diff --git a/roles/koji_hub/templates/hub.conf.j2 b/roles/koji_hub/templates/hub.conf.j2
index a34775c244..a4ed74915c 100644
--- a/roles/koji_hub/templates/hub.conf.j2
+++ b/roles/koji_hub/templates/hub.conf.j2
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ package_list =
         # Rawhide adding, unblocking and blocking is allowed.
         tag f{{FedoraRawhideNumber}} && match action add unblock block :: allow
         # In branched blocking is allowed only before final freeze.
-        tag f{{FedoraBranchedNumber}} && match action add unblock {{ 'block' if not Frozen or FedoraBranchedBodhi != 'postbeta' else '' }} :: allow
+        tag f{{FedoraBranchedNumber}} && match action add unblock {{ 'block' if not NextReleaseFrozen or FedoraBranchedBodhi != 'postbeta' else '' }} :: allow
         # Stable releases: only adding and unblocking is allowed.
         tag f{{FedoraCycleNumber}} f{{FedoraPreviousCycleNumber}} && match action add unblock :: allow
         # EPEL: adding, blocking, and unblocking are allowed 
diff --git a/vars/all/Frozen.yaml b/vars/all/Frozen.yaml
index b92dc939b3..0ced9edd61 100644
--- a/vars/all/Frozen.yaml
+++ b/vars/all/Frozen.yaml
@@ -1,2 +1,7 @@
 ---
-Frozen: True
+# is the infrastructure freeze currently in place?
+InfraFrozen: True
+# is the pending release (Branched) currently frozen?
+NextReleaseFrozen: True
+# for 'backwards compatibility'
+Frozen: {{ InfraFrozen }}
diff --git a/vars/all/README b/vars/all/README
index ba909b18ed..730abdf231 100644
--- a/vars/all/README
+++ b/vars/all/README
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ FedoraPreviousCycleNumber.yaml - number of previous stable release
 FedoraPreviousPreviousCycleNumber.yaml - number of previous previous stable release or 0
 FedoraPreviousPrevious.yaml - true if there is a previous previous, otherwise false
 FedoraRawhideNumber.yaml - The number of the current rawhide
-Frozen.yaml - If we are frozen or not, true or false
+Frozen.yaml - If infra (InfraFrozen) and the pending release (NextReleaseFrozen) are frozen or not, true or false
 
 This directory also contains variables (one per file) that are loaded into
 various playbooks. The first set of these is to allow templates to