[skyler]

Does sinamar contribute a flavor?

Yes, but a mellow one.

[roguejim]

Here's some info on cold steeping...

From George Fix on Cold Steeping

Question to Dr. Fix:

On the Brews & Views discussion board a couple months ago, someone mentioned a talk you gave regarding cold steeping of malts like Munich. I would very much appreciate it if you would elaborate on this technique. How do you do it, what does it do for the brew, what malts are good candidates for this technique.

Dr. Fix:

The talk was in the NCHF at Napa in October. Those folks on the left coast really know how to do a beer festival! The cold steeping procedure was designed to maximize the extraction of desirable melanoidins, and at the same time minimize the extraction of undesirable ones. The former are simple compounds which yield a fine malt taste. The undesirable ones come from more complicated structures. Polymers with sulfur compounds tend to have malt/vegetable tones. Others yield cloying tones, which to my palate have an under fermented character. The highest level melanoidins can even have burnt characteristics. The cold steeping procedure was developed by Mary Ann Gruber of Briess. My version goes as follows.

    * (i) One gallon of water per 3-4 lbs. of grains to be steeped is brought to a boil and held there for 5 mins.
    * (ii) The water is cooled down to ambient, and the cracked grains are added.
    * (iii) This mixture is left for 12-16 hrs. at ambient temperatures, and then added to the brew kettle for the last 15-20 mins. of the boil.

Mary Ann has had good results by adding the steeped grains directly to the fermenter without boiling, however I have not tried that variation of the procedure.

The upside of cold steeping is that it works. The downside is that it is very inefficient both with respect to extract and color. In my setup I am using 2-3 times the malt that would normally be used. As a consequence I have been using it for "adjunct malts" such as black and crystal. I also am very happy with the use of Munich malts with this process when they are used as secondary malts.

Do you remember when I contacted Mary Ann via email, and posted her remarks on the HBD forum?  I thought perhaps you filed it away somewhere!

[denny]

Ya know, I might have....I'll see what I can dig up.

[skyler]

As usual, I am playing around with ideas for the beers I am going to brew after I brew the two I have ready to brew before I fly to the bay area for an abbreviated spring break next Tuesday.Those beers are a witbier and a Red Seal-inspired APA (which I had planned on doing with 1450, but decided to do with Pacman). So, in 2-3 weeks, I will have a nice slurry of Pacman ready to roll, and was thinking that a Black IPA is in order (my girlfriend is in love with the style). After that I was thinking about playing around with the Unibroue yeast being released as a seasonal until I move in May and have to keg/bottle all my beer. How does this recipe look?

10 lbs 2-row
1 lb Crystal 60L
1 lb Dextrose
8 oz Sinamar

1 oz Cascade (5.7 AA) FWH
.5 oz CTZ (16.1 AA) 60 min
.5 oz Summit (18.5 AA) 30 min
1 oz Cascade (5.7 AA) 5 min
1 oz Simcoe (12.7 AA) 5 min
1.5 oz Simcoe (12.7 AA) 0 min
1.5 oz Cascade (5.7 AA) 0 min
1 oz Simcoe Dry Hop
1 oz CTZ Keg Hop

Pacman Yeast

Mash at 150 for 75 min, ferment in low 60s.
OG ~ 1.068, FG ~ 1.013, IBU ~ 63, SRM ~ 35

First of all, is this grain bill ok? Is corn sugar a good idea? Since sinamar is added to the boil, not the mash, is there any need to treat my water for the darker color? Like, should I put a Tbsp of chalk in the kettle, or do I just add gypsum as usual with an IPA?

[boletivore]

I finished off a keg of this last night and enjoyed every drop.
OG was 1.052.  Turned out very dark, as black as the commercial ones I have had

Bandwagon CDA

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal):        12.00    Wort Size (Gal):   12.00
Total Grain (Lbs):       22.00
Anticipated OG:          1.049    Plato:             12.15
Anticipated SRM:          19.6
Anticipated IBU:         109.4
Brewhouse Efficiency:       75 %
Wort Boil Time:             60    Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

   %     Amount     Name                          Origin        Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 90.9    20.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)              America        1.036      2
  4.5     1.00 lbs. Crystal 60L                      America        1.034     60
  4.5     1.00 lbs. Carafa Special II              Germany        1.030    415

Hops

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  4.00 oz.    Chinook                           Whole   13.00  97.0  60 min.
  4.00 oz.    Amarillo Gold                   Whole    9.20  11.4  1 min.
  0.25 oz.    Simcoe                            Whole   12.70   1.0  1 min.

Yeast - Wyeast American Ale II

[kylekohlmorgen]

Imperial Black Ale

I dont see the point of just using coloring but thats just me.
I like the touch of roast in mine

Agreed... I like my Black IPAs to have a porter-ish grain bill with a hop schedule like my IPA (Simcoe, Amarillo, Warrior, Centennial)

[bbump22]

Imperial Black Ale

I dont see the point of just using coloring but thats just me.
I like the touch of roast in mine

I made an experimental Black IPA using up some extracts I had remaining from other batches and bought a few steeping grains that included:  Chocolate Malt, C120, and a touch of Roast malt.  It turned out great, a little fuller body than I wanted (from the extracts used), but still sessionable and had a hint of the piney flavor often used to describe India Dark Ales...or Cascadian Dark Ales...or Black IPAs - same same.

Cheers.