What style is my beer?

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globe

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Entering into a homebrew competition and wondering what style this beer is.

Pale LME was used instead of dark LME accidently so I am not sure if it is an black IPA anymore.

6.6-7 pounds pale malt
1 pound brown sugar

steeping grains:
(1/4 lb Debittered Black malt, 1/4 lb Caramel 60L malt)

1 oz. Columbus - 60 minutes
1 oz. Columbus - 15 minutes
1 oz. Centennial - 5 minutes

1 oz. Columbus - dry hop
1 oz. Centennial - dry hop

It turned out a brownish/amber color so I am not sure what style to enter it under.

Thanks
 
Yea it has about 70 IBUs....not sure maybe this is bad beer to enter if it doesnt really fit into any style guidelines.
 
Definately outside of the style guidelines for a CDA or black IPA due to color. I bet it will be a tasty brew.
 
Well guess I will submit it under specialty beer unless I am missing something. BJCP mentions India brown ale as an example for that category and thats pretty much what it is I suppose.
 
With 70 IBU and the weight toward the dry and late hops I would say 14B American IPA. Maybe 14C. What is your OG and FG? how about SRM? It looks like it would come out darker than an IPA. Is there a new BJCP style for black IPA? (Black IPAs were all the rage just before Christmas, but I didn't think there it was a BJCP a style)

I think you might end up lumped into 23 Specialty Beers.
 
I'd say that independently of guidelines it's probably an IPA. Around here they are usually amber in colour. Had a mild bitter the other day (3.8% abv) with a very strong roast barley flavour but very pale in colour, so nothing surprises me anymore.
 
agree with India Brown Ale, but seriously a lot of breweries blend styles or cross over style barriers so hopefully it worked out! might also just be a hoppy amber, maybe something like troegs nugget nectar but more flavor hops where NN is more dry bitterness. let us know how it came out!
 
You could always use black treacle for priming to bring it back to black IPA :D
 
I am a certified BJCP judge.

Don't listen to these people. Enter it in category 23 and call it an India Brown Ale in the "base style" description.
 
I am a certified BJCP judge.

Don't listen to these people. Enter it in category 23 and call it an India Brown Ale in the "base style" description.

I'm not a BJCP judge, so I'm just looking for some clarification. I understand listing it as 23 Specialty, but I didn't know you could put Indian Brown Ale as a sub category. I would have thought it would be 14A, B or C.
 
Whattaya mean, "these people?"

I mean these people suggesting to enter it as a Black IPA, or IPA, or whatever other bizarre things they think would be appropriate. It's a bad idea. You will not get the feedback you expect, because the judges will not be drinking the beer they expect. Calling it an India Brown Ale pretty much nails it, IMO. Perhaps it will be a bit less malty than an actual brown ale (I would not be surprised to see judge's comments as such) but calling it something else, or entering it in a category other than 23 is just begging for terrible feedback on your scoresheets.



There aren't any sub-categories for category 23. It's just 23A. However when you enter any specialty beer, or wood-aged, or fruit/vegetable beer, or spice beer, etc. there is an extra field in the entry form that you MUST fill out to supply the "base style" or "style description" or similar verbiage, so that the judges know what they are judging and can provide appropriate feedback and scoring. In THAT field you should call it an India Brown Ale.


Don't enter it in category 14. 14 is for those three specific styles (English IPA, American IPA, and Imperial IPA) and your beer is not going to look, smell, or taste very much like any of those. The specialty malts you added pretty much guarantee that. Don't enter it in category 10C, either, because it's way too hoppy and bitter to be an American Brown.
 
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