What Is Cold IPA and Why Is It Trending
Cold IPA is one of those styles that caught me off guard. I’d heard the name tossed around in brewer circles and seen it pop up on a few beer boards, but I wasn’t quite sure what made it stand out. I knew it wasn’t just a standard IPA with a clever name. So I got curious, tasted a few, brewed a batch of my own, and dove into the techniques and flavors that define it.
What I found was a style that toes the line between West Coast crispness and lager precision, offering clarity, hop-forward punch, and drinkability all in one glass. If you’re wondering what is cold IPA and why is it trending, you’re not alone. This style has emerged in a big way over the last few years, and it’s changing how brewers and drinkers think about hoppy beer.
A Distinct Identity
Cold IPA isn’t just a marketing term for a cold-fermented pale ale. It’s a deliberate style with specific choices in yeast, grain bill, and fermentation temperature. The recipe typically features a clean, neutral base—often using rice or corn to lighten the body—fermented with a lager yeast at warmer ale-like temperatures. The result is a dry, crisp backbone that lets the hops shine.
When I brewed mine, I used American 2-row malt with about 25% flaked rice. I fermented it using a California lager yeast strain at around 62°F. That hybrid approach created a beer that had the clarity and crisp finish of a lager, but with a bold, modern hop character more typical of an IPA. That’s the hallmark of the style.
If you’re asking what is cold IPA and why is it trending, part of the answer lies in its hybrid nature. It offers something familiar yet refreshingly different—a West Coast attitude with a pilsner edge.
How It Differs from IPL and West Coast IPA
A lot of people confuse cold IPA with India Pale Lager (IPL), and at first glance, they do seem similar. Both use lager yeast and highlight hops. But the technique and intention are different. IPLs are usually fermented at traditional lager temps, taking longer and leaning more on malt complexity and smoothness. Cold IPAs are fermented warm and fast, with a focus on hop brightness and crispness.
Compared to a West Coast IPA, cold IPA is leaner, cleaner, and more bitter. It ditches caramel malts and sweetness in favor of a dry finish. It’s also typically more transparent—not just in clarity, but in flavor separation. I can pick out individual hop notes more distinctly in a cold IPA than in most hazies or traditional West Coasts.
These differences help answer the question of what is cold IPA and why is it trending—it fills a niche between styles, offering clarity, drinkability, and modern hop intensity without feeling heavy or cloying.
The Origin Story
Kevin Davey at Wayfinder Beer in Portland is credited with popularizing the style around 2018. He wanted a beer that was hop-forward like an IPA but leaner and more crushable. Drawing from his experience with both IPAs and lagers, he engineered a new approach—one that would eventually get the name Cold IPA.
What makes his approach stand out is the layering of old-school lager brewing with modern hopping techniques. Double dry-hopping, the use of expressive American hop varieties, and hybrid fermentation all come together in a beer that drinks with balance and impact.
Since then, more breweries have picked up the style. I’ve seen cold IPAs on tap lists from San Diego to Maine. Some stick closely to Wayfinder’s template, while others play with the concept—adding fruit, different hop combos, or slight variations in yeast. But the central idea remains: crisp malt, clean fermentation, and aggressive, flavorful hopping.
Brewers Are Embracing It
What makes this trend exciting from a brewer’s perspective is the flexibility. Cold IPA gives me the creative freedom to dial in bitterness and hop aroma without the constraints of thick body or high residual sugar. I’ve tried versions with Mosaic, Citra, and Nelson Sauvin that explode with tropical fruit and diesel funk, and others that lean piney and citrusy, like classic West Coasts.
It’s also a great educational beer. I’ve poured samples of my cold IPA for friends and seen them surprised by how aromatic and bright it is, while still being easy to drink. People expect haze these days in anything hoppy. A crystal-clear pint that drinks this well makes an impression.
So when people ask me what is cold IPA and why is it trending, I tell them it’s a brewer’s IPA. You get to showcase hops and fermentation precision in a way that both geeks and casual drinkers can appreciate.
Drinkers Are Ready for a Shift
Hazy IPAs still dominate the shelves, but I sense a quiet thirst for clarity. Drinkers are starting to tire of overly sweet, soft beers with muddled hop profiles. They want bitterness back. They want balance. They want to finish a pint and crave another without palate fatigue.
Cold IPA answers that call. It’s lighter on the palate, often drier, and refreshingly bitter. For folks who grew up on New England IPAs, cold IPA might be their gateway to more traditional styles. For West Coast diehards, it offers something new while staying true to their roots.
This trend speaks to a maturing palate among beer lovers. They still want new experiences, but with a little more structure. That’s a big reason what is cold IPA and why is it trending continues to be such a hot topic among brewers and fans alike.
Pairing Potential
Because of its dry finish and crisp bitterness, cold IPA pairs incredibly well with food. I’ve served it with tacos, sushi, and fried chicken, and it holds up beautifully. The carbonation cuts through fat, and the bright hops play nicely with spice and umami.
I think that’s another reason the style is catching on—breweries with full kitchens or food trucks love it. It doesn’t overpower dishes the way sweeter IPAs can, and it refreshes the palate between bites.
If you run a taproom or bottle shop, having a cold IPA on tap gives you a versatile beer to recommend across your food menu. It makes a great flight anchor too—something drinkable but distinct.
Challenges in Brewing
Getting this style right takes precision. I learned that on my second batch when I fermented a little too cool and ended up with a sluggish lager character that dulled the hops. Cold IPA is unforgiving in that sense. It demands crispness and clarity, which means any flaws stand out.
You also have to be careful with your hopping strategy. Too much bitterness without malt to back it up can make the beer harsh. I’ve found whirlpool and dry hop timing to be critical. Using biotransformation techniques can help round out the edges.
And while corn or rice helps achieve that lean body, it also reduces mouthfeel, so striking the right balance with carbonation and attenuation is key. It’s a fun challenge, but not one to take lightly.
Still, the reward is worth it. When a cold IPA hits just right, it’s the kind of beer that makes people stop mid-conversation and ask what they’re drinking.
Cold IPA and the Future of IPA Styles
We’ve seen IPAs evolve from bitter bombs to hazy juice bombs to milkshake and smoothie variants. Cold IPA feels like a return to basics—but with modern polish. It’s a reaction to excess, to haze saturation, and to the desire for beers that are just as much about refreshment as they are about flavor exploration.
In my mind, cold IPA isn’t a fad. It’s a legitimate new style that will continue to evolve and find its footing. We’re already seeing more breweries naming the style on labels and dedicating taps to it, rather than hiding it under general IPA banners.
This momentum is part of the broader conversation around what beer can be—and how old-world methods and new-world creativity can coexist in a single glass. That’s the essence of what is cold IPA and why is it trending.
Final Thoughts
Cold IPA has earned its place in the modern beer world because it bridges gaps: between ale and lager, between old and new, between hype and tradition. It’s a beer that’s clean but complex, bright but balanced, familiar but surprising.
For me, it represents a shift in how we think about brewing hoppy beer. We don’t have to choose between haze or clarity, bitterness or drinkability. Cold IPA gives us another path—one that celebrates hops without overwhelming the palate.
If you’ve been wondering what is cold IPA and why is it trending, now’s the time to grab a pint, or better yet, brew your own and taste what all the buzz is about.
