Black IPA

BLACK IPA

The Black IPA is highly unusual beer. For starters, the name itself is oxymoronical. The "P" in IPA stands for Pale, so having something that is simultaneously black and pale can be confusing. It is, in fact, the best of both worlds. This esoteric brew combines the hoppy dryness of typical IPAs and the roasty characteristics of dark ales and lagers. Its color is, of course, black, and thus the style of beer.

The Black IPA is a very new style, created by a brewpub in Burlington, Vermont in the early 1990s. Since then it has seen a growth in popularity among the craft beer circuit through the 2000s and with homebrewers up until today. Its presence has waned in recent years as small brewers have pivoted to the hazy New England IPAs that have dominated the craft scene for the last five years or so. 

Even though the Black IPA is among the youngest styles of beer, its roots can be seen back in the 19th century. In a beer book published in 1888 called The Theory and Practice of Modern Brewing, author Frank Faulkner noted that a black beer from IPA haven Burton, England had the dark notes of porters and stouts along with the flavor that "reminds one very strongly of the pale beers produced by the Burton firms."

These proto Black IPAs were probably closer to a hoppy porter rather than an IPA with dark malts as it is today. Those older beers were probably less potent than the ones brewed in this modern era which can range from 5.5-9% ABV. The addition of debittered black malts like Midnight Wheat or the German Carafa varieties cuts the natural astringency of more traditional black malts. That's not to say that Roasted Barley or Chocolate Malt can't be used, but they have to be used with some caution so they don't overtake the hop qualities that are also desired. 

The Black IPA should take on most of the traditional characteristics of an American IPA. It should be medium in body and mouthfeel, with pronounced hop bitterness and aroma. The color, obviously, should be dark brown to jet black. The roasted malts will create this color as well as a flavor profile that is earthy and warm without being bitter. Black IPAs take to oak aging well, so a secondary fermentation addition of toasted oak or an inline oak or hops (or mix) filter can add another layer to the complexity of the beer. 

OUR RECIPE

10lb 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
1/4lb Roasted Barley
1/4lb Chocolate Malt
1/4lb Special B
1/4lb Carafa II

2oz Columbis Hops
1oz Cascade Hops

1tsp Irish Moss

US-05 American Ale Yeast

2oz Toasted Oak Chips

Malts We Use

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A basic base malt, this won’t impart too much color and very little flavor. It is a pretty clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and pretty much any style of beer. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter than English breeds.

Roasted Barley: A classic dark malt, roasted barley adds rich dark hues with highlights of magenta and red to stouts and porters. It is heavy on the roast flavor and gives a fresh coffee aromatic characteristic in beer. Roasted barley is among the only widely used specialty grains that are unmalted.

Chocolate Malt: Despite its tasty name, chocolate malt does NOT taste like chocolate. In fact it’s named for the warm chocolate colors that it brings to a beer. It also adds some nutty aromas and toast flavoring.

 Special B: A uniquely Belgian malt, Special B is dark and very flavorful. It is responsible for color and sweet flavors such as caramel and raisin. Most darker Belgian beers have some amount of Special B included in their malt bills. 

Hops We Use

Columbus: A high alpha acid bittering hop, Columbus is often combined with Tomahawk and Zeus to make a blend called CTZ. On its own, Columbus is a versatile hop capable of providing a big punch of hop bitterness or a delicate herbal aroma with hints of lemon and black pepper. Columbus is often used in West Coast IPAs and other American styles. 

Cascade: Accounting for about 10% of all hop growth in the United States, Cascade has become the quintessential American hop variety. It's pine and resinous notes with sweet citrus aromas make it perfect for most domestic craft beers, especially pale ales.

Yeast We Use

US-05: An American Ale yeast, US-05 produces a clean final product for any American beer style. It is crisp, easy to use, and is very moderate in every aspect of fermentation. 

Adjuncts We Use

Irish Moss: We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.

Oak Chips: Oak Chips in secondary fermentation mimic the barrel aged qualities desired in many black beers. They can be soaked for up to a week in whiskey to get a bourbon barrel flavor, or added without soaking for a more woody quality.