Tag: brettanomyces

Following my last post about hops, I thought it fitting to consider a relatively new trend in brewing – the Black IPA.  This style falls somewhere between Porter and Stout and strives for IPA like qualities.  The fact that it is called an IPA may speak more to the marketing draw associated with ‘IPA’ than to the style itself.  These brews typically show less body and less oomph than a stout (coffee and other nuances in stouts are often not included here either) as well as more hops and more bitterness than a porter.  It is a roasty, toasty brew showing the character of dark malts.  There is often a solid dry-hopping and, needless to say, the color is dark.  Although some come out a little more brown than black, the appealing, opaque, blackness of the beer is really the signature. Continue reading Black beer or Black sheep…