Beer column: Frozen hops the key to Backcountry Brewing’s latest creation

The industry leaders when it comes to creative names and labels have returned with another tasty beer.

I featured Squamish’s Backcountry Brewing in this column five months ago and talked about their fantastic branding, and their latest creation is no different.

It’s called the It’s Frickin Freezing In Here Cryo IPA and it’s an ode to Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movie franchise.

For those unfamiliar with this particular type of IPA, it’s essentially what the name suggests as it’s made with hops that are stored at sub-zero temperatures.

“These hops are processed fresh, not dried, and are kept at sub zero temperatures to preserve ultimate freshness,” Backcountry explains.

Using Cryo hops will enhance the flavour and aroma of a beer, as well as improve the brewing process.

If you want to do a deep dive into Cryo hops, check out this deep dive posted by Hop Culture in June 2021.

Backcountry says this particular Cryo IPA has tons of hop character through the use of this brewing method.

“This results in big hop flavour and aroma,” they excitedly claim in a post about the Cryo IPA.

Given the description of the beer and Cryo hops, I was expecting this IPA to have a similar taste to a hazy.

That would have been fine with me, because I love a good hazy IPA, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by the taste when I poured my first pint.

Instead of a citrusy blast you often find in a hazy, I found it tasted more like a classic IPA with a bit more of a flavourful punch that came through in a very enjoyable way because it’s not overly bitter.

This Backcountry creation comes in with a 6.5% ABV and just 35 IBUs and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who enjoys a well-crafted IPA.

Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.