Episode 334: Hot Takes on Cold IPA with Firestone Walker, Hop Butcher, and Heater Allen
Dec 8, 2023
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Brewers discuss the evolution of cold IPA, experimenting with dry hopping techniques and hop options, selecting malt and using adjuncts in brewing, and the confusion surrounding India Blackdale. They also mention upcoming podcast episodes and sponsor breweries.
Cold IPA utilizes adjuncts like rice or corn to achieve a light and crystalline expression, providing a hop-forward profile in a beer that appears similar to traditional light lagers.
Brewers experiment with different dry hopping techniques, temperatures, and hop selections to create unique flavor profiles in cold IPAs, often using new school hop varieties with expressive tropical and fruit flavors.
Malt selection in cold IPA involves combining a two-row base malt with adjuncts like rice or corn to achieve a lighter color and crisp appearance while maintaining the hop-forward character of an IPA.
Deep dives
Using adjuncts to create a lighter expression
Cold IPA relies on the use of adjuncts, such as rice or corn, along with a two-row base malt to achieve a light and crystalline expression. The addition of adjuncts lowers the protein content and increases the starch content, resulting in a cleaner fermentation and a lighter color. This combination allows for a beer that appears similar to traditional light lagers, but still retains the hop-forward characteristics of an IPA.
Dry hopping techniques and hop selection
Different brewers have experimented with various dry hopping techniques and hop selections for cold IPA. Some brewers dry hop at colder temperatures, around 45 degrees Fahrenheit, while others dry hop at warmer temperatures, around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The choice of hops varies, but there is a focus on new school hop varieties with expressive tropical and fruit flavors. Blending different hop varieties is also common to achieve a unique flavor profile in the cold IPA.
Malt parameters and adjunct usage
Malt selection in cold IPA often involves using a two-row base malt, sometimes combined with flaked products like rice or wheat. This combination of malts provides a lower color and clarity, allowing the beer to appear light and crisp. The use of adjuncts like rice or corn helps achieve a distinct and unique character in cold IPAs, providing a lower protein and higher starch content compared to modern two-row malts. This combination of malt and adjunct allows for a beer that looks like a traditional lager, but with the hop-forward profile of an IPA.
Tight hop expression and drinkability
Cold IPA offers a blank canvas for hop selection, allowing for endless possibilities in terms of flavor profiles. With a focus on clean hop expression and a light, dry, and clean malt flavor, cold IPAs showcase the brightness and directness of well-crafted hop characters. These beers are highly drinkable, offering a refreshing and refined experience that can appeal to both traditionalists and those open to experimental flavors.
Brewer's experiment with yeast, oxygen, and fermentation techniques
Brewers experimenting with cold IPAs have found that the choice of yeast strain, oxygen levels, and fermentation temperature are critical factors in achieving the desired flavor profile. Different yeast strains can contribute unique characteristics, such as floral notes or sulfurous compounds. Proper oxygen levels are essential to control the fermentation process, allowing for cell duplication and growth while avoiding excessive sulfur or off-flavors. Careful fermentation techniques, such as turning off jacket cooling or adjusting tank geometry, can also impact flavor development and balance.
Five years into cold IPA, the arguments still aren’t settled, but one thing is certain—strategic brewers have embraced the style for the unique counterpoint it can provide to more ester-driven IPAs, and the focus on light body has struck a chord with beer drinkers who increasingly want strong hop notes in ever-paler beers. We thought it was time to revisit the subject with three brewers who are no stranger to the podcast, and who each have contributed to the evolution of the style in their own way. Sam Tierney of the Firestone Walker Propagator in Venice, California has helped develop some pioneering cold IPAs for the California brewery, like core brand Hopnosis. Jude La Rose of Chicago’s Hop Butcher brews plenty of hazy IPAs, but continues to explore what hops can also do within the context of clear and light-bodied cold IPA. And Kevin Davey of McMinnville, Oregon’s Heater Allen and Gold Dot created the cold IPA style while at Wayfinder, but today is just starting to brew them again after focusing on lager for most of the past year.
In this episode, the three brewers look at where IPA has come since those earliest days and what it looks like now, with topics that include:
creating the counter-trend to hazy IPA by pushing bitterness alongside low finishing gravity
finding cleaner, more “crystalline” hop expression by fermenting with lager yeast
achieving additional package stability in cold IPA through lower FAN
varying dry hopping temperatures and techniques
managing sulfur production in cold IPA fermentations
blending modern, classic, and Southern hemisphere hops in cold IPA
pushing the lightest of color through ultra-pale malts and adjuncts
controlling oxygenation to avoid overstimulating the lager yeast
why they continue to focus on the style now
And more.
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