Cold IPA

Technically, this cold-fermented showcase of expressive Czech aroma hops—brewed by the folks at Sacred Profane in Biddeford, Maine—is a lager. But it drinks like an IPA, so that’s what they call it.

Michal Minarik, cofounder of Firstep Beer in Slovakia, shares this recipe for their bottom-fermented IPA with a “central European twist”—a beer that recently won Best of Show at the King of Craft competition in Budapest.

Kevin Davey and Lisa Allen of Heater Allen in McMinnville, Oregon, share this recipe for the first cold IPA in their Gold Dot line of beers—with, Davey says, “a warning for its sneaky strength.”

Kevin Davey of Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer explains the science behind why domestic two-row pale malt is ideal for pairing up with rice or corn for a crisp, cold IPA whose flavors will last longer.

Body-lightening adjuncts are a key component of cold IPA. Here, Kevin Davey of Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer gets into the details of mashing and brewing with different forms of rice and corn, as well as the pros and cons of each ingredient.

Kevin Davey of Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer—and the progenitor of cold IPA—expounds his views on how best to hop the style, from bittering to dry hops.

Kevin Davey, co-owner of Heater Allen Brewing and Gold Dot Beer, explains why domestic two-row is the base malt of choice for cold IPA, combining with adjuncts such as rice or corn for lighter body and longer shelf life.

The brewer who invented and defined cold IPA—Kevin Davey of Heater Allen and Gold Dot Beer—shares the tips and techniques needed to brew one that shines.

Despite it’s lean malt frame and body-lightening adjuncts, cold IPA is well within the reach of homebrewers who like to employ partial-mashes and extracts.

Crack some grains and cook some rice if you want, but attacking cold IPA with the partial-mash method is simple. Let the pedants argue about whether it’s a style—we’re too busy brewing and drinking it.

“This refreshingly crisp cold IPA takes inspiration from our friend and former Firestone Walker brewer Kevin Davey,” Sam Tierney says. “It can be brewed two ways: one with rice adjunct to lighten the body, or another with a lower-FAN, extra-pale German pilsner malt for similar effect.”

It’s been five years since Wayfinder brewed its first cold IPA and more than two since it went mainstream. Despite predictions of a passing fad, breweries continue to embrace that lean, “wester than West Coast” frame. Here, Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson muses on what defines it—and what really makes it work.

Heater Allen’s head brewer and the inventor of cold IPA are joining forces to launch lager-centric Gold Dot Beer in McMinnville, Oregon.

The popularity of cold IPA has blown the cover off a quiet yet long-running practice in commercial brewing: using lager yeast to make beer sold as ale. Sam Tierney, brewing manager at the Firestone Walker Propagator brewery in Los Angeles, offers some perspective.

With thanks to Wayfinder head brewer Kevin Davey, here is a homebrew-scale recipe for their Original Cold IPA—as illustrated by Em Sauter of Pints and Panels.

Our editorial director and podcast host shares his top tipples from the year that was, plus a few thoughts on upcoming trends.

If you don’t like the phrase “cold IPA,” blame Kevin Davey, brewmaster at lager-centric Wayfinder Beer in Portland, Oregon. He coined it to describe a particular lager-ale hybrid; since then, a growing throng of brewers have picked up on the trend. Here, he explains more about the term and where it may be going.

From Green Cheek in Orange County, California, here’s a homebrew-scale recipe for the cold IPA that our judges scored a perfect 100/100, landing it a spot on our list of the Best 20 Beers in 2021.

Two pros share insights into their gold medal–winning beers: an international-style pilsner brewed on a single-infusion, two-vessel system, and a cold IPA with a “cool pool,” dry-hopped during active fermentation.

Courtesy of Shaun O’Sullivan and the team at 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, here’s a recipe for their take on cold IPA.