Black IPA? No. Dark Cascadian Ale? No. American-Style Black Ale? Yes!

Man I love hearing beer geeks fight. At the end of the day, I just love and want to drink beer. But… there are some style questions that come up along the way. 2010 was a big year for Black IPA errr Cascadian Dark Ales aka the dark-hoppy beers. This is a battle I’ve seen wage on for a while now. What beer geeks sometime forget ( and I’ll get flamed for this) is that there really isn’t anything wrong with calling something a black IPA. At the end of the day, you tell me its a black IPA I know what to expect.

The only real issue is how to evaluate and just these beers in competition. That’s where the Brewer’s Association comes in. Each year they evaluate beer styles and emerging beer styles in an attempt to bring some clarity to the situation. As I posted earlier today, the 2011 guidelines have been released. Took me a little while to read over it, but the most resounding clarification in the 2011 guidelines deals with black IPA/dark cascadian ales. Check out the definition:

American-Style Black Ale

American-style Black Ale is perceived to have medium high to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol

content, balanced with a medium body. Fruity, floral and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute character. The

style is further characterized by a moderate degree of caramel malt character and dark roasted malt flavor and aroma. High

astringency and high degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent.

Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.056-1.075 (14-18.2 ºPlato) â— Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012-1.018 (3-4.5 ºPlato) â—

Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5-6% (6 -7.5%) â— Bitterness (IBU) 50-70 â— Color SRM (EBC) 35+ (70+ EBC)

American-Style Black AleAmerican-style Black Ale is perceived to have medium high to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content, balanced with a medium body. Fruity, floral and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute character. The style is further characterized by a moderate degree of caramel malt character and dark roasted malt flavor and aroma. High astringency and high degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent.Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.056-1.075 (14-18.2 ºPlato) â— Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012-1.018 (3-4.5 ºPlato) â— Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5-6% (6 -7.5%) â— Bitterness (IBU) 50-70 â— Color SRM (EBC) 35+ (70+ EBC)

I guess we were all wrong. All things being equal, if you tell me its a black IPA – I get it…

Another cool article from Washington Beer Blog —> http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/get-it-right-its-an-india-black-pale-lager-ale/