CraftHaus Brewery, located in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a vibrant and innovative craft brewery co-founded by Wyndee and Dave Forrest. Established in 2014, CraftHaus has become a cornerstone of the Nevada craft beer scene. The brewery prides itself on its community-focused ethos, often hosting events, collaborations, and brewery tours that foster a sense of camaraderie among beer enthusiasts. Wyndee Forrest is a prominent figure in the Nevada Craft Brewers Guild, advocating for the growth and support of the state's craft brewing industry. The company's dedication to excellent beer makes it a stand out destination for both locals and visitors in Las Vegas.
We asked CraftHaus to be part of our beer lineup for Craft Brewers Conference 2024 and brew something that challenged their creativity and would standout amongst the other beers at CBC. They landed on a Cold IPA, aptly named Blizzard Beast, featuring El Dorado® CGX™ & T-90, Amarillo® CGX™ & T-90, and Chinook T-90.
We caught up with Cameron Fisher, Head Brewer at CraftHaus, to discuss why he chose to brew this Cold IPA and talk challenges and successes along the way.
What inspired you to create this particular beer?
We had been making India Pale Lager here at the brewery for a few years, but the sales were not really there for this style. Jump ahead a few years and we decided to give the Cold IPA a shot and they have been some of our best sellers in our taprooms since. We wanted to give this style a shot using a blend of CGX and regular T-90 for our dry hop.
Can you tell us why you went with this hop bill?
Crosby asked us to create something inspired by PNW beers. After giving all these hops a good rub, we really liked this blend. It had some herbal lemon pine fruity notes going on and we thought that would play nicely with our house lager yeast to create an IPA that was a little brighter in character and easy drinking.
How would you describe the flavor and aroma profile of this beer?
The malt character is very subdued as we just used a mix of flaked maize and pilsner. I described the aroma as having notes of candied pear and pine. Upon drinking it, the profile is light and crispy at first followed by a nice wave of hop flavor that saturates the pallet. The hop flavor is very similar to the aroma with notes of sweet pear, lemon rind and pine.
What challenges did you face while developing the recipe?
I had not used all these hops together like this before so dialing in when and how I wanted the additions to be added was a little bit of work. We opted to cool-pool a pretty large addition of Amarillo, Chinook and El Dorado. Then used a 50/50 blend of CGX and T-90 in the dry hop.
What feedback have you received from customers about this beer?
It has been very well received and one of our top sellers since we put it on tap. During CBC it was one of our best sellers.
To learn more about CraftHaus and their lineup of stellar beers, check out crafthausbrewery.com or follow them on Instagram.