March 21, 2022
As if the countless American IPA iterations were not enough to satiate a hophead’s palate, a new one—dubbed Cold IPA—lingers bitterly on the horizon. And no, Reddit, it’s not just a marketing ploy.
“Clunky” doesn’t readily come to mind as a beer descriptor, but that ungainly word may be the reason the world has yet another IPA in its clutches. It’s how the brewmaster of Wayfinder Beer, Kevin Davey, feels about International Pale Lagers (IPL)—specifically, that lager yeast strains fermented at cooler temperatures emit flavors and aromas that don’t jibe with loads of American hops. Thus, Davey set out to develop a beer that’s more graceful than an IPL, has better execution than a dry-hopped lager, and is the arch nemesis of New England IPA (NEIPA). Who better to do so than a Portland, Ore., brewery that produces both lagers and IPAs?
Davey wanted to build a “Wester than West Coast” IPA from the bottom up—not from the top down, and definitely not shooting from the hip. The final product sits at the sweet spot between “crisp and sessionable” and “strong and sneaky,” and “has a magnificent hop aroma, clean assertive bitterness, and a bold, clean finish that makes the drinker crave another sip,” according to Davey’s tell-all published in New School Beer last March and his conversation with Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine Podcast. This brewer is so passionate about his brainchild, Wayfinder Beer’s Relapse IPA, that he went practically everywhere to set the record straight about how it’s made: add rice or corn to a Pilsner malt base (because what’s more American than brewing with adjuncts, Davey jests), throw in just enough bittering hops, and ferment with a lager yeast at ale temperatures. This prevents excess sulfur dioxide and esters that can clutter the palate (“clunky,” remember?). Next, dry hop with tons of American hops at krausening so the yeast scrubs oxygen and biotransformation occurs. That’s when the yeast basically “wingmans” the hops to bring out the best in them (yeast can be pretty sweet friends).
At about 7% ABV, filter until clear, and voilà: a straw-yellow, crispy, boozy, and bitter yet highly drinkable hop bomb. Consumers are lapping it up. Rated an 88 on BeerAdvocate, Wayfinder’s Relapse IPA lives up to the hype. Naturally, others had to give Cold IPA a go.
Joe Steinfelds, head brewer of Alibi Ale Works in Lake Tahoe, Calif., makes a great point when he jokes, “try calling a Kölsch-style beer a ‘Hot Helles’ or an Altbier a ‘Hot Dunkel’ and see how many you sell.” He’s not wrong (although, Hot Helles sounds kind of fun).
Cold IPA connotes crispiness and crushability; Alibi brewed one to celebrate its wintry 7th anniversary in December 2021. Steinfelds was truly inspired by Davey’s conceptualization of the…
