Black IPA

ok - good to know - I don't shop there, stick with NB and NCM strictly, and I'd heard other brewers also comment that they have not seen regular either, which made me wonder if it was a professional order only type malt.

back to your regularly scheduled program.

I don't shop there often, but do use them as a resource when checking for things like this. For the record, my LHBS is also a packaging craft brewery, so all bets are off as far as any "pro only" ingredients.

Regularly scheduled programming resumed.

New Holland had a version of their Mad Hatter IPA in their brewpub, called Black Hatter. It had just a hint of roastiness and I think the Carafa is the way to go. (although I have to admit I messed around with a recipe and couldn't get it quite right. Time to go back to that project).
You could try emailing them but I've heard they're pretty tight lipped with home brewers:
http://newhollandbrew.com/corp/profile/ ... ggerty/14/

numbers should be around 1.060-1.062 and the same for IBUs. Going for the ol' 1:1 ratio.

So, whatcha think?

Looks good to me! I think you'll get the slight roast you want from the choc and carafa.

Great. Exactly what I was looking for. I'll check the Carafa when I get down there, if it is indeed the special, I might pick up a little extra. Just in case.

I have a question about color contribution. Promash gave me an SRM of 21 with that grain bill. How much extra color can I expect from turing the dark malts into flour?

Also, whatcha'll think about my water? I think I'm going to add a touch of Gypsum to get the Calcium up, but don't want to add too much since my sulfates are already pretty good for an IPA. Any other thoughts?

I have a question about color contribution. Promash gave me an SRM of 21 with that grain bill. How much extra color can I expect from turing the dark malts into flour?

Also, whatcha'll think about my water? I think I'm going to add a touch of Gypsum to get the Calcium up, but don't want to add too much since my sulfates are already pretty good for an IPA. Any other thoughts?

My experience with grinding the grain and adding late is that I end up with about twice the color contribution for a given weight. So I get the recipe SRM where I want it, then use half the carafa.

Gypsum is all I'd add unless your chloride is really low.

Get Sinamar, the black malt extract from Weyermann. Reinheitsgebot approved and much easier to use accurately and with as little flavor contribution as possible than even the malt it is made with, the Carafa Special.

My experience with grinding the grain and adding late is that I end up with about twice the color contribution for a given weight. So I get the recipe SRM where I want it, then use half the carafa.

Gypsum is all I'd add unless your chloride is really low.

Cool. Double is about what I was expecting for the color. My chloride levels are fine, which is why I was thinking gypsum only.

Get Sinamar, the black malt extract from Weyermann. Reinheitsgebot approved and much easier to use accurately and with as little flavor contribution as possible than even the malt it is made with, the Carafa Special.

Chris, read above and you'll see that I don't want to use Sinamar in this brew. And I could really care less about an archaic German tax law.

Sorry, missed that.

Carafa Special on its own is effective at what you want.

Keep in mind that your mashing system (be it normal single infusion with manual vorlauf or HERMS/RIMS with constant recircing) can make a significant difference to the extraction of color from late addition roasted malts.

Ha. No worries.

Single infusion. Blue cooler. Manual vorlauf. Batch sparge.

Ha. No worries.

Single infusion. Blue cooler. Manual vorlauf. Batch sparge.

I would definitely follow in Tasty's footsteps (although he has said he does this for all beers with roasted malt), and like you said, buy more carafa than you think you need, and add maybe 75% of that which you think you will need. Add at the end of the mash, stir, vorlauf, and look at the color, and if you think you need more (keeping in mind that the sparge will dilute color), add more. If you don't, don't.

The good thing about carafa special, even if you use a bit "too much", it won't get much stronger than the subtle roasty character that you said you enjoyed in the Stone 11th.

Works for me. Thanks.

wahoo - have you ever actually seen 'non-Special' Carafa?

I don't think I've ever seen it available to the homebrewer.

Yeah, actually my LHBS had Carafa II regular, Carafa II Special, and Carafa II Dehusked. We checked the wholesaler's catalog and the Special and the Dehusked were the same product, just labelled differently.

This thread has come in handy as I prepare for tomorrow's brew -- something with hops that uses up some of the dark malt I have lying around. Anyone care to take a look at the following and comment on flavor?

10.00 lbs / 81.2% Two Row
0.75 lbs / 6.1% Crystal 120
0.75 lbs / 6.1% Crystal 40
6 oz / 3% Carafa III
0.25 lbs / 2% Rye malt (Need to use it up. Think I'll notice it?)
3 oz / 1.5% Roasted barley

0.75 oz Columbus FWH
0.5 oz Chinook 60 mins
0.25 oz Chinook 25 mins
0.25 oz Columbus 25 mins
0.25 oz Centennial 10 mins
0.25 oz Columbus 10 mins
0.5 oz Cascade 0 mins
0.5 oz Centennial 0 mins
0.5 oz Columbus DH
0.5 oz Cascade DH

(Hop bill still a work in progress.)

US-05

OG ~ 1.060
IBUs ~ 80
SRM ~ 28

Looks tasty to me.

I just kegged mine yesterday, after about 10 days on the dry hops. Taste pretty good, although a little tannic (from the dry hops I presume). And also not quite as dark as I'd like, but very close. Should be good once it's carbed. The nose is great.

The dark IPA I brewed for a local "pro-am" type of competition turned out more dark red or brown than black, but I believe that was because I limited my grain choices so the recipe could be reproduced organically when it wins. Fir that reason I used Breiss' chocolate malt (350L) instead of Carafa III or debittered black malt like I had planned to. it is still an interesting IPA though