Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA
Brewed: 8/25/2011 Kegged: 9/10/2011
Well, I still had Mr. Beer ingredients that Peter had given me after the 2010 GABF. I decided that it had been way too long since I had made something hoppy and dark. I wanted an IDA (see Stone Soup IDA). As luck would have it, part of Peter's care package had been some Creamy Brown UME and some Bewitched Red Ale HME, which would come out pretty close in color to Stone Soup. I also had plenty of Columbus hops sitting in my freezer.
Of course, India Dark Ale (IDA) is what I like to call the Black IPA / Cascadian Dark Ale / American-Style India Black Ale / whatever-else-people-call-it. I don't really like the Cascadian Dark Ale name simply because it implies that is a regional beer style exclusively created in and for the Pacific Northwest. I like (and have used) the name "Black IPA", but calling a beer "Black" and "Pale Ale" just seems too oxymoronish. I like "American-Style India Black Ale", but it seems a bit long for the name of a style. Here are some of the articles in my blog in which I have mentioned the style: "Black IPA / IDA", "Cascadian Dark Ale", "Stone Soup IDA".
Regardless of what you call it, the IDA style is one of my favorites. Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA is dark in color with lots of chocolate notes masking lots of alcohol. It should finish pretty dry, but the maltiness should still come through. The ridiculous amount of Columbus flavoring hops provide lots of citrusy hop flavor and a decent amount of bitterness to balance out the malty and alcohol sweetness. I ended up dry-hopping this beer with .5oz columbus hops a couple days before bottling.
Here is a blog entry about the first time (maybe to be the only time) I brewed this: http://blog.ericshepard.com/2011/08/psycho-dark-and-bitter.html
| Psychotically Dark and Bitter IDA --- $32.11 |
| Style | India Dark Ale | Batch Size | 2.40 gal | |||
| Type | Extract | Boil Size | 1.22 gal | |||
| Mash Efficiency | N/A |
Boil Time | 15 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.064 SG | Estimated FG | 1.009 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 48.5 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 7.2 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.760 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 22.5 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.068 | Measured FG: | 1.018 | ||||
| ADF: | 73.5% | Measured ABV: | 6.6% |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
| 1 lbs 3.4 oz | Mr. Beer Bewitched Red HME (17.0 SRM) | Extract | 7 | 28.6 % |
| 1 lbs 3.4 oz | Mr. Beer Creamy Brown UME (95.0 SRM) | Extract | 1 | 28.6 % |
| 13.0 oz | Mr. Beer Booster (0.0 SRM) | Sugar | 3 | 19.1 % |
| 1.75 oz | Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 4 | 37.1 IBUs |
| 0.50 oz | Columbus Dry Hop for a couple days | Hop | ||
| 1 lbs | Briess Wheat LME (3.0 SRM) | Extract | 2 | 23.6 % |
| 3.00 tsp | Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15 mins) | Other | 6 | - |
| 1.0 pkg | Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml] | Yeast | 5 | - |
Dissolve booster for a few minutes in warmish water while bringing one gallon of water to boil in brew pot. When the water is boiling, add LME, UME and booster to the pot and let it go through hot break. After the hot break, add hops and yeast nutrient and start 15 minute timer.
After 15 minute boil, remove from heat and add HME.
Cool in ice bath.
Pour in fermenter and add water to 2.4 gallon mark.
Add dry yeast, aerate.
Ferment at 60 to 65 for a couple days and then let temperature rise to wherever it wants to go. Ferment 2 weeks. Batch prime with 2.2 oz table sugar. Carb for two weeks. Chill, drink, enjoy.
Brewing Notes
8/26/2011 Another simple recipe and another quick brew night. Used a hop-sack for the ridiculous amount of Columbus hops at the 10 minute addition. I pitched at about 70 and cooled in my fermentation cooler last night. This morning, the temp was at about 65. There were signs that fermentation was getting started this morning. Hope to see it going crazy tonight.
8/28/2011 The fermentation has been going strong and is still going pretty well. Has been up to 70 or 72. Currently at about 68. Getting pretty strong hop aroma in the fermentation cooler.
9/7/2011 Added .5oz of Columbus for dry hop.
9/10/2011 Bottled up in 13 12oz bottles, 4 22oz bombers, and 2 1 liter bottles. Batch primed with 2.25oz cane sugar. This is certainly not dark enough to be called a black-ipa. Might be more of an American Brown, although I've never tasted a brown that is this hoppy. Sample was good. Not as much hop aroma as I expected.
9/20/2011 Labeled the bottles and put some in the fridge.
9/23/2011 Had the LB. Very hoppy and pretty dark as advertised. Certainly not a black IPA, but a beautiful dark brown. Somewhat citrusy, but sort of an earthy pungency from the hops really play nicely with the dark chocolate malts. Great IDA!
3/9/2012 Had one. Still nice hop aroma and flavor. Only one more left.
8/26/2011 Another simple recipe and another quick brew night. Used a hop-sack for the ridiculous amount of Columbus hops at the 10 minute addition. I pitched at about 70 and cooled in my fermentation cooler last night. This morning, the temp was at about 65. There were signs that fermentation was getting started this morning. Hope to see it going crazy tonight.
8/28/2011 The fermentation has been going strong and is still going pretty well. Has been up to 70 or 72. Currently at about 68. Getting pretty strong hop aroma in the fermentation cooler.
9/7/2011 Added .5oz of Columbus for dry hop.
9/10/2011 Bottled up in 13 12oz bottles, 4 22oz bombers, and 2 1 liter bottles. Batch primed with 2.25oz cane sugar. This is certainly not dark enough to be called a black-ipa. Might be more of an American Brown, although I've never tasted a brown that is this hoppy. Sample was good. Not as much hop aroma as I expected.
9/20/2011 Labeled the bottles and put some in the fridge.
9/23/2011 Had the LB. Very hoppy and pretty dark as advertised. Certainly not a black IPA, but a beautiful dark brown. Somewhat citrusy, but sort of an earthy pungency from the hops really play nicely with the dark chocolate malts. Great IDA!
3/9/2012 Had one. Still nice hop aroma and flavor. Only one more left.