Black IPA

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cwalter13

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I have all the ingredients to make a 5 gallon batch of a nice 7% IPA, but I have just decided to do a black IPA (ala Otter Creek). How much and what grain should I use to make an IPA a Black IPA?
 
I typically find super small amounts of any of the "Dark" malts brings a huge amount of color to a recipe.

example...my next beer is a strong scottish ale...and with 16 lbs of Golden Promise it's straw yellow...but adding 7 oz's of british chocolate turns it almost black.
 
I used about 1/4 pound of carafa III the last 10 minutes of the mash. Worked out good for me and gave just a small hint of roastiness, which i thought was nice
 
You absolutely DO NOT want to use black patent...use a Carafa. The black patent will impart way too much burnt bitter astringent roast character. The Carafa is dehusked/ debittered and contributes color without significant flavor. You get a hint of roastiness but not the acrid flavor the black malt will give you.

A Cascadian Dark Ale should taste much like an IPA with a subtle roasty character that brings out a different side of the American hops used than a traditional IPA.
 
You absolutely DO NOT want to use black patent...use a Carafa. The black patent will impart way too much burnt bitter astringent roast character. The Carafa is dehusked/ debittered and contributes color without significant flavor. You get a hint of roastiness but not the acrid flavor the black malt will give you.

A Cascadian Dark Ale should taste much like an IPA with a subtle roasty character that brings out a different side of the American hops used than a traditional IPA.

Note: "Carafa" is not dehusked. "Carafa Special" is.

http://www.weyermannmalt.com/eng/produkte.asp?idkat=19&umenue=yes&idmenue=37&sprache=2
 
TANSTAAFB said:
You absolutely DO NOT want to use black patent...use a Carafa. The black patent will impart way too much burnt bitter astringent roast character. The Carafa is dehusked/ debittered and contributes color without significant flavor. You get a hint of roastiness but not the acrid flavor the black malt will give you.

When used in moderation it can be used in Ales and Lagers as stated on Midwest site.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/black-malt-briess.html.
 
If you're making a black IPA just blintz some cara special III in a food processor and throw it in for the last 5 to 10 mins of the mash. That'll turn your IPA black.

If you want to make a real CDA (as in tastes, not just color) then use some black malt, roasted barley, chocolate rye, or a combination of them, and crush and mash them in with the rest of your grains. In my experience doing this and shooting for around 22 SRM will give you a nice black beer with brilliant blood red highlights and enough roasted character to justify the color. I go by color because color and amount of roast character are very closely related in my experience with those highly kilned malts. I really like to use the c

This is my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.
 
I'm not a big fan of capping a mash with debittered grains just to change the color of an IPA and then call it a CDA or black IPA. If you're going to do that, why not just add some food coloring and make it a purple IPA? I feel a CDA should have a slightly different and more complex flavor than an IPA, so my vote is for a little chocolate malt, lightly roasted barley, or something else that will add some depth. As always, YMMV.
 
The Otter Creek website lists Carafa III as an ingredient. Also Crystal. Check it out, they list the breakdowns of their beers. Their Alpine Black IPA has a pronounced roasted malt flavor.
 
Midwest has midnight wheat listed as a black malt that doesn't contribute to taste. Does anyone have experience with that malt? I want a Black IPA with NO roasted taste.
 
Man I used too much chocolate malt in my recent Black IPA. Don't know how to describe the flavor. Almost like it's just a milky flavor that's masking everything. Happened in another beer I did awhile ago, too. I figured chocolate malt would be a good way to get some complex tones without hitting the high roastedness of roasted barley, but bleh. Not a fan of significant portions of chocolate it seems.
 
Northcalais40 said:
The Otter Creek website lists Carafa III as an ingredient. Also Crystal. Check it out, they list the breakdowns of their beers. Their Alpine Black IPA has a pronounced roasted malt flavor.

This is what I used and it gave a mild roast at ~5oz in 5gal of beer. It was a huge hit! In fact, a local guy who plays in a rock cover band asked me to brew another batch for him and his band to drink while they record their next album. Pretty cool!

EDIT: I don't understand the point of a Black IPA that's just a regular IPA colored black. No problem with anyone making such a beer, I just don't get what the different color adds to the experience. Help?
 
Midwest has midnight wheat listed as a black malt that doesn't contribute to taste. Does anyone have experience with that malt? I want a Black IPA with NO roasted taste.

I found (and made) a recipe that used the midnight wheat. I believe that batch is to be kegged this weekend, so I'm not sure how it turned out yet. I'll have to check the calendar.
 
There are a few local breweries that have used midnight wheat in the Black IPAs. They did not have the slight roasty profile I wanted in that style of beer, however they were very dark in color. My CDA attempt turned out really good, I used 12oz of Carafa II and 8oz of Chocolate (5 gallon batch). My only complaint was that is isn't as black as I thought it would be. I am working on how to fix that as well as ever so slightly reduce the roasty notes. But otherwise a rock solid beer, and probably the best beer I've ever made.
 
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