Black IPA? What’s next, Green IPA?

[Weenie Boy]

I just kegged up my Red IPA. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
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Weenie Boy

[drewbage1847]

Its a little late, but I guess I should wade in, since I'm one of the miscreants responsible for the Falcons Guidelines.

The reason we added the style (and really any style) is because there's enough brewing both commercially and hobbyishly to warrant it. And since we're a little more nimble than the BJCP (cause well.. we're smaller), we tend to add categories as they really emerge. Although, admittedly we've been slacking cause we should have had Belgian IPA a few years ago.

I remember getting a ton of crap when we added DIPA back in 04 from folks who ardently insisted that it was no different than American Barleywine.

We tend to use our guidelines as an experimental repository of styles. It doesn't really cost us anything to add sub styles galore. (Ok, maybe a little extra paper) Additionally, it helps to get the discussion rolling about what a style means.

With Black IPA, the style's still in flux and while there's a common thread for a number of them as being a regular IPA/DIPA colored with Sinamar; there's another emerging thread that I like better that provides a roast flavor that doesn't interfere with the bite. That (and body differences) to me is the critical difference between an American Porter, Stout, Impy Stout and the whole Black IPA/IBA/Cascadian thing.

On Tasty's q: if enough people out there start brewing a green beer, then you betcha.. into the guidelines she'll go.

With the new guidelines we saw this number of entries (which is how I evaluate if the addition was a good idea):

*American Blonde Ale : 5 entries
Black IPA: 4 entries
*Belgian Blond: 3 entries
Belgian IPA: 3 entries
Wild Ales: 7 entries
*Wood Aged Beers: 10 entries

* = BJCP Category moved into the guidelines

Feels pretty on par.. but now we've got to juggle the specialty categories a little differently: Class 24: Specialty H/S/F/V - 17 entries, Class 25: Specialty, Experimental, Historical, Smoked, Wood - 27 entries. yikes!

[thatguy314]

The reason we added the style (and really any style) is because there's enough brewing both commercially and hobbyishly to warrant it.

.......

On Tasty's q: if enough people out there start brewing a green beer, then you betcha.. into the guidelines she'll go.

Well tasty added cinnamar (basically malt-based black food coloring.... So based on my St. Patty's day experience I guess next year the falcons will add Green American Adjunct Lager right?






It's a seasonal beer produced for St. Patrick's day. There are plenty of commercial examples. And it turns your tongue green (that should be counted somewhere in the scoring).

[Field]

I say it’s time for the homebrew style American Brown Ale to ramp up and go pro.

Tasty

Agreed on that, and another similar style - the 'West Coast Amber', "Imperial Amber' or whatever you want to call it. Beers like Red Rocket from Bear Republic, they do not fit at all into the current American Amber category.

I would've preferred to see "Hoppy American Brown" and "West Coast type Amber" before 'Black IPA'

[drewbage1847]

It's a seasonal beer produced for St. Patrick's day. There are plenty of commercial examples. And it turns your tongue green (that should be counted somewhere in the scoring).

I have yet to see any example (except one) of green beer that is produced on a regular commercial basis. (Dogfish Head's Spirulina beer). All the St. Patty's green beer I know of is produced locally with green food coloring. One of our members owns a draft store and he spends the whole period around St. Patty's injecting food coloring into kegs of Heineken and Bud Light. (And sadly, despite my protests - my workplace ordered several kegs. oh well, at least he got the money for it.)

Sinamar on the other hand is at least a malt based colorant that does actually add some flavor and aroma components. (lightly). Colorants are a controversial topic. Most of the speculation points to Köstritzer, the classic Schwarzbier, as being an all pils product colored with Sinamar. It gets even worse when you look at British brewing and the extensive use of brewing caramel (or here in the US - Amber Bock - aka Michelob with brewer's caramel extract)

For what it's worth, I definitely agree that a Strong Brown should be added. In years past it's been argued that Red Rocket and others would be caught under the "American Strong Ale" cat we run (12.3) - which was actually created to put Arrogant Bastard somewhere sensical.

[BrewChoPs]

I just kegged up my Red IPA. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!
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Weenie Boy

Meh? I'm working on a sour IPA with Bret.

[thatguy314]

How about when I commercially release my fluorescent beer?

[Chupa LaHomebrew]

Lee, maybe you could ferment it with biolumiescents. You could probably GM something that could survive in beer right? I'd drink that!

drewbage1847, I haven't read the Maltose Falcons' guidelines for the style but one of the links from my previous post on this thread has Abe Goldman-Armstrong's guidelines in full detail. You should take a look and see how they compare to yours. I thought they were pretty good.