Cold IPA Today; What’s New Tomorrow? Beer Experts on Inventing New Beer Categories and Exploring ‘Hybrid’ Styles
As the craft brewing industry continues to evolve, ‘hybrid beers’ and new styles aren’t just inevitable; they’re electrifying.
By Emily Hutto and Karson Krouse
The modern brewing industry is rooted in experimentation. So many of the beer style categories we know today exist because someone dreamt them, and gave them a shot in the brewhouse. And then, adjusted batch over batch over batch over batch until those dreamt flavors, aromas, and mouthfeel became reality.
When we first began to tackle this editorial about innovative beer styles, we often called them ‘hybrid beers’— expressions often the result of combining brewing practices for both ales and lagers. Take a German-style Kölsch, for example. One of the oldest examples of brewhouse experimentation originating in Cologne,— and one of the most crowd pleasing over its long history— this style is typically fermented with ale yeast at cold temperatures. It’s been around long enough to be recognized with specific characteristics in beer style guidelines, such as those established by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), North American Brewers Association, and the Brewers Association. The German-style Kölsch is light in the paler side of beers (often straw colored), low on the bitterness scale, and with an alcohol level slightly lower than your average ale. It’s most often brewed with German Noble hops and Pilsner malt. Some great American examples of the style are the classic Colorado Kölsch made by Steamworks Brewing, Zipline Brewing’s German-style Kölsch, and Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.'s Clearwater Kölsch.
Photo courtesy Steamworks Brewing
In the example of Kölsch, ‘hybrid’ beer styles provide opportunities for small craft brewers to experiment stylistically despite constraints of their facilities. Julia Herz, the Executive Director of the American Homebrewers Association, explained this opportunity in episode 2 of the RadCraft Industry Relief Podcast. “The whole notion of [American] breweries on a small level [historically] not being able to craft lagers is actually a truism in a sense; they’re more expensive, you don’t necessarily have lagering tanks, and they take longer to ferment,” she said.
Photo courtesy Julia Herz
But now, she poses, craft brewers are experimenting not out of necessity but instead curiosity. “You're seeing craft brewers say we’ve got all the equipment we can do all these things, let's do some things that will take people to even a deeper place for flavor in beer.”
One of these “deeper flavor places” has been the recent development and craze around Cold IPA (and Pale Ale too). Generally, a Cold IPA is a dry, crisp, and clean IPA that has the flavors of both the bitterness from hops as well as the flavors from hop oils. We’d call Cold IPA a ‘hybrid beer’ because opposite of Kölsch, it employs lager yeast fermented longer at warmer temperatures. Josh Weikert of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine suggests that this can be tricky because you have to find certain lager yeasts that can withstand the higher temperatures. Typically, the grain bill for Cold IPAs has a light Pilsner base that also relies on subtle sweetening from corn or rice. “As a ‘proper’ Cold IPA should,” Arbieter Brewing Company says of their seasonal flagship, “Cold Classic gives the impression of having body and chewiness to it but this perception comes from the alcohol content and hop oils, not residual sugar from the malt!”
Of the many brewers we talked to about Cold IPA, John Able of Citizen 33, said that the aim in brewing this brew style is to let the hops shine. Able also pointed out that with any beer style, the nuances and associated guidelines are not static. “Sometimes I drink a ‘Cold IPA’ and I think this tastes like a Dry Hopped Pilsner. Beer names can mean everything and also nothing.”
At the MaltCon2024 conference, Master Cicerone Jen Blair declared that “not every beer fits neatly into a beer style.” And most importantly, she suggested after comparing several examples from BJCP and the Brewers Association, THAT’S OKAY.
Blair’s presentation reinforced the need for rigid beer styles in judging and awards programs, and equally the need for flexibility from brewhouse to brewhouse. When our community has space for curiosity and innovation, incredible sensory experiences are the result.
