COld IPA
WHAT IS A COLD IPA?
We made the first Cold IPA called “Relapse IPA” in October 2018 in honor of Relapse Records. We were trying to make something with the elements of West-Coast IPA but taken to the extreme. We wanted something drier with excessive hoppiness but a cleaner finish. Frankly, we tried to make a style of beer that could showcase American hops in a new way. Cold IPA hits with a strong punch of aromatic hop intensity and high bitterness but finishes crisp and clean leaving the drinker craving another sip. It’s Wester than West Coast.
How it’s made
Adjunct lager malt bill. 20-40% rice or corn mashed with all American two row pilsner malt. No caramel malts. Fermented to incredible dryness. 82-88% apparent degree of fermentation.
Lager yeast fermented warm. Quick fermenting yeast that throws low ester and low sulfur. Kölsch, Chico or California Common yeast could be substituted. It MUST not have high sulfur or high ester notes. Cold IPA is a canvas for IPA hops.
Dry hopped warm during spunding or krausening. This achieves bio-transformation while negating O2 pickup.
Filtered crystal clear and well-carbonated. Cold IPA is the anti-thesis of NEIPA.
Characteristics
Color: Straw to pale
Clarity: Appearance should be clear. Chill haze should not be present
Perceived Malt Aroma & Flavor: Malt sweetness is very low to low. Alcohol sweetness is medium. These beers finish extremely dry. Increased perceived sweetness may be due to increased alcohol.
Perceived Hop Aroma & Flavor: High, exhibiting floral, fruity (berry, tropical, stone fruit and other), sulfur, diesel-like, onion-garlic, catty, citrusy, piney or resinous character that was originally associated with American-variety hops. Hops with these attributes now also originate from countries other than the USA.
Perceived Bitterness: Medium to high, but not harsh
Fermentation Characteristics: Fruity esters and complex alcohol aromas and flavors are acceptable at low levels. Alcohol should not be solvent-like. Diacetyl should not be present.
Body: Low to medium-low
Additional notes: Finish should exhibit low to medium-low body with a clean, crisp malt character evident at low levels. Up to 40% corn and/or rice in the grist should be used. These crisp and refreshing beers are fermented warm with lager yeast or cold with ale yeast.
Original Gravity (°Plato) 1.055-1.065 (13.5-16.0 °Plato) • Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (°Plato) 1.006-1.009 (1.6-2.4 °Plato) • Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5.1%-6.3% (6.4%-7.9%) • Hop Bitterness (IBU) 50-70 • Color SRM 2.5-5