Carafa Special 3 in Black IPA

[dan125]

Every site I've looked at gives the EBC as 1300 - 1500. Have you tried upping the EBC to see what it does to the percentage? Maybe to 1400?

Having actually now checked the pack I've adjusted the EBC to 1400.
I doesn't make a great deal of difference - 460g instead of 500g to achieve the same colour.
Had a little chew on a pinch of the CS3 and it has a surprisingly mild taste though.
Funny thing is if I'd had bought de-husked roast barley again instead of CS3 I'd have just chucked the 500g in without giving it a thought, as I've used that much before in a weaker stout - and it was good.

 

[MyQul]

I'm about to brew this next weekend but I'm mindful of some of the comments from those that have already brewed it. I was going to follow Gregs recipe to the letter although I had to get Black Malt rather than Carafa 3 to order from the one supplier!

I am wondering about adding around 2% crystal malt to add a little sweetness. What does everyone think (it's my first AG!)?

Also, in brewers friend if my supplier lists the crystal as 145 EBC what do I enter under UK Crystal Malt as there are loads of numbers for it?

Thanks

Paul

Pale Malt+Black Malt+Crystal+Choccy=Robust Porter

I'm don't think replacing the CS3 with black malt will give you what your after. Yes, it'll give you a good colour but black malt is very roasty which isn't what your after with this style

 

[pgl150]

Pale Malt+Black Malt+Crystal+Choccy=Robust Porter

I'm don't think replacing the CS3 with black malt will give you what your after. Yes, it'll give you a good colour but black malt is very roasty which isn't what your after with this style

Ahhh ok cheers. Glad I checked beforehand! Nearly made a big mistake.

Looks like I'll stick to the original recipe first time out and then see how I find it before experimenting.

Time to go shopping for the CS3! :whistle:

 

[ezraburke]

It's not been said yet but you can use the carafa (at least a 100g or so?) as a FWH type of addition. I brewed BIAB when i did my last Black IPA, mashed with MO and other adjuncts and then added carafa and a hop addition (cascade? Can't remember now) into the bag during sparge - washed some of the oils and colour from the carafa, turned my brew jet black.

Result:

 

[dan125]

It's not been said yet but you can use the carafa (at least a 100g or so?) as a FWH type of addition. I brewed BIAB when i did my last Black IPA, mashed with MO and other adjuncts and then added carafa and a hop addition (cascade? Can't remember now) into the bag during sparge - washed some of the oils and colour from the carafa, turned my brew jet black.

That looks good, and nicely black - and that was with just 100g of carafa?

 

[ezraburke]

I had 500g to use, used 100g FWH style then another 200 in the mash.

 

[rodwha]

As ezraburke mentioned dark grains can be added at the end of the mash or during the sparge to greatly reduce the flavor contribution. I'm uncertain how to adjust for color using this method as I've only tried once.

If you use enough Midnight Wheat or Carafa Special you'll get a bit of a roasty character. In a beer I tried to make black but taste like an amber it came across just like a schwarzbier, which was great but not what I was after.

I actually prefer my Cascadian Dark Ale/BIPA to not have but a subtle roastiness to it. The ones I've had here can be that way or have a more significant roastiness to it. Carafa special is what I read some brewers claiming proper. I've used mostly Midnight Wheat but will go back and try the Carafa again.

My last BIPA (5.5 gallons) used 1/2 pound of Midnight Wheat and 2 oz of chocolate 350 for an SRM of 29.

 

[clibit]

Have you made this? First off, Midnight Wheat (aka roasted wheat) is gaining popularity for Black IPAs. I wouldn't use 500g myself, sounds like too much, I think 250g would be plenty.

Then adding chocolate or crystal or other flavour grains is about what kind of Black IPA you want. Some crystal is common. Crystal rye works well, dark crystal perhaps. Purists will say chocolate is for porters and stouts, not a Black IPA, but there are no rules as such. Roasted/chocolate rye is a nice addition.

 

[dan125]

Have you made this? First off, Midnight Wheat (aka roasted wheat) is gaining popularity for Black IPAs. I wouldn't use 500g myself, sounds like too much, I think 250g would be plenty.

