looking for Black IPA recipe

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TheBrewGoose

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I'm looking for a Black IPA recipe. Not roasty or chocalety but refhreshing... but black.

anybody recommend any 5 gallon recipe?


CHEERS!
 
I came up with and brewed this one last summer. I called it Rain Shadow as it is a Cascadian Dark Ale.

11 lbs 2 Row
1 lb Caramel 60
.75 lbs Midnight Wheat
4 oz Corn Sugar (Dextrose)

Hops
.5oz Simcoe 60 min.
.5oz Magnum 60 min.
.5oz Simcoe 20 min.
.5oz Amarillo 5 min.
.5oz Cascade 5 min.
1oz Amarillo Whirlpool
1oz Cascade Whirlpool


Yeast
Conan (harvested from Heady Topper)

Dry Hop
.5 oz Amarillo 5 days
.5 oz Cascade 5 days

Est O.G. 1.066
Est F.G. 1.014
Est. ABV 6.7%
 
A BIPA / CDA I brewed recently used 5.7 kg (95%) Maris Otter and 300 g (5%) Carafa Special iii. Used chinook for bittering and late additions of ahtanum, chinook, Nelson Sauvin and Simcoe.

The Carafa special iii worked really well for this. Only a slight dark chocolate bitterness, nothing heavy or cloying.
 
Honestly, I would change a lot about that recipe. I posted this in another "help me with my black IPA thread", but:
Black IPA. These are tricky. My main goal here is to make something as far removed from a hoppy stout as possible. This means keeping it dry (notice a pattern here?), and minimizing roast flavors, while still achieving a pitch-black color. Unless you are using dyes, you will need some sort of roasted malt for color. De-bittered malts are definitely the way to go. I've used carafa III, blackprinz, and midnight wheat with success (midnight wheat being my preference). I've found one pound in a five-gallon batch will get you dark enough to not see through it at all. The thing is, even de-bittered malt retains some degree of roast. To keep this in check, I have been adding half of my darkening malt in the mash, and leaving out the other half until mashout. This seems to work very well. One other thing to note is the hop selection for Black IPAs. Not all hops lend themselves to the roasty flavors found in Black IPAs. I've found piney, resiny/dank, and citrusy hops work best for my tastes here.


agree with most of the recommendations. I think you really should omit the crystal though, use midnight wheat, mash low, and definitely use some sugar. Youve got a hoppy stout on your hands as it stands
 
Galaxy/cascade, amarillo/centennial...any combo of these will go well in a black IPA. The main trick is to get it as black and dry as possible. This is almost contradictory as black colored malts have a lot of unfermentables. IMO, this necessitates the use of corn sugar or cane sugar to dry it out.
 
Honestly, I would change a lot about that recipe. I posted this in another "help me with my black IPA thread", but:
Black IPA. These are tricky. My main goal here is to make something as far removed from a hoppy stout as possible. This means keeping it dry (notice a pattern here?), and minimizing roast flavors, while still achieving a pitch-black color. Unless you are using dyes, you will need some sort of roasted malt for color. De-bittered malts are definitely the way to go. I've used carafa III, blackprinz, and midnight wheat with success (midnight wheat being my preference). I've found one pound in a five-gallon batch will get you dark enough to not see through it at all. The thing is, even de-bittered malt retains some degree of roast. To keep this in check, I have been adding half of my darkening malt in the mash, and leaving out the other half until mashout. This seems to work very well. One other thing to note is the hop selection for Black IPAs. Not all hops lend themselves to the roasty flavors found in Black IPAs. I've found piney, resiny/dank, and citrusy hops work best for my tastes here.


agree with most of the recommendations. I think you really should omit the crystal though, use midnight wheat, mash low, and definitely use some sugar. Youve got a hoppy stout on your hands as it stands


but if the Carafa is only mashed for 10 minutes, doesn't it minimize the roasty flavor?
 
but if the Carafa is only mashed for 10 minutes, doesn't it minimize the roasty flavor?

