars. Those ingredients give the hops the opportunity to really showcase its crisp, dry and light flavors.
According to Focus On The Beer, Brewers also utilize “adding the dry-hops at high krausen during the initial fermentation process will allow for biotransformation. Biotransformation is the transformation of the hop oils in the presence of yeast. This technique allows the hops to bring more of a citrusy, fruity aroma than is present directly ‘out-of-the-bag.’”
These brewing processes leave consumers with a clear and easily drinkable beer. Each sip gets better and better.
Cold IPA vs IPL vs Brut IPA
While this style of beer is new, veteran craft beer drinkers may recognize some similarities to styles that have captured the beer zeitgeist over the years. The Cold IPA, India Pale Lager (IPL), and Brut IPA all have similarities, but they also have specific flavor profiles, brewing techniques, and hoppiness that make them all unique.
Cold IPAs are known for clarity, extra hoppiness, cranked-up ABV, and clean flavor that keeps you sipping all afternoon. IPLs depend heavily on the lager yeast that is used when brewing, are moderately hoppy in comparison to the Cold IPA, and have a crisper finish. Think of the crispness of a pilsner vs. the clean profile of less-intense lagers.
According to Vine Pair, “The use of lager yeast has caused some confusion and even anger among beer drinkers who insist that the cold IPA isn’t a new style of beer at all, but either an IPL (India pale lager) or simply an IPA made with lager yeast…The beer is fermented at much too warm a temperature to be a true lager, and the entire recipe was built from the ground up to create this style. It’s far more than just applying a different yeast strain to an existing recipe.”
The Brut IPA was all the rage over the past few years, with many brewers giving the style a go, though the popularity has somewhat faded. In some ways, these beers paved the way for the Cold IPA, however, the techniques that go into these beers are completely different. Brut IPAs use the amyloglucosidase enzyme to break down sugars during fermentation; this creates a super dry IPA. Brut IPAs have a clean flavor just like the Cold IPAs, but are also more “crisp” like a pilsner or brut champagne.
who is brewing the best Cold IPA?
Now that you’ve learned so much about the Cold IPA, you may be wondering who is currently crushing the game in Cold IPAs right now. Our favorite here at Verde is Rock Hop from 10 Barrel Brewing, whose brewer we quoted earlier. That said, there are lots of delicious examples out there, so we’ll say the best cold IPA is the one you can get we added some resources to help below.
10 Barrel Brewing
Looking for an IPA that can beat all others? Check out 10 Barrel’s Rock Hop Cold IPA. Bend-based 10 Barrel Brewing and Portland-based Danner announced this collaboration to launch the latest beer in 10 Barrel’s #drinkitforward program, Rock Hop Cold IPA. Similar to other 10 Barrel give-back beers, a portion of proceeds from Rock Hop will benefit Trailkeepers of Oregon, a non-profit volunteer organization that maintains and preserves Oregon’s hiking trails.where to find your local Cold IPA
Now that we’ve figured out the ins and outs of what makes a Cold IPA so tasty, get out there and discover what really rocks your tastebuds. The Cold IPA may be a new style of beer, but people are hard at work brewing this tasty beverage. Check out the resources below to find a local Cold IPA near you.
Cheers!
Here’s to trying new styles and exploring the possibility of finding your new favorite beer. Head into your local brewery and see if they have one on the menu!