Beer

Cold IPA: New Collaboration with East Brother Beer

At the end of 2021, the Drake’s Brewing team joined forces with East Brother Beer to collaborate on a special release for SF Beer Week. It turned out to be a true partnership, building on each other’s strengths and mutual interests. The delicious result of this joint venture is Cold IPA, which tops out at 6.5% ABV, and was generously dry-hopped with Azacca and Citra. It will be released in 16oz. 4-packs at all Drake’s locations on Friday, February 11. 

Cold IPA is both the name of the beer, and the beer style. Confused? If so, you’re not alone. It’s complicated, so we asked members of the Drake’s team to talk about the beer, style, and motivations behind the release. The following Q&A was addressed by Drake’s Cellar Manager, Justin Carter, and Head Brewer, Miguel Ceja, who were both part of this wonderful collaboration. By the way, you can meet the brewers and try Cold IPA at the SF Beer Week Kick Off Party in San Leandro this Friday.

Why did Drake’s and East Brother decide to brew Cold IPA? 

• We both had an interest in brewing this new beer style. Between East Brother’s lager brewing pedigree, and our long history of releasing big hoppy beers, we thought it was the perfect style to collaborate on.

What’s the history of the Cold IPA beer style and how would you describe it?

• Cold IPA is an emerging new “style.” A lot of people consider it just a heavier dry-hopped India Pale Lager (IPL), and technically it is a lager despite the “ale” in IPA. It’s fermented like an IPL with a very clean lager yeast, but the big difference is that when making a Cold IPA, the yeast ferments at a higher temperature than a typical lager. Beside speeding up fermentation, a warmer temperature allows for more hop oils to be extracted. Then it’s dry-hopped like an IPA just before the end of primary fermentation. This creates something I like to consider a “Westier” West Coast IPA, because it pops with hop aromas way more than any traditional West Coast IPA I’ve ever had. It’s all hops with nothing to hide behind. We also cut out the Crystal Malt (normally used in West Coast IPAs) and used puffed Jasmine rice to help dry the beer out.

How is Cold IPA unique in relation to the style?

• After chatting with Paul Liszewski from East Brother about the style, we didn’t know where to start, other than taking inspiration from Wayfinder and Ecliptic Brewing from the PNW. We knew that the hop expression is supposed to be over-the-top, so we dry-hopped aggressively. Luckily Paul got his hands on Azacca hops. These hops are chock-full of citrus, tropical fruit, and piney goodness. We put them alongside the always faithful Mosaic to round out a pleasant pine and fruit flavor. 

Does Cold IPA showcase any unique ingredients?

• We were able to bring in East Brother’s  lovely lager yeast. It’s a German yeast strain that offers a good balance of floral and fruity aromas, and gives beer a clean finish. We utilized Citra and Azacca hops in the dryhop for a nice balance of citrus and tropical fruits, accompanied by nice pine notes. The malt bill included Weyermann Extra Pale Premium Pils, Puffed Jasmine Rice, and Dextrin Malt. As for hops, we used Centennial in the kettle, Centennial and El Dorado in the whirlpool, and then dry-hopped with Citra and Azacca.

What can a drinker expect to taste?

• A clean, crisp and very aromatic beer with pine and tropical fruit flavors.