It does and should. m00ps is giving tips for brewing a black IPA that falls into the BJCP style guidelines. Generally speaking with a competition Black IPA they are looking for an IPA that happens to be very dark/black with supporting coffee/bittersweet chocolate and the barest hints of roast if at all(roast character is different than coffee/bittersweet chocolate).

To quote the 2015 guidelines Overall Impression "A beer with the dryness, hop forward balance, and flavor characteristics of an American IPA, only darker in color but without strongly roasted or burnt flavors. The flavor of the darker malts is gentle and supportive not a major flavor component. Drinkability is a key characteristic." I looked at the heavenly scourge and darth vader recipes quite a bit before 1st and 2nd attempt at the style. 1st attempt was too much like a RIS, 2nd attempt, well, the results are below.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=571112

To give you an idea of the direction I went to create a black IPA. I knew I dont need complexity from my roast additions so a single addition of a very dark/black roasted malt is sufficient. Also on a previous attempt at a black IPA I used some special B and honey malt, it was really tasty as an IPA for the first 3-4 months of its life, at around 6 months it turned into a fairly tasty RIS when the hops dropped off. Belgian Candi sugar IMHO is a good compromise, itll help dry out the beer to be refreshing, at the same time will add some dark fruit in the back ground (which will help in making any roast character more enjoyable). The amounts of unfermentables left by a dark candi sugar are MUCH lower than what a crystal malt might leave behind, using some crystal malt is fine, but be prepared to take measures to drop the FG like fermenter additions of sugar.

I have really high pH city water so I needed all 16oz of the midnight wheat, and 5oz of acidulated malt just to get under 5.5 for my mash. If I wasnt lazy and bought RO water and built it, I would probably only put half in for the full mash and the other half in right at the end of the mash. Midnight wheat is such an amazing roast malt though that even with 16oz of it the coffee/bittersweet chocolate is not overpowering and theres no ashy/roast in the beer.

I am still awaiting my score sheet for that beer since the comp was just on Friday/Saturday.
 
i have came up with a few that where amazing, but this is by far the best black ipa ever created. And this recipe is dead on. although i have found after many times doing it that the fermentation schedule is not the best.

Best results are to primary for 2 weeks, secondary for 2 months, then do the 2 stage dry hop.


https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=333436
 
i have came up with a few that where amazing, but this is by far the best black ipa ever created. And this recipe is dead on. although i have found after many times doing it that the fermentation schedule is not the best.

Best results are to primary for 2 weeks, secondary for 2 months, then do the 2 stage dry hop.


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

You are doing your IPAs wrong. At least if you want to appreciate them at their best. A secondary is unnecessary and will likely only hurt it, but the +2month ferment is ridiculous. This isnt a belgian strong ale. I've never let an IPA ferment more than 3 weeks. If im kegging it, its packaged in under 2 usually
 
i cant get the Wyeast Labs #1056 yeast but isn't US-05 the same strain? Should I use 2 packets because of the high ABV?
 
You are doing your IPAs wrong. At least if you want to appreciate them at their best. A secondary is unnecessary and will likely only hurt it, but the +2month ferment is ridiculous. This isnt a belgian strong ale. I've never let an IPA ferment more than 3 weeks. If im kegging it, its packaged in under 2 usually

Before you judge me, and talk down to me like im some kind of noob, i have done this brew dozens times, and so has my brewing buddy.We have done Both ways, and done side by sides, and done side by sides with the off the shelf wookie jack. It is much much better with a 3 month ferment, and is way closer to the commercial bottle.

I know how to make IPAs, and how to appreciate them. Been doing this a long time. I just know, for a fact, after many trials, that this particular beer is WAY better with a longer fermentation. No matter what other reading material says. I know from field experience. So if you want to make this particular beer right, i would recommend the longer fermentation. Unless you want to waist this very expensive grain/hop bill
 
i cant get the Wyeast Labs #1056 yeast but isn't US-05 the same strain? Should I use 2 packets because of the high ABV?

