AG9 First IPA

[Kyle_T]

After doing my next Mild I will be looking to swallow a brave pill and have a go at something a little more costly but one I've been wanting to do for a while. With no experience for brewing this style any pointers will be appreciated:

'Black IPA'

All Grain - 23 Litres.
Style: English IPA (Kind of).
OG: 1.061
FG: 1.015
IBU: 49
SRM: 30
ABV: 6%
Balance: 0.78

Grain Bill:

5.5kg Maris Otter (92.0%)
310g Carafa III - Sparge Only
300g Crystal Malt - Pale (5.0%)
180g Wheat Malt (3.0%)


65 deg/c mash for 90 minutes.
90 minute boil time.

Hop Bill:

38g Challenger Leaf 9.3% AA @ 90 minutes: IBU: 31
24g First Gold Leaf 8.3% AA @ 15 minutes: IBU: 8
32g Fuggles Leaf 6.2% AA @ 10 minutes: IBU: 6
36g Goldings (East Kent) Leaf 6.5% AA @ 5 minutes: IBU: 4
40g Goldings (East Kent) Leaf 6.5% AA @ Dry Hop - 10 Days: IBU: 0 or
40g Cascade Leaf 7.5% AA @ Dry Hop - 10 Days: IBU: 0

Misc:

3g Irish Moss @ 10 minutes.

Yeast:

NBS West Coast Style Yeast 15g


Trying to go with a lower cost version IPA for a first go and as always, comments welcomed.

Cheers,

Kyle

[Mr. Dripping]

Personally, i think the grain bill is wrong for an IPA.
I wouldn't use as much crystal as your recipe and any crystals I do use in an IPA are very pale....pale crystal, carapils, sometimes a touch of caragold or caramalt for a little colour.
Carafa 3 is very dark and normally used in stouts, porters and darker beers.

Historically IPA's were brewed with 100% pale malt and the brewers had special 'white malts' developed especially for this style.
I would also up the bittering towards 50 IBU and would personally leave out the cascade and keep it all British hops.

[Kyle_T]

The Carafa III was put in on the advice of a microbrewer I met once to turn it into a black IPA, sadly I never managed to get his recipe as his was lush. Making some changes though, what percentages should I be looking at?

[jaroporter]

i'd agree that it is probably too much crystal, but i think the hop schedule looks lush. UK brewers have used american hops mixed in with english ones for aaaages and i reckon cascade works well. old empire on cask (NOT bottle!) being a good example

dunno if you're aware but people usually add the carafa to the tun between the mash and the sparge to extract the black colour only and not the roast flavour..

[Kyle_T]

i'd agree that it is probably too much crystal, but i think the hop schedule looks lush. UK brewers have used american hops mixed in with english ones for aaaages and i reckon cascade works well. old empire on cask (NOT bottle!) being a good example

dunno if you're aware but people usually add the carafa to the tun between the mash and the sparge to extract the black colour only and not the roast flavour..

I like the aroma of Cascade and I have some that need using up, hence the dry hop addition, have a feeling I might be on my last EKGs.

I wasn't aware that was when they added the Carafa so thanks for the heads up, add at 0 minutes on the mash and just sparge the grains?

I increased the Maris Otter and dropped the crystal right down and added a little wheat as I need to use that up as well.

[Deebee]

i'd agree that it is probably too much crystal, but i think the hop schedule looks lush. UK brewers have used american hops mixed in with english ones for aaaages and i reckon cascade works well. old empire on cask (NOT bottle!) being a good example

dunno if you're aware but people usually add the carafa to the tun between the mash and the sparge to extract the black colour only and not the roast flavour..

I like the aroma of Cascade and I have some that need using up, hence the dry hop addition, have a feeling I might be on my last EKGs.

I wasn't aware that was when they added the Carafa so thanks for the heads up, add at 0 minutes on the mash and just sparge the grains?

I increased the Maris Otter and dropped the crystal right down and added a little wheat as I need to use that up as well.

Personally i am not a lover of Black ipa so would totally drop the carafa.

then again i am not a lover of cascade either so if i use it ( one only a few beers) then it is very very sparcly.


I have a plan for an IPA late summer. Just MO and a little carapils then fuggles and goldings to 45 ibu with WLP028.

looking forwards to that one for sure.

[NobbyIPA]

did a black ipa last year this beer was drunk quick
lovely beer
the 300 grams of crystal worked well
the chocolate malt was mashed
the black and carafa was sparged through for colour

[/URL


omitted the oat husks [had a dodgy tun then]and added 300 gram carapils
90 mins

20 gram Target
10 gram Chinook

10 min
10 gram Syrian Goldings
10 gram Amerillo
10 gram Simcoe


Flame Out
10 gram Amerillo
10 gram Simcoe
[/URL]

also wet hopped with local hops fuggle i think they were
go for your recipe it sounds fine to me

[Kyle_T]

Sounds lovely that does. Placed the order for the malt and the hops are in the freezer. Now to just finish building the damn system.

[faeyd]

Kyle I've never tried a black IPA - I will seek one out to test . Your hop schedule looks great and cascade is epic as a dry hop. my return-to IPA I make a lot now is Cascade for bittering and Citra for aroma.... great combo for the future The wife and neighbours destroy that combo.

[Kyle_T]

Sounds nice, haven't got any citra hops but they seem popular, might have to pick some up.