I wasn't going to do this... Black 'Ops

[AdrianTrace]

The oxy-moronic brew that is a Black IPA It causes me pain even thinking about the style name, so this is a hoppy porter... ish

Fermentables:
1.5kg tin Light LME
1kg Extra Light DME
300g Chateau Crystal 150EBC
200g Carafa Special II
50g Chocolate


Hops:
15 mins: 25g 2014 Columbus 16%AA & 30g 2014 Cascade 7.8%AA + 1/3 whirlfloc
0 mins: 30g 2014 Columbus 16%AA, 30g 2014 Cascade 7.8%AA & 30g 2013 Ahtanum 5.5%AA
Dry Hop: 40g 2014 Cascade 7.8%AA & 40g 2013 Ahtanum 5.5%AA


25 minute boil this week, as discussed for the previous brew. Hit 19 litres at 1.044 target too Cooled and pitched onto 250ml of US-05 yeast cake from last week's Mosaic pale.

[AdrianTrace]

It's been a week in the keg - nice and clear: I had to try it:

Dark and hoppy... Interesting, but I'm not sold on the style yet. Time will tell

[Jim]

Looking good!

[WalesAles]

Looks Good Ade,
What was the 50gr Chocolate? Choc Malt or `Cadburys Chocolate`.
Not messing you about, I`ve put Cadburys in my beers before!

WA

[AdrianTrace]

Yeah, chocolate malt. I'll leave the cadburys for another time

[MTW]

Have you had a good commercial example of a black IPA, that you like?

[AdrianTrace]

I had a black lager a couple of years ago, which I enjoyed (way different, I know), but I like a porter and I like IPA, so thought I would just go for it Why try first?

It's alright, but I would enjoy a straight porter or a hoppy pale more, as it stands, rather than the combination. We'll see how it develops with a bit more conditioning

[MTW]

I've had some brilliant commercial BIPAs and 'get' the style now. It took a while, particularly as the first one I tried was a bad example. Some are more like 'Indian' stouts, with a greater degree of roast, while others try to minimise the roast and just get the colour, perhaps just adding the carafa to the sparge, or cold steeping. I like to taste some of the roast, though I think I've only tried a couple that were under-roasty to me; no point just being a food colouring, in my view.

There is a lovely complexity that comes from the black grains against the citus hops when it's done well. I think Beavertown Black Betty is a very nice, fairly widely available example. Brew Dog's Arcade Nation was fair. The best I've had have been imperial strength: Odell Mountain Standard and, probably my favourite beer I drank in 2015, Buxton Battle Horse.

Personally, I'm still working on getting my pales to where I want them. Once that's nailed, a BIPA is on my hit list too!

[barry44]

I made the black IPA from the Greg Hughes book and I loved it. I'm going to redo it with different hops but keep the grist which was Maris otter, chocolate and carafa three.