Cold IPA 101

Opinion

12 Dec

Michael Donaldson breaks down what’s behind the new Cold IPAs we’ll be seeing a lot more of over summer…

The words “cold” and “beer” go together perfectly. So, it’s little wonder that “Cold IPA” is a term you will be seeing more often this summer. It’s a great marketing term because who isn’t drawn to the idea of a nice cold IPA?

But in this case, it also means something else – a convergence of lager and India Pale Ale, and a beer style that takes all the old ideas of “ale” and “lager” and turns them upside down.

“Cold IPA” was a marketing term created by Wayfinder brewery in Oregon, when they made the first official “Cold IPA” four years ago. The name was new, even though the practice wasn’t entirely unique, but as far as marketing terms go, it was a good one.

Cold IPA is a hybrid beer. It’s brewed like a lager – using a lager yeast and light malt to create a crisp, refreshing body – but there’s a big, juicy hop flavour to boot, so it feels like a lager but tastes like an IPA. There are also a few other technical aspects such as fermentation temperature and the use of adjuncts like rice, corn or dextrose to lighten the body.

The concept of an “ale” brewed like a “lager” might cause consternation among beer geeks who historically separated the two in a black-and-white fashion, but it’s really nothing new. There are plenty of beers in New Zealand with the word “ale” in the name that are made with lager yeasts, and plenty of pilsners made with ale yeasts.

“Cold IPA is a beer style that takes all the old ideas of ‘ale’ and ‘lager’ and turns them upside down.”

I was once adamant there was a huge difference between the two, and on a visit to DB Breweries in Otahuhu I quizzed their legendary brewer, the late Doug Banks, about how they could make Tui with a lager yeast and call it East India Pale Ale. Doug had a long explanation, but what I took from it was a line that went something like: “The yeast doesn’t know what it’s called.”

A quick, broad-spectrum recap: Ale yeasts typically refer to those that ferment best at warmer temperatures (18-21°C), and if you go higher you can get off-flavours and fusel alcohols. Lager yeasts like it colder (10-12°C) but can go warmer. In the olden days, ale yeasts were known as top-fermenting because the yeast rose to the top of a wide, open fermenter once it was done. Lager yeasts are bottom-fermenting, because they fall to the bottom of the fermenter.

Ale yeasts tend to create more fruity esters, but not always, as there are now many “clean” strains. Lager yeasts often create a sulphur profile, but that can disappear at higher fermentation temperatures.

The twist is this: modern brewing is done nearly exclusively on kits designed for lager brewing, notably tall conical fermenters that force the yeast to the bottom of the tank. Put an ale yeast in there and it goes to the bottom, not the top. So, in effect, brewers can use any yeast they like in these fermenters and by adjusting the temperature they can play around at the edges of flavour.

That’s what Cold IPA is at its heart: the result of a brewer’s creative playtime. But it also fits perfectly with the evolution of IPA over the past decade – away from the malty, almost chewy versions with lots of residual sugar to counter the high bitterness, and towards a leaner, lighter and brighter style. Cold IPA speaks to what the majority of people really love about beer: the light refreshment of lager, but married with what craft beer geeks like: hops!