I could swear theyre the same strain but I can't support my statement with anything. I used US05 in my black IPA and it turned out just fine.
 
I could swear theyre the same strain but I can't support my statement with anything. I used US05 in my black IPA and it turned out just fine.

and you used 1 or 2 package? I'm not sure if i should use 2. think it's a bit much? maybe just 1 package and yeast nutrient..
 
and you used 1 or 2 package? I'm not sure if i should use 2. think it's a bit much? maybe just 1 package and yeast nutrient..

I had used about 10.5 grams of the 11 gram packet in a different small beer a couple weeks before I brewed the BIPA. I took the (approximately) .5 gram remaining and created a starter with it and built that starter up so I had a decent sized pitch to throw in the BIPA.

To be on the safe side I would say use two packs. It *might* be a very slight overpitch, even if its a big overpitch, it shouldn't cause problems. That 80%-ish attenuation of US05 is a good target to hit for a BIPA and presumably will give you a sufficiently dry/refreshing finish, if you can squeeze 85%, even better. If you happen to have the capability to make starters, just get the 1 packet and brew a different small beer in the 1.040 range and save a very tiny amount of the dry yeast and make a starter with that. (I am way too lazy to wash yeast so I overbuild starters or save small bits of the dry yeast to make starters off of when I want to save the strain for future use, normally you dont put dry yeast in a starter, but since I put a very very tiny amount in the starter its not diminishing the dry yeast advantages)

Edit: I didn't weigh the amounts of dry yeast, I'm taking a very very rough estimate of how much I pitched in the small beer and how much of the packet I put in the starter. In reality it was probably 10.9 grams in the beer and .1 gram in the starter.

Edit: Edit: I have brewed bigger beers in the past and used only a single packet of dry yeast and had no major ill-effects... But I wouldn't give the advice to use only 1 packet since I know the 2nd packet is insurance. Also IPAs are already an expensive beer to brew, my BIPA was 17oz of hops, even with bulk prices I am still looking at 20-30 dollars of hops, whats another 5-6 bucks for another packet of yeast that will provide some attenuation insurance.

Edit: Edit: Edit: I also would feel uncomfortable leaving an IPA in secondary for 2 months+ before bottling. I can *understand* the logic though when attempting to clone a commercial beer, more than likely that bottle you buy is at least 2 months old, so for the sake of the clone the 2 months in secondary makes sense. If I am just making an IPA for myself/competition I couldn't see the logic of doing that when the hops drop off very sharply (even in very well brewed/fermented/taken care of beers). A very well taken care of IPA will be aromatic and flavorful for a long time, but nothing beats freshness in an IPA.
 
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Before you judge me, and talk down to me like im some kind of noob, i have done this brew dozens times, and so has my brewing buddy.We have done Both ways, and done side by sides, and done side by sides with the off the shelf wookie jack. It is much much better with a 3 month ferment, and is way closer to the commercial bottle.

I know how to make IPAs, and how to appreciate them. Been doing this a long time. I just know, for a fact, after many trials, that this particular beer is WAY better with a longer fermentation. No matter what other reading material says. I know from field experience. So if you want to make this particular beer right, i would recommend the longer fermentation. Unless you want to waist this very expensive grain/hop bill

This isn't too expensive of a recipe. Maybe with the recent amarillo shortage, but still not bad. Its an IPA, you're gonna need a lot of hops

I dont deny the idea that you enjoy your 3 month fermented IPA. But what I, and thousands of other brewers know from every facet of experience, is that IPAs are best drank fresh. If your IPA tastes better at 3 months than it did when it was fresh, you likely have something wrong with your process or water profile. Commercial IPAs are packaged as early as possible and many are dated with a "best by" date of 3 months.

I would venture to guess that you just don't enjoy hoppy beers and would rather have a more mellow hop profile. So, instead of experiencing it at its peak, the hop flavors are much more muted and flat. The roasty character will have mellowed too though, which maybe is why you think its better. But IMO, for a black IPA (not a hoppy stout) you are totally "waisting" those ingredients
 
Okay so! I just finished brewing the scourge black imperial IPA. Wow, the cost was 90 bucks for the grain, hops and yeast.

