YES!!!!!!!!!!!! ...and what is my beer?

[markcurling]

Firstly...I MADE BEER!!!!!!!!

This was my 5th-ish all grain batch, and while the others have had varying levels of success, this is the first batch which has really blown me away with it's deliciousness. This hobby is clearly here to stay!

Anyway, I kind of invented the recipe, and now I'm interested to know what style this beer should really be defined as!

I used a malt base similar to a Hobgoblin clone I found, and the hops I had left over from a (poorly) attempted London Pride clone:

Pale 2 row 89% 8.9kg
Crystal (dark) 5% 460g
Cara-pils Malt 4% 370g
Dark Chocolate Malt 3% 280g

Hops:
Challenger and Northdown on a 60 minute boil up to 35 IBU, plus a small amount more and a small handful of leftover East Kent Golding in the last 15 minutes (if I remember correctly!)

S04 yeast, OG 1.092, FG 1.028 (8.4%ABV), efficiencyathetic


It came out a little sweeter than expected as I mashed a bit high, and a little stronger than expected to due a slow sparge (gave up on the last few litres!), but it tastes great. A beautiful dark red/black colour with loads of complex malt flavour.

Anyway, Hobgoblin is listed as a premium bitter. Having beefed it up, does it then become a extra-special-premium-bitter?! Or given that I beefed up the whole grain bill and not just the pale malt, does the amount of chocolate malt push it into more of a dark beer style? I know I love drinking it, I just want to be able to tell people what it is!

 

[maida7]

perhaps a strong ale or barley wine

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Based on the ingredients, I would put it in the ESB category even though some people don't like to put chocolate in an ESB. I do...and it's not against the rules.

But...based on the gravity, who knows? Imperial ESB I suppose....

 

[markcurling]

Thanks, Imperial ESB sounds good!

That's the kind of thing I had in mind when putting the ingredients together, but my style knowledge isn't great so I wanted to check I haven't drifted into Baltic porter or any other realms!

 

[jmick]

it looks like a basic brown porter recipe, except with twice as much base malt...
Maybe it's an imperial brown porter?

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Old Ale maybe?

 

[snipper_cr]

When in doubt, if the gravity is high enough call it "Imperial ________"

 

[chapa]

Imperial Brown Bitter? Haha! If you're not entering a competition, just make up your own name for it, even if it has nothing to do with a style...its good beer, and you made it! That's all that matters! Most friends and family will have no clue as to styles, and will follow suit to whatever YOU call it.
Congrats!

 

[RLinNH]

Imperial Brown Bitter? Haha! If you're not entering a competition, just make up your own name for it, even if it has nothing to do with a style...its good beer, and you made it! That's all that matters! Most friends and family will have no clue as to styles, and will follow suit to whatever YOU call it.
Congrats!

I'm of the same opinion as Chapa. Congrats!!!

 

[cheezydemon3]

crystal....dark? like 120l?

 

[BenS]

Dark english barley wine

 

[markcurling]

It's the confuser! I had a rummage through the BJCP style guide and I think old ale looks pretty close like Yankee suggested (seems Baltic porter uses lager yeast and strong scotch ale may contain roasted barley), but I do also like 'IESB' because when I serve it to non-brewers it sounds considerably more complicated!

 

[Philsc]

Challenger? Exquisite!

I'd have said old ale too, but Old Peculiar it ain't, not at 1.092. Perhaps, it's something approximating a historical mild ale. I don't know, looking at Wheeler, I have difficulty seeing what exactly the difference is between strong milds and OP.

Anyway, how long did you leave this bad boy before you started drinking it?

Phil

 

[BenS]

I'm taking the bjcp test this weekend in dallas. If you send me a bottle or two, I'll work hard to figure out what style it fits in and return a score sheet to you.

EDIT. I just noticed you live in london.........the offer stands

 

[markcurling]

Sadly I really haven't left it long enough to do it justice! My plan was always for extended secondary, but I got too impatient. I did 5 weeks in primary (had to wait until I was back from holiday!), then went straight to bottle and it has had about 4-5 weeks in bottle now. I've only drunk 1 or 2, I know I should leave it at least a few months, but it tastes too good already!

Ben S, cheers for the offer, I think I'll spin it by some guys this side of the pond first, but could be tempted if I don't get a decent valuation!

 

[Philsc]

Sadly I really haven't left it long enough to do it justice!

I don't know. I think your thread title suggests that justice has indeed been done in beer form. I can't remember which brewery it is, but I remember reading that a similarly massive beer was turned out of the brewery in a matter of weeks and drunk relatively young. If this is a historical mild then drinking it young fits the bill.

Do you have anything else on at the moment you can be getting on with as you periodically sample this one as it ages?