As the craft brewing industry continues to evolve, ‘hybrid beers’ and new styles aren’t just inevitable; they’re electrifying. They breathe new life into otherwise forgotten categories, and they give brewers a reason to collaborate. Like Herz, we’re all in. “The exploration continues,” she added. “Inventing new styles is one of the best things… sign me up to brew these styles.”
RadCraft Presents the 2022 Industry Relief Coloring Book To Support James Beard Foundation® Open For Good Campaign
After a successful launch of this book in 2020, it returns with more than double the pages featuring the logos of RadCraft’s partner malthouses, breweries, and distilleries.
DIGITAL— RadCraft and the James Beard Foundation are proud to present the second rendition of the RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book in support of the longevity of independent restaurants. After a successful launch of this book in 2020, it returns with more than double the pages featuring the logos of RadCraft’s partner malthouses, breweries, and distilleries (listed below). Proceeds from this effort go directly to the James Beard Open For Good campaign.
For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has promoted Good Food For Good™ by giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to help independent restaurants survive the crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term. Since the launch of Open For Good, the Foundation has provided critical industry support and resources through education, financial assistance, advocacy, and consumer engagement. For example, the Foundation raised and disbursed almost $4.8 million in grants to 312 food and beverage establishments across America through the JBF Food & Beverage Industry Relief Fund; has hosted more than 100 webinars on a variety of topics for their Industry Support learning series; and has continued work to train and mobilize the chef community in support of public policy through the Chef’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change.
The RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book is available for digital download here or pre-order a hard copy here.
Those who download and print are encouraged to share their art on social media with the #radcraftindustryrelief hashtag.
Contact Founder & CEO Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for a press copy of the coloring book, or with questions about RadCraft.
Learn more about Open For Good at jamesbeard.org/openforgood and contact jbf@wagstaffmktg.com with media inquiries about the foundation.
Participating RadCraft Partners
Inland Island Yeast Laboratories
Living The Dream Brewing Company
ABOUT RADCRAFT
Founded in 2012 by Emily Hutto, RadCraft provides communications support for the beverage industry. From breweries and distilleries to maltsters and their affiliates, RadCraft’s partners are makers of thoughtful products and cultivators of radical ideas. Beers and spirits should tell stories about brands, and RadCraft loves a good story. Learn more at radcraftbeer.com
ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities. By amplifying new voices, celebrating those leading the way, and supporting those on the path to do so, the Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future—what we call Good Food for Good®.
As a 501c3 non-profit organization, JBF brings its mission to life through annual Awards, industry and community-focused initiatives and programs, advocacy, and events. Current programs include the Open for Good Campaign, Chef’s Bootcamp for Policy and Change, Beard House Fellows, Legacy Network, Scholarship Programs, Smart Catch, and Women’s Leadership Programs. In addition, JBF celebrates the chefs and local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities with numerous events and partnerships nationwide throughout the year—including the Taste America culinary tour, JBF Greens events for foodies under 40, the soon-to-open Pier 57 Market Hall, food festivals, and more.
For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book to Support James Beard Foundation Open For Good Campaign
Download this coloring book featuring craft breweries, distilleries, and malthouses that supports the James Beard Foundation Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants survive and come back stronger.
The craft beverage-centric marketing company RadCraft went live today with a downloadable coloring book for which proceeds will support the James Beard Foundation’s Open For Good campaign.
The RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book features the logos of thirteen of the company’s partner malthouses, breweries, and distilleries (listed below) brought to life by Content Coordinator Shelby Martin. These companies, among many others, conceived this fundraising effort through an industry relief Zoom chat that RadCraft hosts monthly to discuss issues facing the beverage community. The group voted on the James Beard Foundation’s Open For Good campaign to receive all proceeds for the coloring book.
For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has promoted Good Food For Good™ by giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before.
“It’s been an incredibly challenging year for the independent food and beverage industry which employs over 11 million people nationwide.” said Kris Moon, Chief Operating Officer of the James Beard Foundation “After the pandemic hit, the Foundation quickly directed all of our resources to helping the industry to survive this crisis. We are only able to continue that work thanks to the generous contributions of partners such as RadCraft. We are incredibly grateful for their support as we work to keep helping the industry remain Open for Good.”
