Advice on recipe please?

[Paulson]

Hi all, I was wondering if you could offer me any advice. I have so far managed about seven AG brews and seem to be getting decent results. The last one was a 'back to basics' brew which was an homage [if you will] to my fave local session beer, Cliff Quay Bitter [Suffolk]. Straight Maris Otter, Fuggles, Goldings and English Ale Yeast. After 3 weeks in the bottle it is really starting to shine.

However, back to the point, I have decided to go for something new this time, and have acquired both dark crystal and chocolate malt. Combined with Nelson Sauvin, Columbus and Kohatu hops, I feel a 'Black IPA' type beer coming on.

Can anybody offer me any advice on the kind of quantities/proportions I should be looking for, based on Pale Ale malt [4kgs available] plus crystal, dark crystal, and chocolate malts?

I'm thinking of using Columbus as a bittering hop, with applications of Nelson and columbus through the boil, and Kohatu as a dry hop [which worked well last summer].

Any thoughts?

Many thanks, and I will share the brewday when I get time.

 

[Good Ed]

you won't get a satisfactory "dark hoppy beer" by mashing the dark grains in the normal way as they will give you the roast flavours that you get with a porter or stout. So one way is to cold steep the dark grains, (search on here for more info), or use say Carafa Special III malt which has been de husked to take away the harshness, or use Wyermann Sinomar (from the MM), or you could try grinding a small amount of black malt in a coffee grinder and sprinkling that on your grain bed before sparging.

The thing is with a "black IPA" is that you only want the colour and not a lot of roastiness from the dark malts, however one of the originators of this style, Greg Noonan at Vermont Brewery, did use 7% of crystal and 7% chocolate in the mash for their Blackwatch IPA.

Now a dark hoppy beer that tastes great is Saddle Black although I suspect they are cold steeping the dark grains.

 

[keith1664]

I made one recently, sadly it's still in the fermenter so I'm not sure just how successful I was but as Ed says you don't want all the roastiness you'll get from mashing dark malts.
Mine used 200g of carafa III in the mash (for a 40L batch) and I steeped a kilo of black malt in 4L of cold water overnight, I then drained it and added the liquer to the boil until I was happy with the colour (about 3/4 of it). Tasting it post boil there was a hint of dark malts but not overpowering

In fact if I'm excused a link to the other forum!

Dark n Hoppy

 

[Paulson]

Many thanks for the replies. I've taken on board your suggestions re the dark grains and currently have 200g of chocolate and 100g of dark crystal steeping in cold water [3l] and already it looks good!

I've also got the Neale's West Coast yeast in a starter ready for tomorrow afternoon.

The Cascadian IPA recipe looks great, and I hope to be organised enough to produce my first brewday posting tomorrow [with pics].

 

[graysalchemy]

I feel a 'Black IPA' type beer coming on.

BANGS HEAD AGAINST WALL !!!!!!!!!

There is no such thing.

Firstly it is Black not pale.

Secondly it has nothing to do with India or India Pale Ale. It was invented by an American. :evil: :evil:

If Greg Noonan had called it a Black APA I wouldn't have a problem.

Call it what you like but don't call it a Black IPA it isn't.

Rant Over

Gets off Box.

:grin: :grin:

 

[Good Ed]

we thought we had got under the radar, fat chance with you hawks about :lol:

 

[graysalchemy]

Not me or Vossy you need to worry about.

I believe Ron Pattinson of 'SHUT UP ABOUT BARCLAY PERKINS' fame has joined the forum :whistle: :whistle:

 

[pogierob]

My opinion is brew what you want and if it works. Brew it again and share the recipe.

Beer styles were at some point "created" by someone not following the rules.

Perhaps some people might feel better if it was called an APA inspired porter/stout but who honestly cares?

We don't brew to simply make mega swill. Once you are hooked on brewing you have two choices.

Follow and be happy

Create and be happy.

The choice is yours.

I just chugged through a keg of rye golden ale I stuffed up (forgot to adjust for no chill so was quite bitter).

Lesson learnt, won't do it again. But if it happened to be awesome (according to my taste buds)
I would do it again.

Life is only interesting if you mix it up.

Rant just getting started.

 

[graysalchemy]

I agree Pogie just don't call it something it is not, it is pretentious and confussing to call it a 'Black IPA'

 

[pogierob]

Cool lets agree to call it beer then.

 

[Good Ed]

Not me or Vossy you need to worry about.

I believe Ron Pattinson of 'SHUT UP ABOUT BARCLAY PERKINS' fame has joined the forum :whistle: :whistle:

:thumb: that should liven things up :thumb:

 

[Paulson]

Well, that was an interesting first post.

I think one of the problems with internet forums is that people often post replies without stopping to think about how they come across to others who don't know them.

I'm not particularly impressed by being bawled out in big red letters within an hour of my first post.

I didn't invent the term Black IPA and clearly only a fool would not realise the contradiction inherent in its name.

However it's quite widely used in the brewing scene, like it or not. There are commercially available beers bearing this name.

To those of you who answered my question in a friendly and helpful manner, thanks very much.

As far as the individual who decided to have a go is concerned, I asked for help with a recipe, not your personal opinion of whether a certain style of beer is valid or not.

 

[Good Ed]

no, you did well Paulson, this is a regular topic and the same thing happens every time, everyone is very friendly on here, really :)

 

[Hawks]

everyone is very friendly on here, really :)

It's true... always check for smilies at the bottom

My advice to get back in the good books is to admit your admiration for John Smiths and Guinness :whistle:

 

[pittsy]

Hey black ipa so what , heard of a dunkelweiss which means dark white or an weiss bier being amber/orange . When i first read black ipa i thought nothing of it , just another odd named style :whistle:

 

[nobyipa]

my black and wet hopped sunday was a success
recipe here

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=44265&p=426048#p426048
malty hoppy lovely and creamy
:drink:

 

[nobyipa]

:electric:

 

[johnnyboy1965]

The title "Black IPA" does annoy some people and I can see their point. I think grays is right...it should have been given a classification of Black APA but some one has given it that name and its stuck.

No, that's also wrong..It should be named ...............

 

[robsan77]

Well, that was an interesting first post.

I think one of the problems with internet forums is that people often post replies without stopping to think about how they come across to others who don't know them.

I'm not particularly impressed by being bawled out in big red letters within an hour of my first post.

I didn't invent the term Black IPA and clearly only a fool would not realise the contradiction inherent in its name.

However it's quite widely used in the brewing scene, like it or not. There are commercially available beers bearing this name.

To those of you who answered my question in a friendly and helpful manner, thanks very much.

As far as the individual who decided to have a go is concerned, I asked for help with a recipe, not your personal opinion of whether a certain style of beer is valid or not.

Man up princess.....

..... but I can see your point

 

[johnnyboy1965]

The title "Black IPA" does annoy some people and I can see their point. I think grays is right...it should have been given a classification of Black APA but some one has given it that name and its stuck.

No, that's also wrong..It should be named ...............

Strong, Hopped, Indian, Traditional....