Last updated:
Cold IPA was the style that finally gave me a framework for what I’d been trying to achieve with hybrid fermentation experiments, a beer that has the crispness and attenuation of a lager, the hop character of a modern West Coast IPA, and the fermentation efficiency of an ale yeast. The 60°F (15–16°C) fermentation temperature with an ale yeast or Kveik is the defining technique, and once I understood why that temperature window works, the rest of the recipe decisions followed logically.
Brewing Cold IPAs: the 60°F fermentation technique for a crisp, hop-forward hybrid IPA
What a Cold IPA is: Cold IPA is a style codified by Wayfinder Beer (Portland, Oregon), the first commercial example was “Relapse,” brewed with lager yeast or ale yeast fermented cold (60°F/15–16°C), significant rice or corn adjunct, Pilsner malt base, and high West Coast hop loads. The defining characteristics: West Coast IPA hop character (resinous, citrus, dank, bitter), lager-like crispness and dry finish from low fermentation temperature and adjunct use, high attenuation (FG 1.004–1.008 from very fermentable wort), and brilliant clarity from cold fermentation minimising ester and protein haze. The BJCP has not yet formally recognised Cold IPA as a distinct category, but the craft brewing community recognises it as a distinct style. Why 60°F (15–16°C) fermentation is the defining technique: Ale yeast fermented at 15–16°C: most ale yeast strains (US-05, WLP001) produce almost no detectable esters at 15–16°C, the fermentation is so cold relative to normal ale fermentation range (18–22°C) that ester-producing enzyme activity is dramatically suppressed. The result is a beer that ferments with the efficiency of an ale yeast but with a flavor profile approaching a lager’s cleanliness. Lager yeast fermented at 15–16°C (warmer than typical lager): W-34/70 fermented at 15–16°C (vs. typical 10–12°C) ferments noticeably faster, 5–7 days for primary rather than 10–14 days, while still producing very low ester levels. The character is not identical to a cold-fermented lager but is very clean. The 60°F window is the sweet spot where ale yeasts suppress ester production while still fermenting within a reasonable timeframe (7–10 days primary with US-05 at 15°C). Adjunct use in Cold IPA: Rice (20–30%) or corn (maize, 15–25%) adjunct is a core component of the style, it reduces the malt backbone, increases attenuation (rice and corn sugars are 100% fermentable, raising the beer’s apparent attenuation), and creates the crisp, dry finish that distinguishes Cold IPA from a regular West Coast IPA. Without adjunct: a Cold IPA made with 100% malt has more body and sweetness, it reads as a West Coast IPA fermented cool, not as the distinct Cold IPA style. Recipe, 19 litre Cold IPA: Target OG: 1.062. Target FG: 1.007–1.009. ABV: approximately 7.2%. SRM: 4–6 (pale golden). IBU: 55–65. Grain bill: Pilsner malt: 4.0kg (73%). Flaked rice: 1.2kg (22%). Acidulated malt: 280g (5%), for mash pH control. Hops, bittering: Columbus (CTZ): 20g at 60 minutes. Centennial: 14g at 20 minutes. Hops, whirlpool (at 80°C, 15 minutes): Mosaic: 28g. Simcoe: 21g. Hops, dry hop 1 (at end of primary): Mosaic: 35g. Citra: 28g. Hops, dry hop 2 (3 days before packaging): Simcoe: 21g. Columbus: 14g. Water: sulfate-forward. Target: sulfate 200–250mg/L, chloride 75mg/L. Yeast: Safale US-05 or WLP001. Fermentation temperature: 15–16°C (59–61°F). Mash: 63–64°C for 60 minutes (very low for maximum attenuation). Process notes: Fermentation timeline at 15°C: lag phase 12–18 hours (longer than at 18–20°C), active fermentation 4–6 days, attenuation completion 7–10 days. Do not rush, the cold fermentation needs its full time. Dry hopping at 15°C: drier hopping temperature slows oil extraction relative to room temperature. However, biotransformation by cold-fermented yeast is still active at 15°C, allow 4 days for the first dry hop charge (vs. 3 days at higher temperature). Cold conditioning after dry hopping: drop to 0–2°C for 5–7 days for clarity. The Cold IPA should pour brilliantly clear, a hazy Cold IPA is considered a process defect in the style. India-specific adaptation: Temperature control for 15–16°C fermentation: this requires a fermentation chamber (mini-fridge with temperature controller, or chest freezer). Indian ambient temperatures (25–40°C) make 15–16°C fermentation impossible without refrigeration. The Cold IPA style specifically requires this temperature, without refrigeration capability, brew a standard West Coast IPA at room temperature with US-05 instead. If refrigeration is available (one of the cases where it’s most worth using): the Cold IPA reward is significant, a beer with lager-like crispness that can be produced in 2–3 weeks total (much faster than a genuine lager). Rice adjunct: puffed rice (murmura) from Indian supermarkets is a practical substitute for brewer’s flaked rice, pre-gelatinised by the puffing process, adds directly to the mash. Use 1.2kg puffed rice in place of flaked rice in the recipe above.
Common Questions
Can I make a Cold IPA without a fermentation chamber using Kveik yeast?
Using Kveik for a Cold IPA is a genuine option, but it fundamentally changes what the style delivers and whether the result counts as a Cold IPA. The Cold IPA’s defining character comes specifically from the suppressed ester production at 15–16°C, which is achieved either with regular ale yeast at cold temperature or lager yeast at its warmer end. Kveik, by contrast, is typically used at 28–38°C and produces significant fruity, tropical ester character at those temperatures. Kveik Lutra is the exception: Lallemand Lutra is a Kveik strain that produces clean, lager-like beer at 20–30°C with minimal ester production. At 28–30°C with Lutra: you get the adjunct-driven dryness and attenuation of a Cold IPA, the hop character (added via whirlpool and dry hop), but the fermentation cleanliness is at Lutra’s level rather than at 15°C-ale-yeast level. The result is genuinely excellent, a crisp, dry, hop-forward lager-character beer, but it’s more accurately a “warm-fermented lager-style IPA” than a Cold IPA specifically. For Indian homebrewers without refrigeration: Kveik Lutra + adjunct + West Coast hops + dry hop produces a beer in the same conceptual space as Cold IPA, dry, crisp, hop-forward, clean, without requiring the 15–16°C window. It’s the best available approximation for a warm-fermentation environment. Lutra at 30°C also completes fermentation in 48–72 hours (vs. 7–10 days for US-05 at 15°C), making it substantially faster. The hop schedule and grain bill from the Cold IPA recipe above apply equally to a Lutra-fermented version, only the fermentation temperature changes. The practical recommendation: if you have refrigeration capability, brew a true Cold IPA at 15–16°C with US-05, it’s worth the investment in the style for its distinctive character. If you don’t, brew the Lutra version, it’s an excellent beer that outperforms most standard-temperature ales in crispness and drinkability.
