Black IPA Recipe?

No, no. Quite clearly it's a DBIPA (or is it ICA or DIBA?).

 

Just a comment on the reliance on Carafa special malts for producing Black IPA's.

Carafa special is not strictly 'dehusked', as people are always fond of mentioning. It is only partially dehusked, approximately 40% of the husk material remains, according to Weyermann's FAQ. http://www.weyermann.de/cz/faq.asp?umenue=yes&idmenue=62&sprache=2

Also from a personal perspective, I have seen huge amounts of husk material left in some batches of Carafa special, and very little in others. Even the Germans aren't perfect every time (don't tell them that).

 

This may be true but as far as relying on them, what's the alternative? 40% dehusked is more dehusked than 0% dehusked.

 

60% dehusked, not 40%.

I guess my oblique point was Carafa special is no panacea for developing the perfect Black IPA. It still has husk material, and it definitely does still contribute roast and astringency. It's not "colour for free", it does have flavour impact, and perhaps more than people realise when they write that the malt is dehusked.

 

I have never personally used Sinamar in my homebrewing but it seems that it could be used to make Black IPAs; adding color with very little roast character.

Below is a description of Sinamar from William’s Homebrewing:

“Sinamar® natural beer coloring was patented by the Weyermann Company in Germany in 1902, and is a natural mashed coloring derived from debittered Carafa Special 11 black malt. It will help you create a dark beer with very little roast character. It is used in breweries in 67 countries today, and used to darken Dunkelweizens, Schwarzbiers, Bockbiers, Dunkel Lagers, Altbiers, Stouts, Porters, Red Ales, Brown Ales, and even Scotch Ales. If you are a beer drinker with any experience, you have consumed a beer colored with Sinamar.

Sinamar is currently popular with craft brewers in the United States making dark IPA styles, as it imparts natural malt darkness without most of the roast and bitter dark malt flavor components. Use 1 fluid ounce in 5 gallons of wort (add while cooling at the end of the boil) to add 5 SRM of color. 5 SRM is the difference between a pale blond beer and a dark golden beer. To turn a pale golden beer dark brown or almost black, add 3 to 4 ounces of Sinamar to 5 gallons.”

Cheers!

 

I've been using Midnight wheat in my Black IPAs, after trying DH Carafa III Special and still getting a fair amount of roast from it. The Midnight wheat seems to be much milder (almost no roast), plus it seems to help head retention a touch.

 

Sinimar is definitley an option, but it's just a malt extract made from carafa special, and caracal special is a lot easier to find, and likely cheaper to use.

 

I think a potential benefit of using Sinamar vs. Carafa malt is that you obtain less bitterness (roast character).

Below is from the Weyermann website:

“SINAMAR® is produced solely from our roasted malt CARAFA®, according to the strict German "Reinheitsgebot" (purity-law). This law allows the brewer to use only the following four ingredients:

MALT - HOPS - YEAST - WATER

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.”

Cheers!

 

Black IPA, India Porter - Not entirely sure where this one falls, but it's pretty damn good. I'm not a BJCP judge and I very rarely enter competitions, so I'll let all of y'all worry about this. I call it a black ale.

10.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 81.63 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 8.16 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
0.50 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 4.08 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.04 %
3.00 oz Cascade [8.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 18.6 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 33.8 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 6.1 IBU
2.00 oz Goldings, B.C. [5.00 %] (0 min) Hops -
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

 

I'm not trying to start an argument, I just think its funny that before the words "black IPA", "American black ale", or "cascadian dark ale" were ever even uttered I was brewing beers that looked just like this. Back then they were called porters.

 

I love hoppy porters, but a black IPA/ABA/CDA should have no chocolate or black patent IMHS(stylistic)O.

 

agreed or have EKG as such a prominent hop

 

I agree as well!

Cheers!

 

Yep, if I was going to brew a Black IPA I would definitely consider midnight wheat as an option for colour. Nice to hear that's worked for you.

 

I was also thinking Sinamar when I was writing one of my earlier posts. It's definitely quite smooth and low on roast qualities, but it does contribute some ashiness and mild astringency, but that's par for the course I suppose.

Another thing to consider when we delve into the world of beer colourants is brewer's caramel. I know the notion of using caramel is one most home and micro brewers definitely would not consider, but if you get a proportion of your colour (read, not all your colour) from a medium to dark caramel then I reckon you will definitely find an increase in the 'smoothness' that is required for the style, as opposed to colour from roasted malt or grain sources alone.

 

One would go to the products made from huskless grains.

Briess Midnight Wheat or BlackPrinz are both from wheat.
Weyermann makes a Chocolate Rye that you would use in higher quantities as it is only 245L

 

I completely understand. I use a VERY similar recipe for a porter as well, just with fewer hops.

I'm fine if people want to call my beer here a hoppy porter, or even a porter. If I owned a brewery I'd market this as an American Black Ale and hint that it was a "black IPA." Mostly because the hops really shine through in this beer, as opposed to my porter that allows malt flavors to shine with hops to balance it out.

As you can see, I'm not a style policeman. Is this beer a Black IPA the same way that Stone Sublimely Self Righteous is? No. Does it have elements of that style that come through nicely? You betcha.

 

Ultimately, you are right. My beer isn't exactly a Black IPA (I don't feel the same way about American Black Ale, because I believe that moniker is purposefully vague) but it's something close to it.

Beer isn't brewed in finite niches and styles aren't black and white - it's a spectrum, like so much else in life. Arguing the finer points of that spectrum is precisely what forums like this are for, but I like to leave that for others (although, it appears as though that's exactly what I'm doing here...)

Cheers!

 

if you didn't have Sobchak as your avatar, you'd be entering a world of pain...now mark it zero!

 

I will third this statement, that is what seperates a Porter from this new (not completely recognized) style.