... a black IPA? Let's call it a BIPA. And let's not hear anything about "Cascadian Dark Ale". That's a really stupid name. Although to be fair, one Lisa Morrison gives good argument here The original may have been Rogue’s "Skullsplitter" (and that's not even an original name of course).
So what is it then? Is it original? Is it new? Is it a hoppy kind of stout? Or a very dark kind of hoppy bitter? How hoppy should it be? Like an American IPA? Or not? Should it be roasty?
And all this gets me thinking. What is an IPA? What colour should it be? And for that matter, what is a stout? Does a (dry) stout have to have roast barley? Or at least get a noticeable chunk of it's astringent bitterness from high-roast goods?
I can't answer any of these questions, so we've posed them in the form of "Paint it Black", our take on a BIPA. It's out there somewhere. If you see it, drink it, and report back.
Oh, and is a lightly hopped dark ale a mild? I say yes. Even if dry. We don't make sweet beer. So look out for our "Go! Mild" special, and our regular "Dark Country".
More lazing in Cairo
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I rise at 9:20. Giving me enough time for a leisurely breakfast. Andrew
continues snoring away in bed. The lazy git.
Cheese, salad and fruit again. With ...
13 hours ago
5 comments:
Where can I get this "Paint it Black"? - it sounds just my kind of beer.
Boggart have taken a few away, but no-one local has got any yet...
"Does a (dry) stout have to have roast barley?"
No.
"is a lightly hopped dark ale a mild? I say yes. Even if dry."
I say no. It's a lightly hopped dry dark ale.
Much as we enjoy and admire the work of the dedicated beer historians like Mr Cornell, we're not historical recreationists - we're brewers. A stout is what our customers expect a stout to be, and they've only been drinking for a lifetime, max. For many, the (post 1950s) product of a famous Dublin brewery, is central to the (dry) style. We're not interested in cloning anyone else's beer - we have our own ideal stout in mind - but we have to make a commercial product (if on a very small scale). We don't see this as a historical question. It's a matter of exploring expectations.
Milds? I'm not sure it's safe to say more than - our "Mild" is distinctly lightly hopped relative to our "Bitter".
Found out that this is in the cellar of the Bacchus in Newcastle the other night - will probably be on the bar in the next week, looking forward to trying it!
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