Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

If You’re a Fan of IPAs, You’ll Love the New Cold IPA Beer Style

By

Buckle up beer drinkers, there’s yet another new IPA in town. This one is called the Cold IPA and it may just be the next big thing in hop-forward suds.

The category is too new to place any candidates on our best beers list, but there’s a good chance it will grow in popularity as we head into 2022. The IPA market has become massive within craft beer, with a value projected to hover somewhere around $70 million by 2025. The Brewers Association estimates that the style presently accounts for between 24% and 33% of all craft beer.

Recommended Videos

In other words, hoppy beer isn’t going anywhere so we might as well enjoy the ride and learn about some of the intriguing, lesser-knowns within the category. The Cold IPA is bona fide beer nerd territory right this minute, but who knows, one day it may take on the status of a hazy.

Related

It all began in Portland, as so many innovative craft beer developments have over the years. Wayfinder is credited with the Cold IPA’s creation, a relatively new Oregon brewery that has catapulted to deserved fame. Apparently, it came about as an affront to a much more popular style of IPA.

Wayfinder Cold IPA cans on ice.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“We were shooting to make something to contrast the NEIPA,” says Wayfinder brewmaster Kevin Davey. What’s it like? His crew dubs the beer as having “a strong punch of aromatic hop intensity and high bitterness, but finishes crisp and clean leaving the drinker craving another sip.” The majority of IPAs employ ale yeast for some malty balance but the Cold IPA goes a touch lighter. Enter, bright and clean lager yeast, something fermented on the cold side, the context for the style’s name.

Discerning beer drinkers might compare the new IPA style to an India Pale Lager, but a better comparison might even be the Brut IPA, given the simplicity, crispness, and cleanness of the style. It’s meant to really put the hop bill on a proper pedestal.

East Coast outfit Second Sin also makes a Cold IPA. According to brewer and co-founder Jake Howell, it’s about the beauty of restraint. The Cold IPA “is more about subtraction—stripping away everything that can stand in the way of pure hop expression,” he says.

IPA purists are sure to love the style, drawn to the high IBU count and hoppy aromatics along with a refreshing crispness. There’s something about lager yeast, in particular, that tends to be extremely refreshing. If there was ever an IPA that was also a thirst quencher, this is it. Here are a few to try, although lookout for more options soon. Davey says he’s already fielded recipe interest from fellow brewers from Florida to Spain, even Japan.

Wayfinder Cold IPA

Wayfinder Cold IPA.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Clean, balanced, and just plain lovely, the OG Cold IPA is one to seek out. It’s dry with a subtle hint of sweetness, rounded out by fruity elements and the right amount of pine resin.

More Info

Second Sin White Eyed Lightning Guy

Second Sin Cold IPA and glass.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Pennsylvania’s take on the Cold IPA is a magnificent minimalist’s take on the IPA, with charming hoppy notes and just enough backbone to counter the bitterness.

More Info

New Image Brewing Ice Köld

New Image Ice Kold Cold IPA cans.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This Colorado brew clocks in at 7.7% ABV but you’d never know given how even-keeled it comes across as, not to mention that it’s all kinds of refreshing.

More Info

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
Give your hot chocolate an adult twist with these boozy recipes
Add a kick to your hot chocolate with these chocolate liqueur recipes
Amaretto Coffee Hot Chocolate_PC Mozart Chocolate Liqueur

What's better for winter that a warm mug of hot chocolate, with floating marshmallows and a little grating of chocolate on top? Well, how about a boozy hot chocolate, made by adding a touch of chocolate liqueur to milk for an adult version of the beloved cozy drink?
Classic Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

Read more
This pre-drinking supplement totally changed the game for me
Take these to feel better the next day after drinking
Jelly IV

I don't drink alcohol frequently, and when I do, it's usually while I'm traveling and want to try fun cocktails. As an avid traveler and health enthusiast, I love the taste of alcohol but hate the way I feel the next day after drinking. The sluggishness and "mental cloudiness" I experience the next day after drinking not only slows down my productivity but also impacts the enjoyment of the next day's trip itinerary.

When I heard about Jelly IV, a pre-drinking supplement designed to alleviate these so-called hangover symptoms, I was immediately intrigued, yet also skeptical. Many supplements have health claims that most of the time, do not seem to prove true. However, the science behind Jelly IV was incredibly fascinating to me. Here's why trying this pre-drinking supplement totally changed the game for me and how it has quickly become a must-pack item in my travel bag.
How the pre-drinking supplement works

Read more
7 classic tequila cocktail recipes that prove it’s more than just a party shot
Mixing a drink with tequila as the star? Here are the recipes you ought to make
Classic margarita cocktail with salty rim on wooden table with limes and drink utensils

To me, tequila always -- first and foremost -- calls to mind slammers. When I think about this spirit. I can almost taste the tequila, salt, lime, and regret. However, tequila needn't be only a party shot. In fact, it's a wonderful tool for any home bartender, as it can be mixed into a range of fruity, sour, or even savory drinks. My personal favorite is the Michelada, a savory tomato and beer-based cocktail that was a revelation the first time I tried it. It's like a funky, sharp, spicy version of a Bloody Mary, and it's an absolute pleasure to enjoy with tacos or other Mexican food.

But that's just the tip of the tequila cocktail iceberg. There are tons of beloved tequila drinks, from a classic margarita to a refreshing Paloma. Tequila goes well with sharp citrus fruits like lemon and lime and can be lengthened with fruit juices or sodas to be more sippable and less heavily boozy than in its shot form. It can also go well with more bitter flavors, if you're looking for something darker and moodier, such as a Negroni variation.

Read more