A traditional Brit IPA would be what?

Poindexter · 03-16-2008, 09:32 PM

No offense intended. Here is the wiki page on the Brit colony (Raj) of India:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Raj

Here is the wikipage on IPA:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Pale_Ale

Going from "1784 advertisements" I feel like the malt bill for a "real original " IPA ought to be built from grains available between 1757 (Great Uprising) and 1784 (advert). Even though the Brit Raj is customarily dated to 1858 start.

Like I said, no offense to you guys using Vienna and Munich malts, I am just trying to climb inside the brain if a Brit brewer in say 1783.

How, in 1783, would you bump your Brit grain bill for higher than normal alcohol? FWIW I have a keg avaialble for 8 months. The plan is to brew, leave on yeast for three weeks, then rack to serving keg with dry hops and priming sugar, and age for eight months while I drive the keg from Dallas to Anchorage and (more or less) back. Serve with Palak Paneer of course.

I am thinking mostly Brit two row with a little Marris Otter, maybe a little Crystal _?_. I am not feeling the Vienna and Munich malts as historically correct.

TIA4y input,
P

**the_bird** · 03-16-2008, 09:37 PM

If you REALLY want the history, get a copy of Designing Great Beers; lots and lots and lots of history about this very subject.

Here's one thing as I understand it; don't think of an IPA from the perspective of "how did they increase the grain bill for more alcohol," but rather "how did they take that grain bill and make it attenuate more?" Consider IPA in the context of old ales and other contemporary beers (sweeter, many more residual sugars). Getting rid of the residual sugars was the key to the IPA (along with the hops), not really increasing the alcohol per se.

Vienna and Munich malts would not have been historically accurate; they aren't British malts, after all. I make an IPA with a lot of Munich, but I've got no pretensions that it's historically accurate. It's an Americanized interpretation.

Poindexter · 03-16-2008, 09:44 PM

No no, no offense. I read a lot or recipes before I started a new thread.

If I get the Aaska contract (qv)I have a (once in a life time) chance to take a keg of beer round trip (4132x2) almost as far in the trunk of my car as the Brits took an IPA from London to Delhi.

And I got an excess of Amarillo hops laying around, not exactly a popular 18th century Brit cultivar. Still an all, if you could brew an IPA, keg it, and stick it in the trunk of your car for maybe 9,000 miles total in 8 months, what would be historically correct (grain bill)?

**the_bird** · 03-16-2008, 09:51 PM

Someone else can correct me, but I don't think there will be much for speciality grains. They had developed pale malts by this time, so Maris Otter or another British pale malt ought to be reasonably accurate.

Poindexter · 03-16-2008, 10:25 PM

Yah, I was thinking of MO as the specialty grain. I do want it to be drinkable though...

**ajf** · 03-16-2008, 10:30 PM

Grain bill for Original IPA 5 gallons (from Pale Ale by Terry Foster)
11.7 lb Maris Otter to achieve an OG of 1.070.

If you want to be really traditional, make sure you don't use a thermometer or hydrometer. (Neither had been invented at that time.)

Good luck,

-a.

**the_bird** · 03-16-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poindexter

Yah, I was thinking of MO as the specialty grain. I do want it to be drinkable though...

I'm curious why you think a beer that's only MO would be undrinkable. Methinks someone needs to get SMaSHed!

Poindexter · 03-16-2008, 11:03 PM

Oh my goodness. I guess I don't post enough.

I made two SMaSh brews. USA6 row with Crystal and the other was MO only with Newport hops. Apparently I had some thing growing in my bottling bucket. My kegged beer through that time frame was fine...

I dearly love MO and would be happy to do MO only for this IPA. And I know Amarillo is not historically correct. But before I crack my Food saver packed Fuggles I wanna try it once with Amarillo.

MO only? Any combo Brit 2 row + 'some' MO? Mash it long and low?

Anything else to maybe consider?

Truly I don't expect to drive to Alaska from Dallas, TX twice in this lifetime. To duplicate this opportunity I would have to find a friend in the Merchant Marine. And I don't actually have the contract signed yet.

brewt00l · 03-16-2008, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poindexter

If I get the Aaska contract (qv)I have a (once in a life time) chance to take a keg of beer round trip (4132x2) almost as far in the trunk of my car as the Brits took an IPA from London to Delhi.

http://petebrown.blogspot.com/2007/12/beer-part-two.html

Pete Brown did that kinda thing last year.

Danek · 03-16-2008, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poindexter

MO only? Any combo Brit 2 row + 'some' MO?

I think MO is Brit 2-row. My LHBS also has Golden Promise, Halcyon and Perle as base malts, but Maris Otter is ubiquitous over here, and seems to be the basis of most beers.

I think Randy Mosher talks about historical brewing in the UK in "Radical Brewing" - I'll dig out my copy later on and see if anything there can shed light on old IPA grain bills.