Cold IPA, a new beer style?

Cold IPAs are the latest sensation in the United States, the leading exporter of beer trends. This IPA, drier and less estery, was created with the aim of giving even more prominence to hops. It’s still too early to tell whether it will be a passing fad like brut IPAs or take root like New England IPAs, but where does the name come from?

Cold IPA was born from a collaboration between two American breweries, Wayfinder Beer and Ecliptic Brewing, with the aim of delivering an even more pronounced hop character. In the words of Wayfinder Beer’s head brewer, Kevin Davey, many consumers can’t distinguish the fruity esters produced by yeast from the essential oils of the hops. To address this, they brewed an IPA with lager yeast. So is it an India Pale Lager? No, because it ferments at 18ºC, which is high for bottom‑fermented beers, but still prevents the production of the characteristic esters of ale yeast. In addition, while India Pale Lagers are brewed with European hops, cold IPAs use American, Oceanic, and South African hops.

So, could it be a West Coast IPA because of the hops? Not quite, because it’s even drier due to the addition of adjuncts such as corn and rice. This way you get a light, refreshing body without sacrificing the IPA’s alcohol content. The style also reopens the debate on the use of adjuncts in craft beer, since until a few years ago they were associated with industrial beer. The answer is the same as always: using adjuncts does not go against the craft spirit when the intention is not to cut costs, but to help round out the beer.

All this results in a fresh beer (hence “cold”) to drink in big gulps without giving up extraordinary hopping. In fact, cold IPAs use not only dry hopping, but also krausen hopping to add even fresher hops during fermentation. This German technique also helps remove aromatic compounds from fermentation that could interfere with hop character.

Internet forums are buzzing with mixed opinions about this new substyle. Some people don’t consider it that different from existing beers, but the reality is that several Spanish brewers, such as La Quince, pioneers in brewing cold IPA in Spain, have already released their first cans under this label. Only time will tell whether it will take over taps and the fridges of beer hunters. Will it even make it into the next BJCP update?