[quote=“S.Scoggin”]I like the style - although I agree that’s it’s difficult to make a good one. I recently brewed one here in Eugene that I’m fond of. Midnight wheat is my preferred color malt for a CDA.
And yes. I call them CDA’s :blah: [/quote]
Watch out for those Cross Dressing Amateurs!
I’m not over black IPAs but I can definitely only drink them in moderation anymore. I used to make one all the time I called None More Black IPA, but it hasn’t tasted as good to me the last couple batches, so I’m taking a break on the style.
I really respect both 3HB and Custom Brewcrafters, but for the latter, if you are going to go through the headache/exercise of changing your name, couldn’t you come up with something a little more creative/catchy than “Craft Brewers”!? I liked “Custom Brewcrafters” better than that!
As a note to the others on the forum, these guys started in the early 90’s as a contract brewery to supply local pubs with proprietary brands, and within the last 5 years launched their own brands.
I’m kind of suprised - it sounds as if most of you don’t even like “black IPA’s”, and the next largest group is the ones who “will drink them but don’t seek them out.” The reason I’m suprised is due to all the raving I heard about them the last few years.
Secondly, someone mentioned that “most brewpubs” have them in their stables. I haven’t noticed “BPA” being a normal, house/stock beer at any pubs.
I also noticed that several of you called it a “style.” Is it a style - at what point does a style come into being - when BJCP lists it?
Anticipating the next fad-beer. Or is it already out there?
I’ll drink them, but they’re really just either an American stout, or an IPA with black food coloring. In either case… how dumb it is, really, to call it a black India pale ale, when in fact it has nothing to do with India, is NOT pale, and is not even a unique style at all! Stupid fad. If it must be made into a new style, I sure hope the BJCP is smart enough to name it something other than “black India pale ale”. A complete misnomer!
I suppose the next fad is going to be purple oaked imperial Belgian IPA. I’m SO tired of this crap.
Anticipating the next fad-beer. Or is it already out there?
Just some thoughts off the top of my head.[/quote]
Pale Stout is the next fad. And they’re disgusting. Basically a blonde ale brewed with cocao nibs or something like that from what I’ve tasted.
While I agree they are fads, I’m less of a “style nazi” (for lack of a better term). If it tastes good, I’ll drink it. I don’t care what it’s called.
That being said, I haven’t really tried an example that feels like a beer in and of itself. Every example I’ve had feels like a beer with an identity crisis. They weren’t balanced and feels like it’s two beers arguing with each other right on my tongue.
That could just be my brain having trouble processing the new flavor combos. I’ve only had a couple examples (Black Cannon, Dark Depths (not sure if this fits the “style” or not)). Not bad beer, there is just always something I want to drink more.
I personally really enjoy a good CDA, but only in the fall or winter. It was the second batch of Mr. Beer that I brewed that actually turned out really well (I thought at the time at least) out of about 8 over the course of a year and it was the second kit from Northern Brewer that I brewed which I also really enjoyed. I have since tried several commercial styles and as my palate has changed (hopefully improved) and I can see that it is a very difficult thing to get right. Too much competition of flavors can ruin it and not blend well.
One of my recent favorites is Black Hatter by New Holland which I was able to find up near Detroit this past fall when I was in the area for work. In the summer I tend to stick more to IPA’s and Pale’s but I’ve been gravitating to more stouts, porters, and RIS’s with the colder weather. I used to really not appreciate or even enjoy dark beer so maybe I’m still fond of CDA because it was a gateway to darker beers. A good CDA has just enough hoppiness to it to satisfy the hop itch I get in the colder months and give a nice variety for me. I just received the Pirate’s Plunder kit in the mail that I’ll be brewing this weekend so we will see how that turns out.
I used to eschew sticking to a style myself, but over the years I’ve decided that everything’s been tried and styles simply represent combinations with the flavors and balance to be tasty. Besides, its pretty hard to brew a beer that is truly out of any style, espeically if you bend the ABV limits a bit.
We drank some of my “Hop Stew” CDA last night. A little grassy from all the late additions, but otherwise it drinks exactly like an IPA. I’m going to let it age awhile and see if that grassiness becomes more subdued.
[quote][/quote][quote=“Radagast”]I personally really enjoy a good CDA, but only in the fall or winter. It was the second batch of Mr. Beer that I brewed that actually turned out really well (I thought at the time at least) out of about 8 over the course of a year and it was the second kit from Northern Brewer that I brewed which I also really enjoyed. I have since tried several commercial styles and as my palate has changed (hopefully improved) and I can see that it is a very difficult thing to get right. Too much competition of flavors can ruin it and not blend well.
One of my recent favorites is Black Hatter by New Holland which I was able to find up near Detroit this past fall when I was in the area for work. In the summer I tend to stick more to IPA’s and Pale’s but I’ve been gravitating to more stouts, porters, and RIS’s with the colder weather. I used to really not appreciate or even enjoy dark beer so maybe I’m still fond of CDA because it was a gateway to darker beers. A good CDA has just enough hoppiness to it to satisfy the hop itch I get in the colder months and give a nice variety for me. I just received the Pirate’s Plunder kit in the mail that I’ll be brewing this weekend so we will see how that turns out.
:cheers:
Rad[/quote]
Now there I will agree. CDAs are a different beer than IBAs, though, in ways that I think are fairly significant, although some will disagree. I brewed a beer that I would call a CDA (by default, I guess) about 3 years ago that I was really happy with, and that style has more artistic appeal for me in general. I will most likely brew another one within the next few months.
Well, without the dress that I wore while brewing it - it would have merely been a black IPA. :lol:
kidding of course :cheers:
[quote=“beermebeavis”]
I also noticed that several of you called it a “style.” Is it a style - at what point does a style come into being - when BJCP lists it? [/quote]
“style
stīl
noun
1.
a manner of doing something.”
^ this is why I call it a style. There’s not really a better term to generally describe what it is - regardless of it’s “official” standing.
At NHC a couple years ago, a friend brought me a black IPA to try. It was astoundingly good. For once, the roast flavor wasn’t so strong that it fought with the hops. Then he told me he had just used his normal IPA recipe and darkened it with Sinamar. IMO, that’s the ONLY way to make one!
Hey Denny… do you happen to know when new BJCP guidelines come out? And will CDA, BIPA, ABA, whatever it’s called be a category? Just curious is all.[/quote]
Nope, don’t know. I think I recall Gordon posting that it will be in the next year or so.
I was pretty much over the Black IPAs mostly because I made back to back batches (44 gal) and got tired of it. A few weeks ago, Shorts Brewery in Bellaire MI came out with their release of Bludgeonyoureye and it was fantastic. It smelled and tasted like sticky resinous weed from the 70’s and really caught my attention. After the 12-pack was gone, I was bummed.
I recently brewed a black ale that i call Black Hole. I added some carafa III & choc. rye malt to the base malts. It has plenty of columbus & cascades also. I think it’s amazingly good with nothing overpowering. Guess i really don’t care exactly what style it is, but it’s fricken’ tasty as hell! Will definitely brew again some day. :cheers:
That’s exactly what I’m talking about right there. What’s the point of adding some expensive malt-based coloring agent that doesn’t even do anything at all to the flavor of the beer, just to make it black? I don’t get that at all. If someone just added black food coloring to a beer, they’d be called a hack or a cheater, but if they use “Sinimar” (oooh- big whoop), it’s somehow looked at differently. Don’t get me wrong- I’d never berate anyone for giving their beer whatever color they want, I just can’t understand the motivation behind it. Why can’t some people just make a tasty IPA and call it good?
