Really? Is it the combination of roast and hops you don’t like? I don’t care what you call it but I’ve had a couple versions and they were pretty good. I’m not planning on making any anytime soon, but then again I’m not planning on making any regular AIPA’s either :
Surely you jest! I find that hard to belive from a man who is known for his Rye IPA and his Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.
There are some good ADA’s out there (and a lot of not-so-good ones, too).
I much prefer the milder versions (darker color and mild roast aroma, if any, with minimal roast flavor and no astringency). It shouldn’t be a hoppy porter.
I just don’t like the combo of roasted malts (often over the top IMO) and high hop rates. I have nothing against either, but a lot of both just clashes to me. The only one I’ve ever had that I really liked was Tom’s “Cross Dressing Amateur”. It was a normal IPA darkened with Sinamar…no dark malts at all!
I cold steep Carafa III or BlackPrinz would work Id imagine. Crush the grain finely, add some water. steep cold in the fridge a day in advance. Add that liquid to the last 5 minutes of the boil. No roast, no astringency lots of color as an alternative to sinamar.
Yeah, I’ve done the cold steep a number of times but since I discovered Sinamar those days are behind me!
Sinamar is basically cold steeped carafa extract, no?
Kinda…according tio Weyermann…
“To get the characteristic color and extract, SINAMAR® is carefully evaporated in a vacuum process, finely filtered and canisters and containers of different sizes are filled directly at 158°F - 167°F (70 - 75°C). Due to this special treatment the taste of SINAMAR® is less bitter. SINAMAR® causes no turbidity and remains pH stable.”
Cool stuff. I make Milk Stout with the cold steep method as well but like the roasty character that comes from cold steeping roast barley, chocolate and the like.
Im guessing Sinamar doesn’t give much of that character right? It’d work good in a CDA but maybe not so much in a Milk Stout. Denny do you have experiences with this? Im definitely going to try it in a CDA though!
I usually refer to it as “Black IPA” since that seems to be the name that many of the micros are rolling with. I’m OK with “Black IPA”, since that’s a fair description of the style, but not the oxymoronic “Black India Pale Ale”. Frankly, I think American Black Ale is the best choice for a name, since it fits with the American Amber Ale, American Brown Ale, American Pale Ale naming convention. The problem I see with “Black IPA” means that the style is defined by another style. If the style gets its own name (whether it’s American Black or CDA), then I think it has a better chance of evolving on its own and turning into a more distinct style.
And now a recipe-related question. If I want to develop an A-Black-A recipe that has a nice roast malt note, am I better off starting with an IPA recipe I like and swapping some of the specialty grains for roast malt, or am I better off finding a dry porter recipe I like and kicking the hops way up?
Agreed.
You mean Tom used my name without asking?? Argh!
I don’t know what to call it, but Cascadian Dark Ale isn’t it for me. Black IPA, American Black Ale, Dark Hoppy beer…whatevs. I usually describe it as a dark hoppy beer to people who have never had my None More Black IPA.
Short memory - remember this thread?
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=8911.msg110568#msg110568
And you said:
Well, there’s another one of those offensive beer names. 
Figured I’d stir the pot a little! ;D
For me I like American Black Ale. An ale that, as far as I understand was made known here in the US, and it’s well, black.
I don’t mind calling my ABA’s Black IPA’s, it doesn’t really bother me. While I do agree that something can’t be black and pale at the same time. I never really liked Cascadian Dark Ale. The word Cascadian is too exhausting to describe to laymen. A fantasy region…really?
If we’re going to get all up in arms about beer style names, why not change the name of any Barleywine? Sure it’s got barley, but no wine in it what so ever. Just because it’s high in ABV and you tend to age it, doesn’t make it even close to wine.
Ever had a Barleyvodka or barleymidori? I don’t think so. (I just re-read this and the thought of Barleymidori just made me vomit in my mouth a little, sorry guys!)
I do think beer, along with food, is open to interpretation. I am all for the full steam ahead movement we have right now with craft/micro/nano/homebrew. If it’s good food, I’ll eat it. If it’s good beer, I’ll drink it. I don’t care what you call it. I call it liquid deliciousness!
how do you figure? nothing wrong with cross dressing, and amateur just means you are doing something for the love of it. So it simply describes a group of people who wear drag for the fun of it. do cross dressers offend you? Amateurs?
Still hoping for American Dark Ale (ADA)–perhaps as a future BJCP category 10D.
so as not to be confused with American Brown Ale (ABA)–current BJCP category 10C.
So here’s a theoretical for you. What if I make a beer in this style and hop it with EKG and Fuggles? Does it become an English CDA? Will we need separate American Black Ale and English Black Ale subcategories? Or even worse - American Black IPA and English Black IPA?
And then what if I use Belgian yeast? Does it become a Belgian-English-Cascadian Dark Ale? Oh, the humanity!
Exactly. There should be an effort to pare down, consolidate, or even eliminate some of the rather duff categories/subcategories that have been introduced over the years rather than endlessly adding new ones. ???
they don’t affend me, but i prefer my cross dressers to be professional 8)
Oh damn, I forgot about that. Only August? I kinda thought it was a longer time ago than just August that I made that up…
My dark hoppy beer already has a name, so it’s not like I’m copyrighting that for my future brew pub. Although I think that’d be pretty awesome if someone opened a pub and called their beer that.