I will stop by the CRAFT both. As said in this thread, add Sinimar if you want it darker.
Apparently great minds thing alike! ;D
Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub is proud to present Hop Strike! Black Rye-IPA. This commemorative brew is made in honor of the 1st year anniversary of the passing of the Gourmet Beer Bill and Free the Hops.
Hop Strike! is a dry-hopped Black Rye-IPA built from the ground up at Tommyknocker Brewery. This beer is characterized by an intermingling of spicy citrus hops and chocolate malt creating an interesting complexity and great first impression on the nose. Hop Strike’s substantial 95 IBUs are balanced by the chocolate rye resulting in a nice depth of malt character and deep color.
Tommyknocker hand crafted Lagers and Ales are brewed with the finest ingredients, producing the freshest beer possible straight from our small brewpub in Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Appearance: Deep Brown/Black, light tan head
Malts: Idaho Pale Malt, European Crystal, Chocolate malt and Chocolate rye
Hops: Chinook, Newport, Glacier, Nugget and Summit
Dry-hopped with 40 pounds of hops, 16 deg. Plato (1.066), 95 IBUs, 45 SRM, 7% ABV
http://beernews.org/2010/05/tommyknocker-hop-strike-ipa-debuts-on-tap-this-week/
Damn, they beat you to it.
I’m patenting the Rye Stout Pilsner idea while I can!
Sorry for the late follow-up to this but we had a death in the family shortly after my return from Minneapolis.
I was very satisfied with the way this beer turned out and received nothing but positive feedback from everyone who sampled it at club night. Tasty McDole commented that he thought it was well done and represented the style very well. My only regret was not having my recipe with me because Tasty asked about it and I was not in the best of shape to recall it from memory ::). It couldn’t have been too bad because it was one of CRAFT’s most popular beers and had many repeat customers. The keg was pretty much drained. Personally I thought the roast was just about right, perceivable but not overpowering. I thought the color was spot on too. I will definitely brew this again.
Bill
Update on this beer, it earned an honorable mention in the 1st Annual Michigan Beer Cup, formerly the Michigan State Fair Homebrew competition, with an average score of 38. ;D
Congrats, Bill! I tried your beer at club night and it was very tasty!
Black Rye IPA…sheesh :
As the posts in this thread suggest, the whole Black IPA thing is such nonsense…“Add sinimar to get color but no flavor”…“Add carafa to the sparge”…etc.
I bet the biggest fans of the Black IPA/Cascadian Dark Ale craze are the same ones who sneer at green beer on St. Patrick’s Day. Hey, I’ve got news for you…ITS THE SAME THING!
Whatever floats your boat, I suppose. Personally, if I am going to make something black, I want it to taste ROASTY.
Oh, and last week I found myself in the Bear Republic brewpub in Healdsburg, CA…and Hop Rod Rye, while not black, is fantastic!
Yep, HRR is great stuff. Why, it’s kinda like a darker version of my rye IPA recipe…
AND NOW…THE REST OF THE STORY…
So, I was in my local pub the other day, and mentioned to the bartender that I just got back from vacation in Northern California and really enjoyed a beer called Hop Rod Rye.
“Coincidentally,” he replied, “I have a keg of that in the cooler. That’s next on our rotator tap.”
So today, I walk in the bar, and order a Hop Rod Rye. The beer comes back…and it is a Black IPA.
Fortunately, I had been at the Healdsburg brewpub two weeks ago, and knew exactly what was up.
“Tom, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.” I told my favorite barkeep. “This beer isn’t Hop Rod Rye…it is Red Rocket Ale.”
Tom went back to the cooler to check the tag on the keg. It was a handwritten tag that said Hop Rod Rye.
So there is two important points to be learned here:
1. Quality control ain’t so good at Bear Republic.
2. Denny Conn is never wrong (well, we all know that already, but this thread made him look somewhat fallible. I’m glad I corrected that).
BWAHAHAHA! Chumley, what would it cost to get that in writing to give to my wife? ;D
I would call Red Rocket Ale many things, but a black IPA aint’ one of them. That there’s an American Strong Ale and has been for over a decade!
Agreed Drew…it certainly doesn’t fit into an AAA category. I sampled this fine beer a few weeks ago and really liked it. It almost fits into a weak Imperial Amber Ale style if you will. Definitely full bodied and fairly hoppy.
This was taken from BR website.
Red Rocket Ale®
American Amber Ale
ABV: 6.8% IBU: 67 Color: Deep Copper Red
Red Rocket Ale is a bastardized Scottish style red ale that traces it’s origins to our homebrew roots. This full bodied and hoppy brew finishes on the palate with sweet, caramel malt flavors.
2009 California State Fair - SILVER
1999 Great American Beer Festival® Other Strong Ales or Lagers - SILVER
1998 Great American Beer Festival® Other Strong Ales - SILVER