Black IPA Hops

[stickyfinger]

Hi,

I recently brewed my first Black IPA and found that it has become a favorite beer of my friends and something I really enjoy, surprisingly. Does anyone have any hop combinations for Black IPA that they think are absolutely fantastic? Looking for some ideas for my next one.

My first one had 4 oz simcoe, 2 oz each of summit, comet and apollo in the dry hop for 6 gallons. It is really great. I think I would maybe just go with the same hops unless someone else has other ideas, maybe drop the simcoe down and throw in some columbus and/or chinook too.

Oh, I also want to use midnight wheat instead of Blackprinz this time.

 

[aimlessbum]

Wookie Jack- probably the only beer in this style that I actually like uses Citra/Amarillo 50/50 and tosses in a big rye component into the grist. Pretty good combo!

http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/products/wookey-jack.

and here's a semi-clone version:

http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/04/black-rye-west-coast-ipa.html

 

[stickyfinger]

Wow, really? I've been advised by many to avoid fruity hops in this style. I'll think about that for the future. Amarillo is one of the few hops I don't have, and I have a TON of hops, so I'll try something else this time, but thanks for the input.

 

[allanmorgan]

I made a Black IPA back in September. Almost all gone. It was really good. Here is what I used:

.5 oz Willamette 90 min
.5 oz Glacier 30 min
.5 oz Willamette 30 min
1.5 oz Cascade 20 min
1.5 oz Glacier 20 min
.5 oz Willamette 20 min
1 oz Apollo 10 min
1 oz Columbus 10 min
.5 oz Summit 10 min
.75 oz Apollo, Cascade, Columbus, Glacier, Summit, Willamette (5 day dry hop)

 

[grassfeeder]

no, I wouldn't avoid "fruity" hops. Also, may wanna look into cold steeping your dark grains and adding that to the total runnings post mash. Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Mosaic, Cascade all do well in CDA's

 

[stickyfinger]

no, I wouldn't avoid "fruity" hops. Also, may wanna look into cold steeping your dark grains and adding that to the total runnings post mash. Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Mosaic, Cascade all do well in CDA's

OK, that opens things up. I had thought about the dark grains option. I guess I would design my brewing salts such that the mash pH is good without the dark grains and then just toss in the cold-steeped dark malt right before I start the sparge?

 

[aimlessbum]

Wow, really? I've been advised by many to avoid fruity hops in this style. I'll think about that for the future. Amarillo is one of the few hops I don't have, and I have a TON of hops, so I'll try something else this time, but thanks for the input.

Yeah- I'd heard that too and when I made my only Black IPA, I nixed the idea and went all in with Chinook. Tasted like mint chocolate. Ended up throwing it away. I say go for it with the fruity hops, and adjust as needed.

 

[imasickboy]

Columbus, columbus, and a bit more columbus.

 

[stickyfinger]

Columbus, columbus, and a bit more columbus.

I love CTZ, and I think this beer can stand up to it well, definitely will sprinkle some in there, as I do for a lot of hopster beers.

 

[crusader1612]

no, I wouldn't avoid "fruity" hops. Also, may wanna look into cold steeping your dark grains and adding that to the total runnings post mash. Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe, Mosaic, Cascade all do well in CDA's

I find in Black IPA's that fruity hops (Citra/Mosaic etc) are much better suited to the dark grist, and minor roast component that often accompanies these.

I find that depending on your style (IPA/Red IPA/Black IPA/Belgian IPA/White IPA) that different hops will compliment the grains differently.

Like above fruitier hops work for me in BIPA
Red IPA I like chinook/Columbus centennial type hops
Normal IPA i like the simcoe nelson type hops big bold flavour (sprinkling i na little cascade or something for layering)
belgian i go directly to centennial citra and amarillo
White IPa I use the same as NEIPA basically.

 

[troglodytes]

One of my early beers was this Wookey Jack clone:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=333436

I can attest that aimless is correct in that it calls for all Amarillo and Citra. Since I could not find Citra at the time of brewing I went with Amarillo and Falconer's Flight instead and created an unbelievable beer. Don't shy away from the citrus or fruity hops if that's what you like in a beer. It pairs will with Black IPAs.

