Cold IPA
Ecliptic Brewing

Remember the can, just had this beer in Nov or Dec 2024. Can't remember any particulars about it though.

 

Clear amber brew with plenty of foam in the Brigand chalice. Aromatic with fruit and pine. Sudsy mouthfeel with some sweet malt. Very complex flavors with hints of strawberry, apricot, pineapple. But a very bitter aftertaste, though still sweet, like bitter berry jam.

While this seems more bitter than necessary, it's a remarkable mouthful of complex hop flavors. I would not venture to try another can of this stuff, but I will be looking out for these interesting hops, Talus and Pacific Sunrise. From the 16 oz can purchased at Ellizabeth Station. Dated 01/23/21.

 

16oz can from Boise Co-op. Clear golden pour with a thick, foamy white head. Malty, grainy, bready aroma. Taste brings a splash of citrus and tropical fruit, sweet, then dry, brisk bitter bite. A bit sticky. Overall it is kind of mellow, but the flavors kind of sneak up on you.

fun stuff, i love these guys, wish more of their beer came around to idaho, they do so much cool stuff, this one is like an imperial ipl, done with wayfinder. its mostly clear, slightly rich looking honey colored from the tap, and holds a sturdy inch of thick white foam. the nose is unique on the hop side, a hint of strawberry in an almost barbe rouge sense, freeze dried raspberry too, then some sweet orange and piney bitterness, dynamic and very fresh. i guess i dont taste a whole lot from the lager yeast, but there is a crispness in here that you would never find in an imperial ipa, and its not just about dryness. even in the absence of much fermentation flavor, there is a crisp fastness here which is striking, makes this almost refreshing for what it is, and the alcohol is insanely well hidden, i drank this way too fast. i love how refined it is, the hops are bold but there is no green bite here at all, and it has all kinds of nuance from peach rings to green grapes, vibrant and lively. modest body for its strength, a lot of carbonation, and an almost too quick finish. these guys slay, everything is always so creative and dialed in. great hop profile, and the lagering allows it to shine in a cool way. yum. this style is booming right now and i am into it.

Canned 1/25, rated 2/2. Light amber pour, a finger or two of froth for a head. Nose is mostly lager notes of yeast and light hops. The taste is lean, hops at the first, then a finish that's dry and a lingering malt flavor. A welcome diversion from the hops, hops, and more hops of many IPAs nowadays. Being this is probably a one-off, grab one if you see one.

Bright uniformly hazy golden with two plus fingers of teaming tight bubbly white head.
Aroma moderately tropical, hints of berry - pineapple; some grassy malt and almost a Belgian yeast like odour, note of citrus.
Grainy pilsner malt flavour with tropical sweetness, strawberry, piney, followed by a pithy citrus, grapefruit peel bitterness and a mild yeast note.
Medium mouthfeel - decent carbonation yet a slightly underwhelming thinness at the finish; hop bitterness lingers.

 

Look: Semi-opaque pale yellow in color and the pour brings about an awesomely huge white head that settles to a pillow, leaving great lacing behind
Aroma: Powdered sugar-coated strawberries, melon, tangerine, a little pineapple, passionfruit, blueberries, and limes
Taste: Limes, orange, passionfruit, and berries strike first before a wave of pilsner malt crashes and blends into the initial hit. As it fades, melon, pineapple, and even a light watermelon aspect comes through and lingers. Closes with citrus fruit and pilsner malt
Mouthfeel: Full but light feeling, medium-high carbonation, super clean throughout, and finishes with a nice and crisp dryness
Overall: This is delicious and unique. My first ‘cold IPA’ and as a fan of IPL’s, I wanted to try a good one to see how the two very similar styles compare/differ. The hop aromas and tastes come through extremely well and don’t seem as sharp or altered as some IPL’s I’ve had. The pilsner malt adds a nice balanced touch as well and I love the lightly dry finish too. I can dig this – bring on more Cold IPA’s please

16oz canned on 02/16/2021. Sample from the brewery.

Pours golden with some slight chill haze (that eventually clears up) and a creamy foam head that remains until the last sip. Tons of tropical and stone fruit in the nose with some underlying bready pale malts, but it's soft and clean. Fairly light-bodied, but firm, Incredibly smooth, and super creamy on the palate. Mouthfeel is incredible. You're then hit with a burst of orange, grapefruit rind, mango, and melon. There's some sticky pine resin action going on with spicy, herbal, and leafy undertones too. Bready, but overall clean and dry, finish. And that 8% ABV is barely perceivable at first, but leaves you with a pleasing warmth on its way out.

I saw a lot of people taking shit about "Cold IPA" when this beer was first announced. Whatever. As Wayfinder's Brewmaster Kevin Davey explained it in a guest article for New School, it's not an India Pale Lager (IPL) or Dry-Hopped Lager. His Cold IPAs are brewed with adjuncts (corn or rice) for color, body, and mouthfeel. He also uses his house lager strain, but ferments warm (65F) to avoid excessive sulfur dioxide. And then he uses the dry hop krausen technique (tail end of fermentation) used with Italian Pilsners. In his words, all of this achieves the following: "1. We fully carbonate the beer. 2. The still active yeast scrubs any oxygen we add during the dry hopping. 3. Biotransformation of hops."

More "Cold IPA," please.

2021-03-21
16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 02/16/21. Think I bought it in Bend.

Pours a clear light golden with a big, fluffy, tumultuous head. Smell is primarily lemon pith/zest. Maybe a little tropical juice.

Taste is very juicy, leaning toward citrus -- lemon and grapefruit with a little orange, and a grapefruit skin bitterness finish.

Mouthfeel is fairly light, slightly watery. Overall, pretty nice beer.

Can from TJs.

A mildly hazy light yellow with a dense, white head with good retention and lacing this looks great. The nose is a bit of a tropical fruit bomb. Peach, papaya, passionfruit, some mango. A classic, clean, fruity lager character is noticeable, though the hops overwhelm it. A mild sweetness is present, with a touch of dough from the pils malt. Quite nice. The palate opens soft, creamy and bitter. Lots of fresh squeezed OJ, passionfruit, peach and papaya are present. The bitterness is clean, unique in texture with more characteristics of Wayfinder's beers than Ecliptic's. Smooth, almost uncannily so in that it has the texture of an emulsion rather than a more typical IPA or IPL. Medium in body, softly carbonated, there's a long, fruity finish. A moderate alcohol note is present as well. Tasty.

16oz can (dated 2/15/21, I think) poured into 14oz teku. Poured a cloudy medium yellow color with an inch of white head that had very good retention and light lacing.

The aroma was very hop forward, bright and citrusy, with just faint grain in the background.

Same on the tongue, the hops were a bit frooty at first, but finished with some bitterness.

The body was medium-light, fuller than I expected from the pilsner malts, smooth, and had a medium-dry finish.

Drinkability was good, i could drink more of these.

Overall, a nice beer. The "style" is a bit of a gimmick; this is an IPL by another name, but it's a good brew. worth a shot if you see it

Pint at Westside Taphouse in West Salem OR.
$7.
Pours a golden be dry with a small white, wispy head.
Aromas of green grapes, grass, pears and lemongrass.
Taste the same as the aroma..more lemon and grass.
Mouth feel medium.. medium to high carbonation. Long finish.
Interesting..a cross between a Brut IPA and a pilsner.