Black IPA Recipe Help

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

DisturbdChemist

I'm drunk 60% of the time, all the time!
Joined
Nov 22, 2011
Messages
9,801
Reaction score
2,802
Location
Between-the-keggerator-and-the-couch
This is my first recipe that i made from scratch and need some help. I'm planing on making a Black IPA with a good body and light malt and caramel notes in it. I made this recipe tonight and going to tweak it a little bit and brew hopefully in the next few weeks. Any help, concerns, question what i want with this brew please ask and help me make this the best i can make it and not just another IPA out there :mug:

Batch size: 5.5 Gal
OG: 1.061
FG: 1.015
Yeast: Safale US-05/ WL Cali ale V (hadnt made up my mind yet)
ABV: 5.9
IBU: 69.1
SRM: 26.6
Cal: 201/pint

Malt Bill

10 lbs of 2-row/maris otter
2 lbs Cara-pils/ dextrin
12 oz Special B
6 oz Crystal 60L
6 oz Chocolate Malt
2 oz Carafe III

Hop Schedule:

1 oz Magnum 13.5% 60 min
.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 30 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 10 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 5 min
1.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 0 min
3oz Citra leaf Dry hopping (either 1.5 oz per week for 2 weeks or 3oz at once)???


I'm going to do a BIAB so i have to add all the water at once with is close to 8 gals with .125 gal/lb of grains and 1 gal for boil off in the boil.

This is what i have right now. if I make changes i'll change this post. Again any help will be awesome and hope ya'll can help me make a great brew which i'm hoping to enter in a competition in may. :mug:

Thanks ya'll,
Dustin
 
Just my 2 cents but I'd drop the carapils, up the MO to 11lb, up the c60 to 1 lb, up the carafa to 8oz and lower the special B to 8oz. Also, I wouldn't dry hop for 2 weeks-you can start getting some veg flavors. I think the 3oz at once for 5 days or so would be good.

And I vote for Cali V-I really love it.
 
This is my first recipe that i made from scratch and need some help. I'm planing on making a Black IPA with a good body and light malt and caramel notes in it. I made this recipe tonight and going to tweak it a little bit and brew hopefully in the next few weeks. Any help, concerns, question what i want with this brew please ask and help me make this the best i can make it and not just another IPA out there :mug:

Batch size: 5.5 Gal
OG: 1.061
FG: 1.015
Yeast: Safale US-05/ WL Cali ale V (hadnt made up my mind yet)
ABV: 5.9
IBU: 69.1
SRM: 26.6
Cal: 201/pint

Malt Bill

10 lbs of 2-row/maris otter
2 lbs Cara-pils/ dextrin
12 oz Special B
6 oz Crystal 60L
6 oz Chocolate Malt
2 oz Carafe III

Hop Schedule:

1 oz Magnum 13.5% 60 min
.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 30 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 10 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 5 min
1.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 0 min
3oz Citra leaf Dry hopping (either 1.5 oz per week for 2 weeks or 3oz at once)???


I'm going to do a BIAB so i have to add all the water at once with is close to 8 gals with .125 gal/lb of grains and 1 gal for boil off in the boil.

This is what i have right now. if I make changes i'll change this post. Again any help will be awesome and hope ya'll can help me make a great brew which i'm hoping to enter in a competition in may. :mug:

Thanks ya'll,
Dustin

I just made a Black American IPA and it came out as a great beer, but not an IPA. I could taste the dark grains. I added all the grains to the 60 min mash. When I do it again I will add the dark grains maybe w/10 min left in the mash to get the color but not flavor.
 
I didn't mention in my first response but I do a cold steep for the roasted grains in my black IPA. It'll give you most of the color and leaves you with just a faint hint of roastiness in the background.
 
I don't want the roastedness to over power. Just a mild taste followed by good amount of hops. I'm trying to keep it in the guidelines of an black American IPA not an imperial at the moment. How much water should I cold steep it? Maybe a gallon of water cold steep over night?
 
Both of the yeasts you've listed will give a fruity flavor if fermented at warmer temps. Is this what you're after? If not, maybe consider a yeast that will emphasize the malty / hoppy flavors instead like Wyeast 1056, WLP001, or Nottingham.
 
