Black IPA (or whatever you want to call it)

This is what I brewed yesterday. It is a very slight variation on the Northern Brewer recipe, which I’ve brewed before and is excellent.

11.5 lbs. 2-row
8 oz. English dark crystal (80L)
6 oz. English chocolate malt
6 oz. Carafa III
1 lb. cane sugar

1 oz. Summit - 60 min.
1 oz. Chinook - 15 min.
1 oz. Centennial - 15 min.
1 oz. Centennial - hop stand at 180 for 20 min.
1 oz. Cascade - hop stand at 180 for 20 min.
1 oz. Centennial - dry hop
1 oz. Cascade - dry hop

Wyeast 1272 (appropriately sized starter)

Mash at 152
OG: 1.066

I oxygenated for 75 seconds and pitched the yeast at 64 degrees.  The plan is to ferment at 66.

What do you think?

I like it. Send me a bottle.

Did you use Carafa III special (dehusked) or regular Carafa III ?  If you used special Carafa, then I’ll accept your recipe as a black IPA.  If you used regular Carafa, then you made an American Imperial Stout that will taste similar to Great Divide Yeti Stout.  Either way, it should be a tasty beer.

+1 to the dehusked stuff for Black IPA. I think the recipe looks good, though I’d probably use double the dry hops. Enjoy !

I used the regular Carafa III.  I like a little roast in these beers.

I still think it will taste very good.  You didn’t overdo the roast.  If you want to call it a Black IPA, the beer style police should give you a free pass this time.

Actually I like a touch of roast in Black IPA too. I normally use the dehusked Carafa and 2 or 3 oz of chocolate malt to get there.

Yep. Otherwise it’s just black for the sake of being black. I can do that with food coloring.

Yup. When Black IPAs first started showing up, I hated the idea - felt that it was just dyed black AIPA. But I tried a few of the good examples -  Loose Cannon, Stone SSR, a great local one, and others, and realized that there was a place for a very hoppy, black beer with a touch of roast. But I agree that if there’s no roast, then it’s just dyed black.

Do you consider Wookey Jack a roasty beer or a black colored IPA?

Pale Malt, Malted Rye, Dash of Cara-Rye, Midnight Wheat from Briess, De-Bittered Black Malt (Weyermann).

Haven’t tried it, though I’ve loved the other FW beers I’ve tried. But if I did I would focus more on how it tasted first. I’m not saying there has to be ‘x’ oz of roasted malt for everybody, but instead “does it taste like a dyed IPA or not”?

It’s not what I would consider to be roasty and doesn’t taste like an IPA dyed black with flavorless sinimar.  The dark malts it uses contribute flavor.  Roasty to me is more coffee like.  Sharper.  More astringent.  There is no universally accepted definition of Black IPA as far as I know, but minimal roast, smooth dark malt flavor and C-hoppy is what distinguishes it from a stout or a porter, in my opinion.  Wookey Jack defines the style for me.

They say big and roasty, but that is more marketing than reality.  Roasty sells beer!

Yeah,I hear it’s really good and for some reason I haven’t tried it yet. The ‘dyed black with flavorless sinamar’ describes the approach I try to avoid. And you’re right - it’s a new enough style as to be vague. I like the ones best that split the difference between ‘flavorless sinamar’ and at the same time easily less roasty than brown porter.

They are releasing it in 4 packs next month.  Previously in bombers and draft only.

Some toasty roast, not to much, nice rye flavor, good hop flavor and aroma. I call it tasty! Shared a bomber at the club meeting last Friday.

I think black IPA should definitely have a little roast. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous, Odell Mountain Standard, Deschutes Hop in the Dark, and New Glarus Black Top are tasty commercial examples. I usually use 8-10oz of Blackprinz in mine (for a 4 gallon batch). It’s got a touch of roastiness. But I’m looking at giving it more of a chocolately flavor and might put in a few ounces of chocolate malt my next batch, maybe some oats too.