dark IPA

[iandiggs]

Hello,
Do you think this would be a nice brew:

4500kg Maris Otter
700g Munich malt
300g Wheat malt
200g Crystal
150g Carafa Special 1-some at the beginning of the mash but most at the end to minimise bitter roast flavour but still get the dark colour from the sparge.

Nelson Sauvin 12g @ 60 mins (12.6% ibu)
Nelson Sauvin 65g @ 5 mins
Nelson Sauvin 80-100g @ flame out-80 degree steep for 30 mins
NS dry hop
Do you think it will be ok? I want a very hoppy taste and aroma with a bit of bitterness..and not too much roast bitternesd. Your observations very much appreciated.

[iandiggs]

...and I'm using mauribrew ale yeast...

[gnutz2]

Looks fine but i would use US-05 yeast, it works great with recipes like that

[Uncle Joshua]

Looks fine but i would use US-05 yeast, it works great with recipes like that

I'd use the same.

My next brew is a black IPA. I'm using 167g Carafa Special 3, after advise on here its all going into the tun.

[seymour]

4500 kilograms is a big ol' batch

Just teasing. It looks like a delicious recipe.

I'm going to argue against US-05 (the "Chico" strain, named after the city in California where the Sierra Nevada brewery is located, the same neutral yeast strain EVERY damn American craft brewery and homebrewer uses indiscriminately for EVERY imaginable beer style...a plague which is now spreading across UK and Europe as well...) You said "Dark IPA" after all, not "Dark APA."

I'm not saying it has to be Mauribrew Ale (reviews are mixed) but if you use any English Ale yeast whatsoever, you'll leave some complexity in the beer which everyone else seems hell-bent on eliminating. Perhaps we can all agree on Nottingham as a compromise: almost as clean and neutral as Chico, still super convenient, but with a wee bit of English character intact...

C'mon, Englishman, protect your terroir!

Sorry for turning your thread into a rant...

[seymour]

So, did you end up brewing it? If so, what d'ya you think so far?

[jonny8ball]

bitter roast flavour

i thought that carafa malt is de-husked? this mean`s minimum bitter roast flavour....think iv read this up some were

[jimp2003]

bitter roast flavour

i thought that carafa malt is de-husked? this mean`s minimum bitter roast flavour....think iv read this up some were

That's what the OP was saying - he is using the Carafa Special 1 to minimise the bitter roast flavour......

Ordinary carafa has the husks but carafa special is de-husked.

[Matt12398]

No he wasn't. He said he was adding most of it during the sparge to minimise the bitter roast flavour.

[50quidsoundboy]

i did a somewhat similar brew - all Nelson Sauvin with torre wheat, Vienna (similar to Munich?) and CaraRed. i used 100g of Sauvin in the boil but it ended up so full-bodied (OG: 1064) that i wish i'd used double. it was nice, but the malt could've supported a *lot* more resin.

[iandiggs]

oops, only just seen all your recent responses! Thanks for those.
I must say, my 'dark ipa' is the best thing i have brewed so far-i love it. However, i don't think it's an IPA in the proper sense; it doesn't have that initial, sharp bitterness. Also it's not very 'dark'; i think i could've put more carafa in for the sparge, though this is not a big thing for me and it's the taste/aroma that is paramount
It's bitterness is derived mostly from later hops and so is more rounded. But the thing i like best, and what i am most happy with, is the hoppy taste - absolutely massive with a beautiful aroma as well; i put 100g - worth of Nelson sauvin in for an 80 degree steep(45 mins) and 55-60g in at 8 minutes(ish).
I cannot recommend nelson sauvin enough - it imparts a beautiful grapefruity/piney flavour and aroma.
This is honestly the best thing i have done - i sometimes wish i had more people to taste my ale as my missus is not really into ale.
Ian

[seymour]

...This is honestly the best thing i have done - i sometimes wish i had more people to taste my ale as my missus is not really into ale....

Alright. You twisted our collective arms. Shall we gather at your place? I wish; it sounds delicious!

[weiht]

Didnt see this post initially but 160g of carafa special i isnt enough to get it dark, i think it ended up like a mild/brown ale colour? Maybe keep the same qty but go with the special ii or iii instead. May be better off using less or same qty of a darker malt than more of the special i if u are trying to avoid roasted flavours.

Nice recipe btw.. Love Nelson Sauvins!