Back in the saddle......Dark Side IPA

[kevthebootboy]

Sorry to hear about the brew day blues, what kind of flavour do you get from the imperial malt? I've got a kilo in the cellar but I'm not too sure what to do with it. . . .

Dunno mate! I thought I'd bung it in though..... Simpsons say: "Enhances depth of colour, flavour and aroma." Which sounds OK to me.

I did eat a bit and it was very....malty In a good way.

Basically on this one, I've used the Munich and the Imperial Malt to kind of boost the maltiness of the beer and balance out the hops. At 60 IBU, it's not particularly hoppy, but I wanted a big full body to go against the Nelsons.

Ahh I see,I did read that about imperial malt but that's it,il use it for the same thing then I think,maybe in a pale brew with some caramalt and a load of hops, the dark side looks great,let us know how it turns out! Cheers, keV

[pantsmachine]

+1 just for the label and T-shirts displayed! Nice looking beer too.

[mysterio]

But I'm Empire through and through......give me a TIE Advanced X1 over and X-Wing any day and I'd stop Luke's stupid whining real quick.

I have to come down on the side of Jedi. More action. All the Dagobah stuff is boring.

I remember when I got my first PC the first game I got was the original 'X-wing' game. That was some good stuff. The 'Tie-Fighter' game was even better, although easier.

[pantsmachine]

Well since we're on a nostalgic star wars kick. I remember playing the 1st star wars machine in an arcade. YOU WERE Luke wasting the death star. Full sit in cabinet and green wireframe modeling. EEK think that was around 1984! Hmmn glad i'm going out with Ken from Inveralmond tonight, i'll need a pint to lift myself now!

Anyone see the TOTP2 from the 80's last night and then Grumpy old men? Class. Even though the evidence was there on the screen SWMBO still thinks the 80's were cool Stock Aitken and Waterman a F'ing blight on the Eighties IMHO, no wonder i was listening to Floyd and Zepplin then, must have been selfdefence!

[WishboneBrewery]

other than the lapse into Starwars, How did this turn out?

[adm]

other than the lapse into Starwars, How did this turn out?

Kegged a week ago after 3 weeks in FV, currently conditioning, no further reports yet, Guv.

Other than that, the sample was very bitter, but complex too. Should be good in a month or so...

[adm]

Well......I just poured the first pint of this from the keg and took a trepiditious sip.

Interesting. There's a definite licorice hint to the aroma, plus those classic NS and Amarillo aromas I love so much. A bit toned down as it's really a bit cold (9C), but I fancied a cold pint.

The licorice continues in the mouth. It's not overpowering at all, but adds a really nice taste. Not very "roasty" at all definitely more of licorice root kind of thing going on - It's actually a bit confusing as I'm expecting it to taste like a "normal" IPA, but it kind of doesn't but does too. As I said, confusing. Takes a few mouthfuls to get the taste buds dialled in properly.

I think the nearest I can place it is the Czech Bernard Dark lager taste, but fuller and with more mouthfeel. Oh yes.

But you know what? It's bloody lovely! Just the right amount of bitterness to keep you coming back for more (59 IBU). A good strong alcohol backbone (7.1% but you wouldn't know it) and a lovely smooth mouthfeel. I think the colder temperature is just right for this too - I'm sitting out on the patio drinking this and eating biltong. Lovely.

[Barley Water]

The current issue of BYO (which I don't know if you lads get over there) has a big article concerning Black IPA. The article puts forth the premise that the guys on the west coast (you know, Washington, Oregon and California) have devloped a new style, the afore mentioned Black IPA (I think they call it Cascadian ale if I remember correctly). I have not yet seen any of this in Texas however. What it looks like they are doing to me is basicly making an IPA and adding a bunch of Carafa III to make it black. It somewhat reminds me of the difference between a German pils and a Swartzbier, the whole idea is to make a black beer but keep the taste pretty much the same. Of course, they are using copious quantities of American Northwestern hops as you would expect. For whatever reason, I have not made that many IPA's in over 20+ years of homewbrewing but recently have developed quite a taste for regular American IPA's, my favorite being Dogfish Head 60 (although Bell's Two Hearted Ale is very good also). Once I get my Dogfish Head 60 clone where I want it, I may try to "swartz" it just for fun. By the way, this is a style perfectly suited to the Badger, I am sure he will be at the fore when exploring this style.

[adm]

Well....you can get BYO over here (by subscription only), and I have that issue. HOWEVER, I can't bloody find it anywhere and haven't read it yet! I was going to sit down and read it yesterday with my pint....

But that's basically what I did - knock out a pretty "standard" IPA and colour it black with Carafa II (also added some Vienna and Imperial malts for enhancement).

I really want to read the article now. I'll have to have a good poke around and see if I can find it.

I do like the Dogfish Head 60 and 90 minute IPAs - prefered them to the 120 minute in fact. And as I'm going to Florida on holiday next month (and already found the best beer shop last year), I shall also seek out the Bell's Two Hearted and see if I can find any of the "Cascadians" too....

[Barley Water]

Well, I don't know if there are any commercial Black IPA's out there yet, I don't remember reading about any in the article (but to tell you the truth I pretty much skimmed it rather than giving it a close read). Unfortunately, by the time you get to Florida, the ocean may look like one great big stout, that oil well in the gulf is still sprewing out the black stuff, at least according to the press.

[adm]

Well, I don't know if there are any commercial Black IPA's out there yet, I don't remember reading about any in the article (but to tell you the truth I pretty much skimmed it rather than giving it a close read). Unfortunately, by the time you get to Florida, the ocean may look like one great big stout, that oil well in the gulf is still sprewing out the black stuff, at least according to the press.

Sorry for the slow reply BW, I missed this the first time around....

Anyway, I'm not that perturbed by the oil as with three boys aging from 5 to 10, all they want to do is play in the pool, visit theme parks and eat pizza and burgers! My eldest has already drawn up a list of "must do" restaurants - which includes "Chilli's", "Smokey Bones BBQ Shack", "Chuck-E-Cheese's" (puke, wretch, heave...) and "Red Lobster"......what are kids like these days? Personally, I'm hoping for a chance to visit an excellent Japanese restaurant I found last year if I can tear them away from kid themed dining for at least one evening....

So I probably won't get anywhere near the ocean!