Anywho, got in bit of a trouble. I had too much wort in the boil, 7 gallons, because it said so in the recipe. And in the end it didnt all fit the fermentor so i had to throw away around 0.5 gallon.

And I used 2 packages of US-05 dry yeast which im not sure if is too much.
 
Here is our recipe for a Cascadian Dark Ale -- basically a black DIPA. This recipe was originally formulated by my brother as a clone of Boneyard's Armored Fist, but has since become our house ale recipe. It is my most brewed beer (by far) and a favorite of all my friends. It is pitch black and has a strong roasty backbone with some bittersweet coffee and brown sugar, but it is dominated by big citrus and pine hops.

Pre-boil: 7gallons
Final wort volume: 5 gallons
Grains: 15 lbs
OG: 1.080
Mash: 148 for 60 min

60% 2-row (9 lbs)
24% munich (3.6 lbs)
4% cara-munich (0.6 lb)
6% carafa iii (0.94 lb) (added at 30 minutes to reduce astringency)
2% chocolate wheat (0.25 lb) (added at 30 minutes to reduce astringency)

Hops:
0.75 chinook 60 minutes (13.6 aa)
0.75 sorachi ace 60 minutes (14.7)
1.5 amarillo 5 minutes (8.9)
1 oz citra 5 minutes (13.9)
2 oz amarillo dry hop (8.9)
2 oz citra dry hop (13.9)
1 oz cascades 7 days (7.3)

Total IBU 86.4

Yeast:
Super High Gravity Ale WLP099, with a 1 liter starter
(note: US-05 also works great)
 
That scourge recipe is the same grain bill at Stone XI anniversary AKA Sublimely self righteous. The amarillo is also common, but SSR uses Chinook for bittering and Simcoe instead of cent.

My recipe was 66 shipped, with 10 total oz of hops(2 chinnook, 4 simcoe and amarillo), and a packet of s05. I made my own recipe and purchased the whole thing from Highgravitybrew.com. Its the first time i used them (dont work for them either). Basically you can add grain by the pound or oz, and they had a pretty large selection, i wasnt sure i was going to find the Carafa III but sure enough it was there. You can have them grind it, or get it delivered whole grain, however if all comes mixed together unless you submit separate orders.

Only had the option of buying hops by the OZ but they were std hops prices.
 
That scourge recipe is the same grain bill at Stone XI anniversary AKA Sublimely self righteous. The amarillo is also common, but SSR uses Chinook for bittering and Simcoe instead of cent.

My recipe was 66 shipped, with 10 total oz of hops(2 chinnook, 4 simcoe and amarillo), and a packet of s05. I made my own recipe and purchased the whole thing from Highgravitybrew.com. Its the first time i used them (dont work for them either). Basically you can add grain by the pound or oz, and they had a pretty large selection, i wasnt sure i was going to find the Carafa III but sure enough it was there. You can have them grind it, or get it delivered whole grain, however if all comes mixed together unless you submit separate orders.

Only had the option of buying hops by the OZ but they were std hops prices.

This is self righteous:
Stone 11th Anniversary Ale Recipe

Grain Bill:
90% pale malt
5% 60°L Crystal
5% Weyermann Carafa III Special
OG target is 20.5°P (1.082 SG) Terminal Gravity target is 4°P (1.016 SG)

Hops:
Bittering at start of boil: 100% Chinook
Flavor hops added at end of boil or whirlpool: 50/50 blend of Simcoe and Amarillo
Target 120 IBU’s.
Ferment with good ale yeast. We used our house yeast.
Dry-Hop with 50/50 blend of Simcoe and Amarillo, use LOTS! (we used 1 ½ pounds per barrel).
 
I took a gravity reading today and the meter showed 2.01 - i was actually using a meter that im not familiar with. But what does 2.01 mean??
 
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