Is Black IPA a fad?

[admin]

Not defined by the BJCP. Should it be? Or will it be gone again in 5 years time?

I would have said myself that it's definitely a hipster brew, and I think there'll be a lot less of it around in 2019.

[Eoin]

It's a style now, it won't go away.

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[matthewdick23]

we.dont.know.

[Hop Bomb]

Its been a thing since 2010 (perhaps even earlier?). Just gaining popularity now with breweries looking for something new I guess. I think the beer title is a total joke & needs a more fitting name like India Dark Ale or Cascadian Dark Ale. Its a lovely beer when its done right. Brewed wrong & you just have an american stout. Here to stay I would say.

[mr hoppy]

Mitch Steele tells us it's been going on from the early 90's in some places and then there's this:

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.ie/2012/11/lets-brew-special-1859-barclay-perkins.html

[sub82]

I think the problem is that it is not as clear cut as other styles. Some are definitely roasty/stouty, whereas others are black only in colour.

[Eoin]

The problem mainly is that the category title is an oxymoron, pale black is ehh grey is't it?

[Garry]

The problem mainly is that the category title is an oxymoron, pale black is ehh grey is't it?

I've always found the name silly for that reason too, is it black or pale? It's like an Alanis Morissette lyric  I love the BIPA's that I've tried though. I think Cascadian Dark Ale is a much more appropriate name for the style.

It is very fashionable at the moment so I suppose it could be called a fad. But the fact that it's a very tasty beer should mean that it will stick around for years to come? Are we taking bets?

[SlugTrap]

Its been a thing since 2010 (perhaps even earlier?). Just gaining popularity now with breweries looking for something new I guess. I think the beer title is a total joke & needs a more fitting name like India Dark Ale or Cascadian Dark Ale. Its a lovely beer when its done right. Brewed wrong & you just have an american stout. Here to stay I would say.

Stone Sublimely Self Righteous premièred in 2007; that was the first widely distributed Black IPA in the US, afaik.
Beer Advocate calls them "American Black Ale" to avoid the whole Vermont v Oregon throwdown. Though "hoppy porter" works, too.
Given that at least 3 Irish breweries I know of are making one, I'd say it's sticking around.

The problem mainly is that the category title is an oxymoron,

You mean like dunkelweiss ("dark white")?
(I'd love to claim credit for this observation, but the nod goes to Beer Nut John.)

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

'American Black Ale' is starting to take off as a description here in London.

Also some micros here, that make so-called Black IPAs don't label them as such.

[mr hoppy]

What's people's issue with the Black IPA name, I've never heard any one complaining about American India Pale Ale - which makes the same amount of sense. Personally, I like it that it doesn't make literal sense.

I think Black IPAs will be around for as long as the new wave of hipster hops are popular. Not so long ago hops with big exotic fruity flavours were considered objectionable. So, the bigger question is: are the likes of Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Soriachi Ace etc. a fad? If they stick around I think we can expect to see people continuing to brew darker, hop forward beers with them.

Interestingly enough, Raven is the one craft beer that all non beer geeks I've shown it to has responded to very positively.

[Garry]

What's people's issue with the Black IPA name, I've never heard any one complaining about American India Pale Ale - which makes the same amount of sense. Personally, I like it that it doesn't make literal sense.

It's hard for a home brewer to get the India bit right! You'd have to send the beer on a boat to India to be true to style At least we have control over the colour, and Black couldn't be further from pale!

@mr h, Where do you get the Raven, I couldn't see it in Bradleys the last night I visited 

[Hop Bomb]

Hoppy porter though? Surely thats American stout territory then or even American brown if its not black? For me I think there shouldnt be any roast in it. Carafa should be cold steeped & not mashed so you avoid all roasty extraction. Re: the name - I know its total bollix arguing over it but I do think the Americans missed a trick by not going with something solid for a name seeing as they invented that style.

Delighted to say I brewed my own Cascadian Dark Ale recipe at Galway Bay a few weeks back. 7.5kg of carafa 3 cold steeped in my own mash tun & added to the boil (500 litres). 1.5kg of mosaic for 30 min whirlpool steep & 5g p/l for dry hop. Its dark but not black. No roast in there at all - nice & fruity. Its going to keg & cask tomorrow so should be in their bars next week hopefully. (It'll be keg & cask conditioned as they dont have a way of force carbing the pilot brews yet so hopefully it carbs up okay) Another hipster beer with hipster hops brewed by a beardy rocker! Par for the course these days 

[Eoin]

You mean like dunkelweiss ("dark white")?
(I'd love to claim credit for this observation, but the nod goes to Beer Nut John.)

The weiss there is more to do with wheat that white, and non German speakers making mistakes with weizen/weiss etc.

In German it's actually called Dunkel Weizen, as Tube says there are a lot of stupid things being done in the name of "weiss" all that means is white. It's Weizenbier, called weissbier also, but the style is Weizenbier and that means wheat beer.

[mr hoppy]

They usually have Raven in bradleys or carry out on bandon road. It's not cheap though.