The Blackening - Black IPA (Best of Show Las Vegas Winterfest)

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Doog_Si_Reeb

Beer is Good. And stuff!
HBT Supporter
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
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Reaction score
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Location
Albuquerque, NM
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
WY1084
Yeast Starter
1500 mL
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.5
Original Gravity
1.068
Final Gravity
1.011
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
75
Color
38 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14 @ 66
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
10 @ 66
Tasting Notes
Tastes like an IPA with a drier finish. Almost no detectable roast character.
11.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 70.97 %
3.00 lb Munich 10L (Briess) (10.0 SRM) Grain 19.35 %
1.00 lb Midnight Wheat (550.0 SRM) Grain 6.45 %
0.50 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3.23 %

28.00 gm Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (30 min)
24.00 gm Cascade [4.50 %] (25 min)
28.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [13.20 %] (20 min)
14.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [13.20 %] (15 min)
28.00 gm Cascade [4.00 %] (15 min)
14.00 gm Amarillo Gold [7.80 %] (10 min)
28.00 gm Cascade [4.50 %] (5 min)
14.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [13.50 %] (5 min)
28.00 gm Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (5 min)
42.00 gm Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (0 min)
28.00 gm Cascade Leaf [4.00 %] (0 min)
28.00 gm Amarillo Gold [7.00 %] (Dry Hop 10 days)
28.00 gm Columbus (Tomahawk) [13.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days)
28.00 gm Cascade [4.50 %] (Dry Hop 10 days)

1 Pkgs Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084) [Starter 1500 ml] Yeast-Ale

Mash at 152. 65% efficiency. Added 9 gm Gypsum, 1 gm NaCl, 4 gm Epsom, 1 gm CaCl, 1 gm Baking Soda, 4 gm Chalk to the mash. I will change the mash salts slightly next time I brew it to raise the mash ph a tad.

This brew took best of show in the 2011 Las Vegas Winterfest Homebrew Competition. The Midnight Wheat makes it black as night and adds a subtle dryness to the finish. After the brew has conditioned for a few weeks, there are almost no roasty flavors detectable.

Note: all hops are pellet additions except for the one addition of whole leaf hops since I had them in my inventory.
 
Old habits die hard. :)

I like to measure the hop increments in grams for a little better accuracy. For the most part I stay near the .5 oz or 1 oz mark on each addition.
 
I just got 3 pounds of midnight wheat from Rebel Brewer earlier this week. They are the last ones that have it from what I have seen. You could sub in dehusked carafa or debittered black malt and get a similar effect. It will be slightly different but probably still very good.
 
Quick question. In the recipe you list Cascade, Cascade Pellet, Cascade Leaf. Do you think there would be a significant difference if I used pellets for all the hop additions? If so, when you just state the hop name (e.g. Cascade), should I use pellets or whole leaf? Thanks so much!
 
Good catch. I added a comment to the recipe above explaining that all hop additions were pellet except the one that says leaf. I remade the beer using pellets for all additions and it came out great. Some people believe they get a better flavor and aroma from leaf hops. I think pellets work great and are a little easier to use.
 
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