Black IPA: The Mind Trick

Also known as Cascadian Dark Ale, this style is a sensory contradiction. It looks like a Stout (jet black). It smells like an IPA (pine, citrus, resin). It tastes like an IPA (dry, hoppy). The goal is to trick the drinker’s brain. You want the color of a stout without the acrid roastiness that would clash with the fruity hops.

1. The Secret: De-Husked Malt

If you use Roasted Barley, you will make a Hoppy Stout. The roast will clash with the Citra/Amarillo hops. You need Carafa Special III (Weyermann) or Midnight Wheat (Briess).

What are they?: Roasted malts with the husk removed (or huskless grain).
Result: They provide deep black color with very little roast flavor or astringency.

2. Ingredients

The Malt

Base: American 2-Row.
Color: 5-8% Carafa Special III.
Avoid: Crystal malts. Keep it dry.

The Hops

Dank and Piney: Simcoe and Chinook work best here. The “dank” flavor bridges the gap between the dark malt and the hops.
Citrus: Citra and Amarillo add the “IPA” punch.
Avoid: Earthy English hops.

The Yeast

Clean: Chico (US-05).

3. Recipe: “Fade to Black” IPA

Batch Size: 5 Gallons (19 Liters)
OG: 1.065
FG: 1.012
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 65
SRM: 30

Grain Bill

5.5 kg (12 lbs) US 2-Row Malt
0.34 kg (0.75 lb) Carafa Special III (De-husked)
0.23 kg (0.5 lb) Munich Malt (for backbone)

Hops

30g (1 oz) Chinook (13% AA) @ 60 min
30g (1 oz) Simcoe (13% AA) @ 10 min
30g (1 oz) Amarillo (9% AA) @ 10 min
30g (1 oz) Simcoe (13% AA) @ 0 min
30g (1 oz) Amarillo (9% AA) @ 0 min
Dry Hop: 90g (3 oz) Simcoe/Amarillo blend

Yeast

WLP001 California Ale

Instructions

Mash: 65°C (149°F).
Boil: 60 minutes.
Cold Steep Tip: For an even cleaner flavor, steep the Carafa Special in cold water overnight and add the black liquid to the boil at the end. This gives color with ZERO roast flavor.
Ferment: 19°C.

Conclusion

The Black IPA is a modern classic. It is fun to brew and even more fun to serve to people blindfolded.