I'm looking for a true american black IPA. With mild roast and caramel taste that brings with a citrusy, fruity hops. Like when you drink it first you taste the caramel/roasted notes then the hops come into play. Kinda like that. Will the yeast im thinking of using will change the flavor or put off flavors into the beer?
 
For a cold steep a good ratio is 2 quarts water/lb of grain, steeped at room temp for around 24 hrs. You can steep in advance, separate the liquid and keep it in the fridge for a bit (if storing very long I'd pasturize it). I add it to the last 10-15 minutes of the boil.

As for the Cali V, so long as you're fermenting at proper temps (I usually do 66) you shouldn't have fruity flavors. I feel like this yeast gives me a better rounded beer, more balanced (though I'd expect to loose about a point of attenuation as compared to 001/1056). It also flocs better. It is my go-to for almost all American style ales.
 
Alright that's do able. Right now I don't have temperature control but the place I keep them is pretty constant. My house is usually around there in the Texas winter. I'll measure it for a few days to double check its close to 66 f. So cold steep the chocolate and the caramel III malts? I'll probably need to change the boil size.
 
Yeah, the chocolate and the carafa and, yes, you'll need to adjust the boil accordingly.

If you don't have any temp control and your place stays around 66 you might think about pitching more like 64-65 and you might drape something like a thin, wet tee shirt or similar over the fermentor during the day or two of peak activity because the fermentor will typically be a few degrees over ambient during the vigorous part of fermentation. Realistically you should be great so long as you keep the fermentation under 70.
 
You'll get very slightly less color from a cold steep. You could compensate with a touch more carafa if you want but I wouldn't worry about it.
Also, if you're worried about a specific color for a competition, don't. Black IPA isn't a BJCP recognized style so there are no real guidelines for BJCP comps. You're going to have to enter it as category 23 (specialty beer).
 
I think this competition is different. Its Big Bach Brew Bash (BBBB) at St Arnolds in Houston. Its only on this one style and heres what they say on it:

The Brewers Association,, developed the following for the American
-style India Black Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival:

American-style India Black Ale has medium high to high hop
bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content,
balanced with a medium body. The style is further characterized by a
moderate degree of caramel malt character and medium to strong
dark roasted malt flavor and aroma. High astringency and high
degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent. Fruity, floral
and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute to aroma
and flavor.
Specifications:
Original Gravity = 1.056 - 1.075 (14-18.2 ºPlato)
Final Gravity =1.012 - 1.018 (3-4.5 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Volume = 5-6% (6 -7.5%)
Color = 25+ SRM
Bitterness = 50 - 70 IBU


So i'm trying to get it in those guide lines. Which i got everyone besides the SRM if the cold steep wont give me a dark color.
 
Yeah, that's one of the nice things about steeping the roasted grains separately-you can make adjustments to the color and roastiness.
If you do an additional cold steep later just be sure you boil or at least pasteurize it before adding.
 
I'll make up my mind soon. Those the dawn the man black ipa on this thread said the 6oz of chocolate malt add just slight roasted taste not over powering. I'm sure it will come out the way I like it.
 
Sorry to be off-topic, bitty could you please post more info on the BBBB? Google just turned up info from last years competition.
 
In my opinion i'd do without the Choc malt and do only carafaIII for the dark malts. Between the Special B and 60L you will have the caramel you are looking for and the carafaIII is more forgiving in terms of not imparting astringency due to it being huskless. It does offer a good bit of roastiness I find delicious. might look at adding a half pound of carapils or even a couple handfuls of oats. Just thinking that since you are mashing with so much water, you might loose some body. You can adjust with mash temps but I perfer to add a little something instead of mess with higher temps.
 
Sorry to be off-topic, bitty could you please post more info on the BBBB? Google just turned up info from last years competition.

Here's the info and the entery form
http://www.saintarnold.com/stuff/bbbb_entry.pdf


In my opinion i'd do without the Choc malt and do only carafaIII for the dark malts. Between the Special B and 60L you will have the caramel you are looking for and the carafaIII is more forgiving in terms of not imparting astringency due to it being huskless. It does offer a good bit of roastiness I find delicious. might look at adding a half pound of carapils or even a couple handfuls of oats. Just thinking that since you are mashing with so much water, you might loose some body. You can adjust with mash temps but I perfer to add a little something instead of mess with higher temps.


