I am working on a black pale ale that is going to run 10.5 % Alc., 40 SRM, and 116 IBU. My brewing partner and I have been in an argument about the labeling of this brew. I just want to call it a black imperial pale ale but he insists that I have to label it an imperial black india pale ale. I understand that IPA’s have higher IBU’s and alcohol level but my thought process is that when you are crossing over genres to this degree it is just arguing over semantics and does not really matter. He thinks that it makes me look like an idiot to label the brew this way. I say he is just being a turd and arguing for the sake of arguing. So basically the question is, do I have to break the brew down to it’s elemental parts or can I just label it as an imperial?
Thanks for your insight
Well it’s not a pale ale, so I don’t know why you’re pushing for that. Sounds like an Imperial Stout to me.
Depending on the amount of dark malts and amount / type hops, I would label it either
Imperial Stout
Cascadian Dark Ale / Black IPA
Post the recipe and we will be able to give more insight as to where it might fall, stylewise
The recipe is as follows:
13.7 lb Rahr 2 row
10.7 oz Chocolate
10.7 oz Black Patent
2.5 oz Cascade at 60
2.5 oz Cascade at 45
2.0 oz Cascade at 30
1.0 oz Cascade at 15
1.0 oz Cascade at 10
1.0 oz Cascade at 0
1.5 lb dark brown sugar at 0
1.0 oz Glacier at Dry
I want it to taste like Chocolate and grapefruit cake.
What do you think?
Imperial stout/porter.
By the way, that’s going to get you to 10.5% abv? Must be a small batch.
It’s a 5 gallon batch. Just out of curiosity why does it have to be a stout/porter? Too much black patent?
Porters typically have black patent and chocolate malt, stouts typically have roasted barley and chocolate malt. I’d say this beer is more of an Imperial Porter than anything. But, really, it’s your beer, call it whatever you want. I’m a subscriber to the thinking that the beer is whatever the brewer says it is. Debating whether a beer is a stout or porter is frivolous.
Good point. We actually came to an agreement. We are going to call it an enigma. It hasn’t even been brewed yet, so I guess this could wait until after it’s been tasted. Thanks for the insight.
With all that chocolate and black malt, it’s a Russian Imperial Stout. Or, you could call it an “Imperial Porter”, which would then go into Category 23. Read the guidelines for RIS:
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1fWords to live by!
[quote=“dmtaylo2”]With all that chocolate and black malt, it’s a Russian Imperial Stout. Or, you could call it an “Imperial Porter”, which would then go into Category 23. Read the guidelines for RIS:
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1f[/quote]From reading this it sounds more like a specialty beer to me (cat. 23). The IBU’s is why I haven’t been able to wrap my head around being a stout/porter. I understand it can’t be a pale ale because of the SRM, but using that logic it wouldn’t be a stou or porter either. True?
American styles of stouts and porters, especially imperial stouts/porters have high IBUs and hop character, typically.
Call it Imperial black ale and be done with it if it’s so important to label it.
[quote=“Beersk”]American styles of stouts and porters, especially imperial stouts/porters have high IBUs and hop character, typically.
Call it Imperial black ale and be done with it if it’s so important to label it.[/quote]
It’s not and I don’t mean to sound argumentative if I am coming across that way. I just wanted to know what is correct and why more than anything. No one wants to look like an idiot you know? This whole idea started when I began pouring half NB Hopburst with a cream stout and loved the flavor. I guess that is why I am stuck on the IPA part of it so much. Thanks again for the insight.
i guess my thinking of whether its a pale ale or an ipa is what hops you are using. but the other guys are right about it being a ris more so than pale.
To me it’s very clearly a Imperial Cascadian Black Stout IIPA…
I believe that’s category 169; subsection it doesn’t matter what you call it as long as it’s good.
If you do call it a black IPA, make sure that stands for India Passage Ale, because it can’t be black and pale at the same time. I’d have to try it to decide what I would call it.
If you put 10 ounces of black and chocolate malts in there, it will be black as midnight, and will taste just like a good stout or porter should. This isn’t a “black IPA”. This is a RIS per BJCP. Or, go ahead and call it whatever you want. If you’re not entering into competition, who cares what style you call it.
I have been reading from the link that you put on here and it sounds like a Russian Imperial Stout more than anything else. This is the first recipe that I have designed and that is why I was asking. Like I said I don’t mean to sound argumentative I just was wanting to completely understand why it was what it was. Thanks for that link, I had not been there before.
Wow, that’s a pretty hefty dose of black patent. Also, why not save some of your delicious cascade for another batch and sub some of those >30 additions for smaller amount of warrior or columbus?
Beer categories are a bit silly. Call it what you want, it has no effect on the flavor.
[quote=“spykeratchet”]Wow, that’s a pretty hefty dose of black patent. Also, why not save some of your delicious cascade for another batch and sub some of those >30 additions for smaller amount of warrior or columbus?
Beer categories are a bit silly. Call it what you want, it has no effect on the flavor.[/quote]
The whole idea of this beer came from me mixing NB hopburst and a stout. I really liked the high citrus bitterness of the hopburst and the chocolatey flavor of the stout together. I am trying to make a beer that tastes like grapefruit and chocolate. Most of the beers I have done have been IIPA’s, IPA’s, PA’s or bitters. I have only made a few stouts. I was just curious what was proper more than anything. It kind of caught me off guard that y’all all said it would be a RIS/IS/IP due to the high IBU’.s, that is why I kept asking questions. Chalk that up to my ignorance. Like y’all said it doesn’t matter in the great scheme of things, just curiosity/clarification more than anything