Open for Good programs provide critical resources to help independent restaurants build the capacity to come back stronger, more equitable, more sustainable, and more resilient. Learn more at jamesbeard.org/openforgood and contact JamesBeard@magrinopr.com with media inquiries about the foundation.
The RadCraft Industry Relief Coloring Book is available for download on Issuu. Those who download and print are encouraged to share their art on social media with the #radcraftindustryrelief hashtag.
Contact Founder & CEO Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com for a downloadable media copy of the coloring book, or with questions about RadCraft.
Participating RadCraft Partners
Bonfire Brewing
Boulder Spirits
Deerhammer Distillery
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Laws Whiskey House
Lone Tree Brewing Company
Murphy & Rude Malting
Pagosa Brewing
Root Shoot Malting
Ska Brewing
The Empourium Brewing Company
Thirsty Monk Brewery
Woods Boss Brewing
ABOUT RADCRAFT
Founded in 2012 by Emily Hutto, RadCraft provides communications support to barley crafters. From breweries and distilleries to maltsters and their affiliates, RadCraft’s partners are makers of thoughtful products and cultivators of radical ideas. Beers and spirits should tell stories about brands, and RadCraft loves a good story. Lean more at radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
The James Beard Foundation promotes Good Food For Good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has asserted the power of food to drive behavior, culture, and policy change. The organization is committed to giving chefs a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501©(3) organization based in New York City.
Craft Industry COVID-19 Update - June 9, 2020
Peter August of Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Mike Singer of Other Half Brewing Co. discuss pivoting craft beer sales strategies in a post-COVID marketplace.
Photo by Rachel Cross
Each week we’re pleased to Zoom chat with craft communicators across the country through our #radcraftindustryrelief efforts. Last week, we talked about shifting beer sales strategies with Peter August of Karl Strauss Brewing Company and Mike Singer of Other Half Brewing Co.
Karl Strauss distributes through multiple companies, including their in-house distribution arm Karl Strauss Distributors for craft brands in Southern California. August leads Northern area sales, and offers the unique perspective of a time-honored (31 year-old!) brand making meaningful impact outside of home turf. August prioritized meaningful engagement with chain stores in the marketplace for larger brands that can accommodate the demand. “Who are the 20 percent of stores doing 80 percent of your volume?” he asked, demonstrating the value of consistent, high-volume accounts.
“More chains is a really good way to reach new audiences,” Singer adds. “Bigger placements get the product out there in front of a lot of people very quickly… or you could rent a truck and throw beer at people as you drive down the road…”
He’s kidding on that last part.
Other Half Brewing self-distributes, and before COVID sold mostly draft beer. The vessel may have shifted but Singer’s approach has not. “I’m still out in the streets and meeting with buyers personally; I’ve been masking,” he explains. “Part of my training is to always have samples to make sure our beer is getting in the right hands of people who understand the product. I use samples as part of the engagement and conversation. It would be really cool to send samples before a Zoom meeting with accounts,” he suggests to craft breweries.
We should note this RadCraft Industry Relief Zoom chat was Singer’s first. He’s oldschool— built his market for the last 14 years on personal relationships. When Coronavirus hit, he was on the phone personally calling everyone.
August was doing a lot of the same, though for transparency was furloughed from Karl Strauss until just recently. Now that he’s back to work he knows one of the biggest challenges will be selling more beer with less people. Getting distributors engaged in beer is valuable, he says. “That can be difficult when they’ve got a large book of brands, so give incentives.”
August also stresses the significance of hosting accounts and distributor reps at your brewery location, albeit difficult at this current time with so many of them operating at reduced hours and socially distanced capacities. If you can, he says, giving them that opportunity is key.
Engage with distributors and all audiences for that matter, Singer echoes, by telling a story about your brand. “People rally around a great products,” he says. “A story always sells, especially if your audience cares about it as much as you care about it.”