Cold IPA – What is it, Where did it Come From, Plus the Best Ones to Try Right Now
Craft beer is just warming up to the Cold IPA and its crisp and balanced profile. What makes it a Cold IPA? Is it just an IPA that’s cold or one that has been left to age in the freezer? No, that’s definitely not it. The Cold IPA is a unique sub-style of IPA originally brewed just a few years ago in 2018. It’s somewhat of a middle ground between lagers and American IPAs with a crisp, dry and clean mouthfeel and potent hop notes.
Continue reading for information on the genesis of the Cold IPA style, what it is, and some of the best ones to try right now.
History
The Cold IPA was initially brewed as an experiment–an attempt to create something new. The history of the Cold IPA dates back to ancient 2018, when Kevin Davey, Wayfinder Beer Brewmaster, brewed an IPA with corn and rice adjuncts and lager yeast. Davey then dry-hopped the beer toward the end of fermentation. He created a crisp and clean version of an IPA we haven’t seen before. Since then, many other breweries have hopped on the trend to make their renditions of Davey’s experimentations.
What is a Cold IPA?
The Cold IPA is a clean, crisp, and crushable IPA. It’s fermented with lager yeast to make the beer light and clean and for the hop additions to shine through. It has an ABV similar to a standard American or West Coast IPA but with the clarity and cleanness of a lager. Although Davey’s original creation was brewed with warm-fermented lager yeast, Cold IPAs can be made with ale yeast that’s fermented on the colder side–think Kolsch or Chico yeast strains.
Cold IPAs are dry-hopped with any hop variety, usually toward the end of fermentation. This helps bring out the hop character and hop aroma that’s attributed to IPAs while retaining the crisp, light body characteristics of lagers. The Cold IPA is a near-crystal-clear beer style with minimal haze–expect a more thin mouthfeel than you’d get with some other IPA styles.
How is a Cold IPA Different from a Regular IPA?
Cold IPAs and American IPAs are different but they still have a lot in common. They’re each hop forward with clean and distinct tastes and share an ABV threshold. While they share similar characteristics, they still have their differences. What exactly are the differences between a Cold IPA and a regular IPA?
The main difference between the Cold IPA and American IPA is the yeast strains used and the ways they’re fermented. Cold IPAs use either of the two types of yeast strains: lager or ale yeast. When brewed with lager yeast, they’re fermented at the higher end of the yeast’s temperature threshold. When brewed with ale yeast, they’re fermented at the lower end.
Cold IPAs also favor more “new” hop varieties, straying away from old-world spicy and herbal hop notes. Although this is the case with American IPAs, Cold IPAs have the opportunity to use even newer hop varieties like the ones we see in hazy or juicy IPAs. Cold IPAs have more range when it comes to hop tastes and aromas than the classic American IPA.
The Best Cold IPAs to Try Right Now
Ever since Davey brewed Wayfinder’s Original Cold IPA, other breweries have ventured into the style to make exceptional Cold IPAs. Let’s take a look at some of the best Cold IPAs on the market:
Single Hill Cold Throw
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Cold Torpedo
Reuben’s Brews Stay Frosty
Necromancer Brewing Company Cold Feet
New Image Brewing Ice Köld
Single Hill Cold Throw
Cold Throw from Single Hill Brewing in Yakima, Washington, developed a cold IPA that’s cold from start to finish. It features Sultana and Strata hops imparting fruity–citrus and strawberry–notes into the beer.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Cold Torpedo
Cold Torpedo is Sierra Nevada’s Cold IPA. It’s reminiscent of the brewery’s Torpedo IPA with pungent hop notes and bright citrus flavor. It has a clean, crisp, and dry finish with a trace of pine on the back end of the taste.
Reuben’s Brews Stay Frosty
Stay Frosty is a true-to-style Cold IPA brewed as a West Coast IPA using cold-fermented yeast to offer a cleaner and crisper taste. It finishes dry with potent hop notes taking the stage at every step of the way. The Simcoe, Cascade, Columbus, and Centennial hops offer notes of grapefruit and other citrus flavors.
Insurrection Alewerks Cold Feet
Insurrection Alewerks, located in Heidelberg, Pennsylvania, paradoxically jumped right into the Cold IPA trend and brewed Cold Feet. This Cold IPA is made with Galaxy and Huell Melon hops to invoke a honeydew and strawberry taste and aroma.
New Image Brewing Ice Köld
Ice Köld is a Cold IPA from New Image Brewing that uses a Kölsch yeast strain instead of a lager strain. It’s brewed with flaked rice and dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy hops for a bright, sweet, grape-like hop profile.
The Cold IPA Is Here To Stay
Cold IPAs are here to stick around in the world of craft beer and IPAs. Something of an American or West Coast IPA and lager hybrid, the Cold IPA is an approachable style for any craft beer drinker, new or seasoned. As more and more breweries develop beers in this style, it will continue solidifying itself as a legitimate craft beer style–a delicious one at that.