Then adding chocolate or crystal or other flavour grains is about what kind of Black IPA you want. Some crystal is common. Crystal rye works well, dark crystal perhaps. Purists will say chocolate is for porters and stouts, not a Black IPA, but there are no rules as such. Roasted/chocolate rye is a nice addition.

Yes Clibit I've made it. I wanted a jet black brew with as mild a roasty flavour as possible. So I used 460g to get the blackness and am hoping that the flavour won't be too full on - & to this end I didn't add any other dark grains.
I'll add a piccy when I transfer it to the carboy at the weekend.

 

[ezraburke]

Yes Clibit I've made it. I wanted a jet black brew with as mild a roasty flavour as possible. So I used 460g to get the blackness and am hoping that the flavour won't be too full on - & to this end I didn't add any other dark grains.
I'll add a piccy when I transfer it to the carboy at the weekend.

As a matter of adding to this discussion i'm fermenting an imperial BLIPA just now - SG of 1.080 and currently maintaining its FG of 1.016 - due for bottling this Sunday. I've been in and out of it checking gravity and having used 400g of Carafa III in this 6kg brew i can attest that it certainly has a roasty flavour to it.

Not too pronounced but enough to tell you there's some sort of roasted malt in there. Percentage wise it was 6.6% of my malt bill.

I'll update once it's bottled and aged.

 

[rodwha]

I'd like to read about the character added from both of you if you don't mind.

 

[ezraburke]

Recipe here if you're interested. It's standard West Coast hop schedule but added molasses and honey (as per Weird Beard's Something Something Dark Side).

 

[rodwha]

On my last BIPA (I didn't list that one earlier) I had forgotten to mill the a midnight wheat so I quickly milled a bit extra but got a bit more roastiness than I wanted. Apparently I got plenty from the unmilled grains were good as is.

Time has mellowed it now, but the hop flavor isn't what it was now. Sigh...

 

[dan125]

Got this racked into the carboy last night after 2 weeks in the FV, and it's certainly black:



This small sample had a definite roasty character, but its smooth and quite mellow



Dry hopped with 50g cascade, 40g Falconers flight 7Cs, & 10g Falconers flight .

 

[Dads_Ale]

On my last BIPA (I didn't list that one earlier) I had forgotten to mill the a midnight wheat so I quickly milled a bit extra but got a bit more roastiness than I wanted. Apparently I got plenty from the unmilled grains were good as is.

Time has mellowed it now, but the hop flavor isn't what it was now. Sigh...

I think this is a style that needs drinking early. I tried my last bottle a few weeks ago, 5 months old, and it had lost most of its hop flavour. Still drinkable but not a patch on the early ones.

 

[dan125]

I think this is a style that needs drinking early. ...

That's not normally a problem :whistle:

 

[rodwha]

I think this is a style that needs drinking early. I tried my last bottle a few weeks ago, 5 months old, and it had lost most of its hop flavour. Still drinkable but not a patch on the early ones.

Most certainly. Mine tastes like a hoppy schwarzbier so I was hoping time would mellow out the roastiness.

There are several commercial beers that are similar to this, but the first few I initially tried were not and that's what amazed me. Black but not roasty as it would appear.

But in this one I tried Centennial for everything but bittering and it just doesn't meld well with the roasty.

 

[dan125]

I'd like to read about the character added from both of you if you don't mind.

I'm drinking this a week or so earlier than I'd have ideally liked, but there's no other beer in the house :-(
I'm very pleased with it though:-



It does have a mild roasty character, but this is definitely much less pronounced than you'd expect from the colour, and its still a decidedly hop forward beer.

I had a Guinness West Indies Porter after one of these yesterday and considering they are approx. the same, the flavour difference was huge, with the porter seeming incredibly more roasty (as you'd expect) after the IPA.

The IPA is also dangerously quaffable for a 6.3% brew.

All in all - a success :thumb:

 

[ezraburke]

Looking good! I cracked my black IPA on Sunday after a week in bottles - looking forward to aging this one.