One of my favorite styles, the Black IPA! If you want to brew an award-winning black IPA, you have come to the right place! Here is my Black IPA extract recipe.
What is a Black IPA?
Black IPAs are also known as Cascadian Dark Ales. Though, Cascadian Dark Ale may be a more fitting name given that this refers to the region where this beer originated (Pacific Northwest) and the types of hops heavily used, Black IPA has seemed to stick much better!
The Black IPA does have its own specified style guideline set forth by the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program, under 21D: Specialty IPA: Black IPA.
Paraphrasing from these guidelines, a black IPA should have the dryness, hop-forward balance, and flavor characteristics of an American IPA, only darker in color. However, it should not have strongly roasted of burnt flavors. What sets this style apart from a just a hoppy stout are that the flavor of the darker malts should not be a major flavor component, and it should finish drier than a stout/porter.
These beers are typically on the stronger side with ABV ranging from 5.5-9.0%. IBU should fall somewhere between 50-90, with an SRM between 25-40.
This style of beer is an all-season favorite of mine as it has the hop-forwardness and dryness you want in the summer months, and the subtle dark malt flavor notes you look for in the cooler months.
Recipe:
This particular beer recipe was a favorite at my local Red IPA/Black IPA competition night. Got multiple comments from people saying that they were surprised that it was an extract beer! However, as I’ve said several times on my site already, you can brew some pretty awesome beer using the extract method!
To bring the darker color without as much roasted flavor, midnight wheat and black malt (black patent) were utilized. One pound of dextrose was added during the boil to help dry the beer out.
Stats:
Volume: 5 gallons
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.014
Predicted IBU: 109.51
ABV- 5.53%
Steeping Grain:
4oz Chocolate Malt (350L)
8oz Crystal 60L
8oz Midnight Wheat
8oz Black Malt
Steep at 157F for 25 minutes
Extract:
3.3lb Golden Light LME (60 minutes)
3.3lb Rye LME (60 minutes)
Hops:
1oz Chinook (60 minutes)
1oz Cascade (20 minutes)
1oz Chinook (10 minutes)
1oz Cascade (10 minutes)
3oz Citra (Whirlpool in ice bath)
Other Additions:
1lb Dextrose (30 minutes)
1/2 tsp Irish Moss (10 minutes)
Water:
Local Flagstaff, AZ Tap Water
3 gallon steep, 3 gallon boil
Yeast:
Safale US-05 (1 packet)
Directions:
Heat water to 157°F (°C). Add crushed specialty grain and steep for 25-30 minutes. Remove steeping grain. Heat to boiling. Remove pot from heat, add both liquid malt extracts. Return wort to boiling. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hop schedule. Add Irish moss at 10 minutes. During the cooling process, add whirlpool hops.
After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 64°F. Add water to bring up to 5 gallons total. Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 67°F (18°C) for 2-3 weeks, then cold crash the beer to 35°F. Bottle or keg the beer and carbonate to approximately 2.25 volumes of CO2.
Tips:
This style does lend itself well to higher gravities. I wouldn’t be afraid to dial up the grain/extract bill slightly to approach the 7-8% ABV region. Just remember that you may have to adjust the hop bill accordingly to maintain the same balance.
I have consumed several examples of black IPAs with coffee added that were wonderful, I wouldn’t be afraid to experiment with this either! If you’re interested on learning how to brew with coffee, click here.
Thank you very much for stopping by!
For information on how to brew using the extract method, please see my post here.
I have not seen any books specifically dedicated to Black IPAs (yet); however, I do highly recommend this book for learning about everything IPA-related!