The Marc's & Tony "Frigid" Cold IPA

Name: Frigid
Brewer: The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. (Philippines)
Style: Cold IPA
ABV: 5%
Review Year: 2021

Frigid is a “Cold IPA” brewed by The Marc’s & Tony Brewing Co. master brewer, Tony Sindayen. One of the three new releases from the Antipolo-based brewery, Frigid was fermented using two lager yeast strains and was dry-hopped with Cascade and Nelson Sauvin.

STYLE GUIDELINES

This “Cold IPA” is being evaluated as a Specialty IPA (21B) in the context of the 2015 Beer Style Guidelines of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The most current version of the guidelines can be found on the BJCP website.

As of this writing, the “Cold IPA” is not yet an official/ explicit style, and, thus, lacks a comprehensive set of guidelines by the BJCP and the Brewers Association (BA). A “Cold IPA” is described informally as a cross between an India Pale Lager (IPL) and malt liquor. It is also referred to as a beer with a clean, crisp, and light hop delivery mechanism with the drinkability of a lager. This relatively new “style” can be first traced to the Relapse IPA brewed by Wayfinder Beer from Portland. According to Wayfinder brewmaster, Kevin Davey, a Cold IPA can have the following characteristics:

Drier, crispier, more drinkable– wester than West Coast;
Aggressively hopped with some classic C-hops;
Grist is more like an American malt liquor (pilsner malt and rice);
Rice and corn can be used for color as well as add a certain body and mouthfeel but also allows the beer to be dry without being naked and overly bitter;
Fermented warm at 65°F [18°C] using a house lager strain to avoid excessive SO2 and to allow the hops to shine without a backdrop of ale yeast aromas; and
Brewed with a process called dry-hop spund or dry hop krausen.

TASTING NOTES

Pale gold, mostly clear with slight haziness; medium-sized white head with fair retention. The bottom pours had visible yeast sediments. Frigid blended moderately high peach and grapefruit with hints of yeastiness and bubble gum. Medium-bodied, moderate carbonation with subtle astringency as afterfeel akin to eating grape skin. The flavor mirrored the aroma with fairly high ripe peach and orange citrus. Meanwhile, low herbal, bubble gum, and onion were more notable as the beer settled. The bready malt character was a notch below moderate, giving way to more hop flavors. Bitterness was moderately low, while residual sweetness was significantly lower leaving an impression of dryness. The aftertaste lingered with orange peel, peach, and subtle herbal tones.

THE VERDICT

“Cold IPA” is a relatively new style and still lacks a comprehensive set of style guidelines; some may argue that it is essentially an India Pale Lager (IPL) brewed with adjuncts like rice and corn. As perceived, Frigid is a very drinkable and refreshing lager that highlighted diverse hop aroma and flavors. Its medium-body, medium-low bitterness, and dryness (lack of residual sweetness) have all contributed to enhancing the drinkability of this beer.

While Nelson Sauvin is popular for its Sauvignon Blanc or white wine qualities, using the said variety in high quantities may apparently contribute onion and garlic-like flavors to the beer. This flavor was subtle in Frigid and, more importantly, did not clash with the other flavors. Personally, we would prefer a cleaner and crisper take, so less of the yeastiness and bubble gum esters might just elevate this beer further. Drink this cold. Very good.

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