Yea the other recipes i seen did not have the special B in them. I dont want it to over power the hops. It is a lot of water that a good portion of it will get boiled off or absorbed. What if i take away the chocolate malt (6oz) and spread them in the carafe III and maybe little more Special B and about added 8oz or so of oats/carapils. how does that sound?
 
Thanks! And good luck.

you too.. just dont steal my recipe :mug: :D


here is the updated recipe:

Malt Bill

11 lbs of 2-row/maris otter
1 lb Crystal 60L
12 oz Special B
12 oz Carafe III
8oz Cara-pils/ dextrin
=14 lb of grain


Hop Schedule:

1 oz Magnum 13.5% 60 min
.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 30 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 10 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 5 min
1.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 0 min
3oz Citra leaf Dry hopping 7 days

I'll plug this in my software to get all the other information. How does it look?
 
FWIW, Jamil had a podcast about a 21a clone episode, and he advises against going too citrusy with a bipa.
 
FWIW, Jamil had a podcast about a 21a clone episode, and he advises against going too citrusy with a bipa.

That is just his opinion. I dont think Citrus will ruin a BIPA. Its is a IPA just darker color, and a little roasted notes. I'm going to run with the hops i have there until someone has a good reason why i should change them. I think it should be good with the roasted notes to clean the pallet for the next sip.

Lol, i won't. I doubt I'll even participate, but if I do I'll bed the least of your competition.

?? i dont understand what your saying :drunk::eek:
 
Just ordered the ingredients today and changed the citra with Cascade leaf.

Malt Bill

11 lbs of Maris otter
1 lb Crystal 60L
12 oz Special B
12 oz Carafe III
8oz Cara-pils/ dextrin
=14 lb of grain


Hop Schedule:

1 oz Magnum 13.5% 60 min
.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 30 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 10 min
1 oz Zythos 10.4% 5 min
1.5 oz Zythos 10.4% 0 min
3oz Cascade leaf Dry hopping 7 days

Yeast:
WLP Cal V

I tried to culture St Arnolds yeast for this beer but i think it got infected. Will post picture when i get home to see if any one can tell me whats infected.
 
I havent seen it yet. I might get it in the next few days. That beer gave me problems. i dont like to have a beer under a time restraint like this one had too. It was a little over carbed because i just got a freezer and it stopped where i didnt want it too but I got it down as much as i can and personally happy with it and my family too.

If you still have some we can try each others and see what we think about it. Also that too hoppy comment is kinda stupid because its an IPA lol
 
If I had some I'd like to swap but I only make 3 gallons at a time and its tapped. Mine was at the upper end of the guidelines they set. I mashed my carafa iii for the last 10min so it had little roast but was really dark. I prefer it this way and don't know what the judges were looking for. This was the first time I made this style and would maybe try mashing the carafa for a little longer and then adding some other malt to give it a little more body.
 
I got only a few bottles left from 5 gals. They flying off my shelf lol. I dont know what the judges were looking for. I steeped the Carafe III for 60min. I feel that the Carafe III only adds color. Mine I say its a overly hoppy porter/stout. I like full body and good roast and nice and hoppy. I feel that mine was well balance with a good hop aroma. It had a tan head that i really liked to see in a dark style brew. I want to remake this in the future and tweak the recipe a little bit
 
I made quite an improvement over my Old Ale score (29)! I got a 33.5 and a 34 this time (not sure which beer got which score). Even though my 2 recipes were pretty different hop-wise, they ended up tasting quite similar. Probably accounts for the close scores. Hope you did well!
 
I did not do that great. (22.5) I know it was over carbed and they laid into that alot. One just said there was no aroma and said "try dry hopping". Which i dry hopped with 3 oz of cascade (said on the recipe). I know it didnt attenuate the way i wanted it and on the sweet side of things (said that too) it's not 100% to style on that but personally i did not think so. The same judge said to use "try all grain recipe" which it was.

Though I do not understand some of the comments i had major issues and plus on a time crunch which i hate. I'll do better next time and not rush it . So, I'm going to tweak the recipe and rebrew this without a deadline and see how it fairs. Plus it was the first competition so i didnt expect too much
 

Latest posts

Back
Top