India Black Ale

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mrkeeg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2005
Messages
224
Reaction score
1
Location
Sundre, AB
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Windsor (Danstar)
Yeast Starter
cake from brown ale
Batch Size (Gallons)
5.6
Original Gravity
1.055
Final Gravity
1.014
Boiling Time (Minutes)
130
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
10 days, 18 C
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
10days , 18 C
Tasting Notes
See below
This is my first Recipe post, so bear with me. In a year of AG, this is the favorite recipe i have come up with. Simple, crisp, and delicious. I'm sure others would be able to tweak it, but if you want a starting point for a decent Black India Pale Ale, here it is.

I wanted a black colour with little-no burnt flavour, so used carafa II (dehusked), added only to the last 15 min of the mash. You can see that it is almost completely black. If you hold it up to a strong light, a rosey deep mahogany colour shines through.

Usually a 1.014 FG would be sweeter than my preference... but there are lots of hops and a very understated roasted flavour (I guess from the Carafa) that balance it nicely and give a dry, crisp impression.

It's not ultra-hopped like some west coast IPA's, but it's definitely not for the timid. There is a notable but not overpowering aroma. Stable tan head. Crisp hoppy up front taste with snappy bitter finish.

I might bump the toasted malt and base malt a bit to up the strength .... really just an attempt to stay in the style, as it already tastes full and strong enough.

Hope you enjoy!

11lb Pale 2-row (Canadian)
1lb Light toasted (Pale 2-row toasted in my oven 40 min @275F)
10oz Extra Dark Crystal
14oz Carafa Special II (Dehusked. Added last 15 min of mash)

Mash with 5gal water at 150F. Double Batch sparge. 90min Boil.

Centennial 11.5% 2oz (70min)
Centennial 11.5% 1oz (40 min)
Amarillo 9.4% 1oz (20 min)
Amarillo 9.4% 1oz (5 min)
Amarillo 9.4% 1oz (Dry hop in secondary for 10 days)

Ferment at 18-19 C

Now... to try to post a photo...

img2084l.jpg
 
What was this for 6.5 pre boils 5 finish. What's the sparge amounts and mash amount for 5g. This sounds awesome and I plan to brew if I get info.
 
That is a beautiful looking beer. I know what I will be brewing next!

Thanks for posting your recipe.
 
I just sampled my first bottle of this one (with a few minor modifications due to hops availability). Delicious. It's a very nice looking beer, with a beautiful creamy head that lasts all the way to the bottom. I don't even remember drinking it, just the sadness when I realized I was at the bottom of my glass. I will have to keep this one in rotation.
 
Just finished brew day of this bad boy. Must say I am pretty excited. Our original gravity was 1.050 and we substituted Cascade for Amarillo because of availability. Will let you know how it turns out when it finishes. As for now, it smells great and we are really excited. Thanks for the recipe and cheers!
 
Just finished brew day of this bad boy. Must say I am pretty excited. Our original gravity was 1.050 and we substituted Cascade for Amarillo because of availability. Will let you know how it turns out when it finishes. As for now, it smells great and we are really excited. Thanks for the recipe and cheers!

I also used cascade instead of amarillo. My OG was about 1.048, so pretty close.

It is quite simply the best beer I have ever made, and I can't think of too many commercial beers that I would drink over it. I suspect you will like it also.
 
I've searched around a lot of different forums looking for a good CDA recipe, and this one seems to be right up my alley. One question though. By my calculations, it's over 122IBU, which would definitely put it in the ultra hopped category. Is this something that really doesn't manifest from brewing it, or is it a really hoppy brew?
I'm substituting chinook for the amarillo, since I can't get any of the latter, and that will add about 10IBU to the brew, but with a dark IPA, I don't want to drown out the maltiness of it, so if it is really that bitter, I may cut back on the bittering hops.
 
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