Ah, my nemesis the “Cold IPA.” Not that they’re inherently bad, but stupidly named. A “Cold IPA” is an IP”A” fermented at cold temperatures, with cold fermenting yeast; AKA lager yeast. “Cold IPAs” are nothing more than IPLs with an identity crisis.
Anyway, this beer is lightly hazy with minimal head retention, smells of pale malts, crackers, and herbal hops. The taste is crisp and bready with flavors of toasted biscuits, and peppery wheat with hints of apple, honey, and pear underneath the full body. The finish is long and moderately high in bitterness, featuring notes of grapefruit peel, pine, and herbal hops. Overall, it succeeds in it’s mission to make an IPA with a cleaner finish, and the hops used are able to stand out more in the finish as a result. However the trade-off is that the body isn’t as soft nor are the flavors as deep and complex; it is hoppy and balanced and quite sessionable, but otherwise unremarkable and an “okay” beer.