 

[Steveruch]

The only black IPA I ever brewed used summit, simcoe, and amarillo to FWH; bravo to bitter; summit, simcoe, and amarillo for 10 minutes plus steeping; saphir, simcoe, summit, and amarillo to dry hop; simcoe, summit, and amarillo to second dry hop.
It turned out good.

 

[Beer-lord]

My favorite recipe is cascade and centennial with a little williamette in boil. I dry hop with the same.
While cleaning out my old hops, I remade a similar recipe and subbed some columbus and amarillo. It's still fermenting but I am curious to see how this does.
I've seen recipes with almost every imaginable hop and often wondered about clashing. I like my BIPA's a bit on the roasty side though.

 

[stickyfinger]

My favorite recipe is cascade and centennial with a little williamette in boil. I dry hop with the same.
While cleaning out my old hops, I remade a similar recipe and subbed some columbus and amarillo. It's still fermenting but I am curious to see how this does.
I've seen recipes with almost every imaginable hop and often wondered about clashing. I like my BIPA's a bit on the roasty side though.

Yeah, I think the roastier, the more you have to choose wisely on hops I guess maybe. I want to reduce the roast in my next attempt. I think I'll just start with using Midnight Wheat, half in the mash and half at mashout maybe and see how it goes.

 

[Beer-lord]

Yeah, I think the roastier, the more you have to choose wisely on hops I guess maybe. I want to reduce the roast in my next attempt. I think I'll just start with using Midnight Wheat, half in the mash and half at mashout maybe and see how it goes.

I once brewed a black IPA with Midnight Wheat and it worked out well. I really had a hard time telling it was black if I closed my eyes and took a sip. But, as I like a bit of the roast, I've not rebrewed it.

 

[stickyfinger]

Did you click your heals together three times? ha ha. did u just add the MW to the mash at the beginning?

 

[Beer-lord]

Did you click your heals together three times? ha ha. did u just add the MW to the mash at the beginning?

Yes, I did though I did read that many do it in the last 15 of the mash. Anything dark will add some flavor to the mash but whatever it did, I liked it.

 

[stickyfinger]

Yes, I did though I did read that many do it in the last 15 of the mash. Anything dark will add some flavor to the mash but whatever it did, I liked it.

I think I'll just add it to the mash the first time and see how I like it.

 

[stickyfinger]

just kegged my second version. decided to stick with dank hops mostly, summit, comet, apollo, simcoe. i like the midnight wheat. used 1 lb in 6 gals and i can taste some roast but is very smooth. wlp095 really rocks this style!

 

[crusader1612]

just kegged my second version. decided to stick with dank hops mostly, summit, comet, apollo, simcoe. i like the midnight wheat. used 1 lb in 6 gals and i can taste some roast but is very smooth. wlp095 really rocks this style!

WLP095? interesting never would've pickedthat yeast forthe style, but might have to now
lol

last black 1 i did was afor a single hop comp the brew club ran, black ipa grist and 100% mosaic, F**king delicious

 

[stickyfinger]

WLP095? interesting never would've pickedthat yeast forthe style, but might have to now

lol



last black 1 i did was afor a single hop comp the brew club ran, black ipa grist and 100% mosaic, F**king delicious

mosaic sounds good. i also want yo do theclassic citra mosaic galaxy sometime. every beer i've made with wlp095 came out well. very reliable, very round flavor. mouthfeel is good. great in ne ipa too.

 

[CKelly]

I did one using only centennial and I'd argue it's the best beer I've ever made

 

[Weezy]

I've done northern Brewer and glacier with a maltier/wookie jack style one and I did a drier one (pale+blackprintz) with just El Dorado. Both were good!

 

[Redtab78]

I have done a simcoe/cascade/centennial black IPA with nugget to bitter, using them at 15/10/5/flameout and dry hop all in about .5oz increments, and it turned out fantastic! I also fermented that using Wyeast Kolsch yeast

 

[mrdauber64]

I just finished one that was CTZ and Cascade in the boil and dry hopped with El Dorado. Probably one of my favorite IPA's to date. Fruity from the El Dorado and Cascade and nice and dank from the CTZ.

 

[Ballantine]

Widmer Brothers Pitch Black ale uses Warrior, Simcoe , Amarillo and Cascade