Black IPA

[emontag]

I just started my 4th batch ever. It's a Black IPA from Northern Brewer. I'm going to share some experiences and ask a couple of questions.

I used a yeast starter with liquid Wyeast. I started it 3 days before pitching. I think it worked out well because the fermenter is bubbling nicely 2 days in.

The recipe says to add 6 lbs of the LME at minute 45 of a 60 minute boil. After adding all this the pot wasn't boiling any more because naturally it was cooled down. This was also when I put in the wort chiller. I wanted to make sure that the chiller and the added ingredients were suitably heated so I added 4 or 5 more minutes to the overall boiling time.

What's people's experience with adding volume late in the boil?

I used an aerator. I am pretty disappointed with it because the aeration tube with the stone on the end tends to float up and curl up and I have a really hard time getting the stone near the bottom. Plus the wort is dark and the foam on top makes it impossible to tell whether the stone is near the bottom. Next time I think I'll try sticking a thin metal rod in the tube (I'll sanitize it) so that it is rigid and I can keep it near the bottom.

How do others handle the aeration system?

At the end of the boil the recipe calls for 1lb of corn sugar. This is in addition to the 3.15 lbs of malt syrup at the start and 6 lbs at 45 mins. That seams like a lot of sugar for a target OG of 1.075. My hydrometer read 1.073. How accurate do you think the hydrometers that come with beginner's kits are?

I kind of feel like using corn sugar is cheating. Can you assuage my guilt?

Feedback welcome. Thanks for indulging me.

 

[teddy4xp]

corn sugar will help dry out the beer, I like it in my ipa's ...I wouldn't worry about it.

I had the same issue with my stone. Look at either Williams brewing or more beer...they both carry an aeration stone attached to a stainless pole.

The wort is naturally going to cool if you add 3lbs of lme, you already mentioned that. If you had a pretty big lewis boil during the initial 45 minutes that last 15 minutes is not going to have much effect on your gravity.

seems to me like your brew day went pretty well!

 

[Mexibilly]

I siphon from my kettle, being sure to be a little rough and aerate throughout the transfer.
I also use a dedicated paint stirrer and cordless drill to aerate further.
It'll work out.
Experience is priceless.

 

[Mexibilly]

I siphon from my kettle, being sure to be a little rough and aerate throughout the transfer.
I also use a dedicated paint stirrer and cordless drill to aerate further.
It'll work out.
Experience is priceless.

 

[JLeuck64]

Ahhh... the Cascadian Dark Ale! I too have recently brewed my first ever clone of a Widmer Black IPA. It took about 5 weeks to fully ferment and it has been conditioning in bottle almost 2 weeks now. Turning out great! Although it didn't have the hoppy aroma that I was expecting. After talking with some folks I understand it can be tricky to get those hop aromas to carry through to the finished product. Will have to try it again I suppose

I have made myself lots of notes during brew day and one thing that I've noticed is additions of anything like LME, brown sugar etc... all have the same effect. The boil stops. Conventional wisdom says when adding pounds of malt extract late in the boil you should probably shut the burner off, then stir in the addition, this will eliminate the possibility of scorching. Once the addition is all dissolved turn the burner back on, wait for the boil to resume and continue to the end.

I drain from my boil kettle through a counter flow chiller and the distance the wort falls from the CFC creates quite a bit of foam. The same, if not more, than the foam I generate from shaking my fermentation bucket. So I don't really see the need to aerate any further.

Let that sucker really, I mean really ferment! My O.G. was in the 1.070 range and it took 5 weeks to clean up. Be patient and you will be rewarded!

 

[rodwha]

I mostly do partial mashes and add my 3 lbs of LME at flameout. No chance to scorch and helps drop the temp for cool down.

 

[Natdavis777]

Corn sugar is a good addition to IPAs, for the stated reason that it helps dry it out. I like my IPAs dry as it is, so I use it in all of my recipes (IPAs that is) for the most part.

 

[tnsen]

I use a broken racking cane with the stone attached to it so I can stick to the bottom...this works for me

 

[emontag]

Thanks for the comments!

The instructions say to transfer to the secondary after one or two weeks. However, because of some extenuating circumstances, I'd like to leave it in the primary for about ten more days. The recipe says to leave it in the secondary for 2-4 weeks.

From everything I've read in different threads, I see no reason why it would make any difference if I added 10 days to the primary. Then in the secondary I can observe the clarity and decide if I want to leave it for a couple of weeks or longer.

Basically I'm looking for some reassurance that extending the primary won't be a problem.

 

[Singletrack]

Extending the primary is not a problem. You can skip the secondary altogether. Many do, and it is generally recommended that you skip it when starting out, since there are risks and little or no rewards.

If you soak the vinyl tube of your oxygenation system in hot water for a while and leave it hanging straight instead of coiled, you won't need the rod solutions.

 

[emontag]

Thanks. I'll give the soaking thing a try (if I don't forget before the next brewing day).