We continue the second round of the Homebrew Jar of Destiny series with our takes on a Black IPA. First off, I knew that it was going to be difficult to brew a version of this style that both of us would enjoy. So, I Kobayashi Maru’d it: I brewed one that was more to what I thought the style guidelines were telling me and then brewed another one to something that I thought would be great. Check out this video for our Black IPA Review!
Black IPA Recipes
So, I brewed two beers – you get two recipes:
Black IPA #1
Adjusted recipe from 2014 Brew Dudes Black IPA recipe:
Boil Size: 7 US gallons (26.5 Liters)
Batch Size: 5.25 US gallons (19.9 Liters) in fermentor
Water:
9 US gallons of spring water treated with 5 grams of gypsum and 3 grams of Calcium Chloride for a 2 to 1 Sulfate to Chloride ratio.
Ingredients:
12 pounds (5.4 kg) of Rahr Standard 2-Row Malt – 86% of grain bill
1 pound (.45 kg) of Crisp Crystal Malt – 60°L – 7% of the grain bill
1 pound (.45 kg) of Briess Blackprinz Malt – 7% of the grain bill
1 ounce (28 g) of Nugget hops (15.3% AA) – Added at 60 minutes to go in the boil
0.5 ounce (14 g) of Centennial hops (6.0% AA) – Added at 15 minutes to go in the boil
0.5 ounce (14 g) of Cryo Amarillo hops (17.4% AA) – Added at flameout
0.5 ounce (14 g) of Cryo Amarillo hops (17.4% AA) – Dry hop, added on day 3 of fermentation
0.5 ounce (14 g) of Centennial hops (6.0% AA) – Dry hop, added on day 7 of fermentation
Yeast:
1 packet of SafAle US-05 American Ale Dry Yeast
Instructions:
Mash for 60 minutes at 150° F (66° C). Sparge with 170°F (77°C) water to collect boil size volume. Boil for 60 minutes – adding brewing salts and hops at scheduled times. Ferment for 2 weeks at 68° F (20° C) and add hops at scheduled times.
Results:
Original Gravity: 1.064
Final Gravity: 1.014
Black IPA #2 – Black NEIPA
Boil Size: 7 US gallons (26.5 Liters)
Batch Size: 5.25 US gallons (19.9 Liters) in fermentor
Water:
9 US gallons of filtered tap water, treated with a Campden tablet. I wanted to add 2 grams of gypsum to the boil but I forgot.
Ingredients:
12 pounds (5.4 kg) of Rahr Standard 2-Row Malt – 84% of grain bill
1 pound (.45 kg) of Weyerman Carafa Special Type III malt (dehusked) – 7% of the grain bill
0.5 pound (227 g) Briess Caramel malt, 40°L – 4% of the grain bill
0.5 pound (227 g) of Briess Chocolate malt, 350° L – 4% of the grain bill
0.25 pound (113 g) of Briess Midnight Wheat malt -2% of the grain bill
1 ounce (28 g) of El Dorado hops (13.1% AA) – First Wort Hop
1 ounce (28 g) of Cryo Simcoe hops (23.2% AA) – Hop stand at 180° F (82° C) for 20 minutes
3 ounces (85 g) of LupoMax Mosaic hops (17.5% AA) – Hop stand at 180° F (82° C) for 20 minutes
3 ounces (85 g) of El Dorado hops (13.1% AA) – Dry hop, added on day 3 of fermentation
3 ounces (85 g) of LupoMax Mosaic hops (17.5% AA) – Dry hop, added on day 3 of fermentation
Yeast:
1 packet of Lutra Kveik yeast (dry)
Instructions:
Mash for 60 minutes at 150° F (66° C). Sparge with 170°F (77° C) water to collect boil size volume. Boil for 60 minutes – adding hops at scheduled times. Ferment for 7 days at 75° F (24° C) and add hops at scheduled times.
Results:
Original Gravity: 1.060
Final Gravity: 1.012
Black IPA Tasting Notes
OK – let’s start with Black IPA #1. This beer is exactly what I remember the Greg Noonan version to be. It is piney with some citrus notes that are offset a bit with the hints of roast from the Blackprinz malt. Overall, a nice beer. I think in competition, it will get dinged because it’s not bitter enough. No matter – I brewed it that way for a reason. Also, it’s the reason I brewed a second beer.
Black IPA #2 – the Black NEIPA has all the fruity character that you want and it melds well with the caramel notes from the specialty malt. Don’t tell anybody I add some chocolate malt to this beer. I think that is a no-no but for this beer, I wanted it to make it special. Mike was blown away by this beer and I am glad. It was my ace-in-the-hole.
Check out our other Jar of Destiny beer: British Strong Ale.
Check out the Second Picks!
Check out the Belgian Tripel post
Check out the International Amber Lager post
BREW ON!
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