Brewnation and LongBoat Brewing teamed up to create a special brew to commemorate Brewnation's 8th anniversary—the Chillwave Cold IPA. This innovative collaboration highlights the synergy between two brewing powerhouses, bringing together their expertise and passion for crafting exceptional beers. In this article, we delve into the inspiration behind the Chillwave Cold IPA, the unique brewing process, and the consumer response to this exciting new beer style. Join us as we explore how this partnership came to be and what makes the Chillwave Cold IPA a standout addition to the Bangalore beer scene.

Can you tell us about the partnership between Brewnation and LongBoat? How did this collaboration come about?

Ankit Sethi, Founder, Brewnation: We have worked with Karthik for several years and had been planning to do a collaboration for a long time to showcase a newer style of beer. Everything fell into place beautifully with LongBoat to execute this collaboration as Vinay instantly agreed with the idea. We started planning the recipes, brew date, launch date, etc.

What inspired you to create a Cold IPA specifically for Brewnation's 8th anniversary?

Ankit Sethi, Founder, Brewnation: In our previous talks and presentations, Brewnation projected that Cold IPA would become a popular beer style to brew. We wanted to showcase all the finest ingredients at Brewnation, such as Viking Malts, YCH Hops, and Fermentis yeast. This collaboration was planned around our 8th anniversary, and LongBoat was kind enough to join the collaboration instantly.

Vinay, Founder, LongBoat, said, "We were thrilled to join forces with Brewnation for their milestone anniversary. Our combined expertise allowed us to create something truly special with the Chillwave Cold IPA."

How did both teams contribute to the development of the Chillwave Cold IPA?

Ankit Sethi, Founder, Brewnation: Cold IPA is a relatively new style, and we knew we had to tweak it a bit to make it interesting for patrons. Both teams brainstormed the ingredients, built the recipe, and scheduled the brew to make it an intriguing beer. Karthik came up with the idea of calling this beer Chillwave, considering the heatwave that had impacted Bangalore during this time.

What is a Cold IPA, and how does it differ from other IPA styles?

Ankit Sethi, Founder, Brewnation: Cold IPA is an IPA that includes adjuncts – namely flaked rice and/or corn – in the grist. It has no caramel malts, is fermented to a very low final gravity using a lager yeast at the higher end of its temperature range, and is dry-hopped during fermentation. Pilsner malt is the primary base malt used in this recipe to keep the malt flavors subtle. These elements combined result in a beer with a solid hop presence, light body, dry finish, and medium-to-low malt character. It is meant to showcase hops. This style of beer originated in the USA and has been gaining popularity in Asia and Africa over the last few years.

Can you explain the brewing process for Chillwave Cold IPA? What makes it unique?

Karthik, Head Brewer, LongBoat: With a focus on hop balance, we kept our bittering hops to a minimum, achieving most of the target IBU with late additions and dry hopping. Being a Cold IPA, the lager yeast was fermented warm, and some dry hop was added early in the fermentation to get some biotransformation thiol compounds.

You’ve chosen a blend of five different hops for this beer. Can you tell us more about these hops and why they were selected?

Karthik, Head Brewer, LongBoat: We wanted to create a complex balance of flavors. We used Columbus for early bittering, Simcoe for its pine notes, Nectaron for its tropical notes, Citra for its grapefruit and dank character, and Lemondrop for its unique citrus and herby notes.

Ankit Sethi, Founder, Brewnation shared, "Our goal was to create a unique and balanced flavor profile. The blend of hops we chose allowed us to achieve a beer that is both refreshing and complex, catering to a wide range of palates."

What were the main flavor and aroma profiles you aimed to achieve with Chillwave Cold IPA?

Karthik, Head Brewer, LongBoat: We aimed to achieve a complex balance of aromas and flavors, and we are quite happy with the results. This was our first time brewing a Cold IPA.

How does the beer's profile, with its crispness and bold hop characteristics, align with the tastes and preferences of Bangalore beer enthusiasts?

Karthik, Head Brewer, LongBoat: Our main focus was to create a beer that was not extremely hoppy, which can be off-putting to some. The target of 35 IBU was intended to make the beer extremely drinkable and sessionable, encouraging people to go back for a second or third glass. We also wanted the malt character to be light like a traditional lager. Balancing these elements was a challenge, but we are happy with how the beer turned out and how balanced it feels.

What has been the initial consumer response to Chillwave Cold IPA? Have there been any surprising feedback or standout comments from those who’ve tried it?

Vinay, Founder, LongBoat: The initial response has been great. People who are not typically IPA drinkers have given this beer a try, and the feedback has been positive. We are educating customers about how this style differs from regular IPAs and how we combined it with lager yeast and a unique blend of five hops. One standout comment was that the beer is not bitter. Despite having an IBU of 35, the unique flavors give it a smooth, clean finish, making it a hybrid between a lager and an IPA. Customers are enjoying the aroma and taste profile of this beer.

How do you think Chillwave Cold IPA will be received by the broader market, beyond the initial release?

Vinay, Founder, LongBoat: The Bangalore market is typically dominated by Witbier and Hefeweizen. Pushing any kind of IPA to the broader market is challenging. We have a similar style called Naught Zero IPA, a LongBoat Brewing special with full hop flavor and no hop bitterness, inspired by NEIPAs. This beer has no hops added in the boil, technically making it zero bitterness. We launched this to help customers transition to drinking more IPAs, and after a year and a half, we are seeing a rise in this category of beer. To succeed, we must focus on quality, promotions, marketing activities, and techniques. Educating the audience about the effort and ingredients that go into making this complex style of beer will boost its response in the broader market.

Check out all the premium raw material used in this brew on Brewnation's website www.brewnation.in