First crack at a Black IPA...

As the title says my first go at a black IPA. I am wanting to taste a little bit of the dark grains. Critiques, comments, suggestions very appreciated....CHEERS!!!


Boil Size: 8.10 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.70 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.064 SG
Estimated Color: 32.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 64.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs Rye, Flaked (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 11.9 %
2 lbs Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 3 11.9 %
12.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.5 %
12.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.5 %
9 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 58.2 %
8.0 oz Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 7 3.0 %
0.75 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 60. Hop 8 31.2 IBUs
0.25 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 20. Hop 10 6.3 IBUs
0.75 oz Centennial [8.10 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 9 10.9 IBUs
0.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 10. Hop 12 7.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [8.10 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 11 8.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Aroma St Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 m Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast 15 -
1 lbs Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 6.0 %

 

Ok so someone must have some input on this one!

Ive never used Columbus hops either...

 

What's your plan with the black patent and chocolate malt? Are you going to cold steep it? If you're putting it into the mash with the rest of the malt, it's going to be way too roasty.

I'd recommend cold steeping the black patent in the fridge overnight. Either that, or get some de-husked black malt like Carafa Special.

I love columbus hops in cascadian dark ales. I recommend dry-hopping with centennial.

 

Columbus is an excellent hop, and will go really well in this.

I totally disagree about it being too much roasty character if used in the mash (and I always do when people bring up black IPA recipes). If you want you can read my rant here: http://www.thebrewguys.com/2011/03/black-ipa-should-be-beyond-the-literal/

I would absolutely put them both in the mash, but I would probably back off on the chocolate some as that is quite a bit. Half a pound or under... I use 4oz in my favorite black ipa recipe. EDIT: actually, I just noticed the chocolate you have is only 4.5%, which isn't as much as I thought. I wasn't paying attention to the percentages when I first looked through. But I'd still back it down to no more than half a pound personally.

 

My input, go easy on the roasted grain. What you have looks awful stout like. My favorite grist and ratios for black IPA is the following:

90% 2 row
5 % c60
5 % carafa II

That's it, simple, but it works incredibly well. I like some roast character that still takes a back seat to the hops. In all disclosure, it's allegedly Stone's grain bill for sublimely self righteous ale. Whatever it is, it's delicious and I use it as a base for all my cda's.

 

Stones black ipa is amazing I just made it and it is awesome my first black ipa and I will definitely make it again

 

thanks for the input, for my first crack i may stick with what i got.

cheers!!!

 

Stay away from black patent. You want smooth chocolate flavors but you don't want bitterness.

I like Weyermann's Chocolate Wheat Malt for my Black IPAs. Or Briess Midnight Wheat.

 

out of curiosity what is happening between 6.7gal post boil volume and 5.5gal in the fermenter?

 

@Kyleobie- so should I keep the chocolate and the add the midnight wheat in replacement of the black patent?

I also thought I read that black patent was used mostly for color and did not impart much flavor?

@terrapin- I usually lose a gallon or so to trub loss and kettle loss

 

It'll add some astringency, which works well in a porter, but will clash with the hops in an IPA. A debittered malt will mainly impart color as well as some smooth roast flavor.

I've seen chocolate malt in other black IPA recipes. I've gone with just a pound of debittered malt on top of a traditional IPA recipe and it worked out well.

 

It's personal preference of course, but that's what I use.