The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire

Before I get deep into this post, I must say that this beer is surely the best tasting beer I've made to date.

The Brits are a beer drinking people; that much is certain. Traditional Limey beers (unlike, say, Belgian beers) are not particularly heavy. They tend to use very simple malts and hops to create beers that are clean and drinkable, but often a bit bland. And then they set sail. British sailors (both military and merchant) took to the seas to claim ownership of inhabited territories by planting a flag.

We stole countries with the cunning use of flags. Just sail around the world and Stick a flag in. "I claim India for Britain!" They're going "You can't claim us, we live here! Five hundred million of us!" "Do you have a flag …? "What? We don't need a flag, this is our home, you bastards" "No flag, No Country, You can't have one! Those are the rules... that I just made up!...and I'm backing it up with this gun, that was lent to me from the National Rifle Association." - Eddie Izard

So as the Empire expanded farther and farther from Mother England, men of the sea encountered a new problem. By the time they arrived at their distant destination, after a long and dangerous journey, their beer was spoiled. The sailors wrote home and demanded that brewers make a beer that would withstand a long journey. The answer: make it bigger and badder. Three things help preserve a beer. Sugar (counterintuitively) helps stave off nasty infections, so not all of the sugar in the wort is allowed to ferment into alcohol. However, more alcohol also helps prevent beer taint, so extra malt is added to boost the final ABV. Finally, hops contain various chemicals that preserve and protect the constitution of the beer. With this stronger, more longevitous brew (and the hearty dose of B vitamins it packed), the Brits were able to secure global maritime dominance for centuries.

On to the beer!

The IPA has taken new form as the g0-to American craft beer. I'm pretty sure that there are more IPAs made in the US than there are breweries - Beer Advocate currently lists 1879 of them, plus hundreds more in related styles. From the Wiki, "The Association of Brewers reports that of July 31, 2009 there were a total 1482 craft breweries (962 Brewpubs)(456 Microbreweries)(64 Regional Craft Breweries) in the United States". American IPAs have a tendency to be even bolder, boozier, and hoppier than their English cousins. You can expect them to run 5.5-7.5% alcohol. Please do not chug these as it is a waste of good beer and will leave you feeling quite uncomfortable in several ways. True to the American spirit of oneupsmanship, Imperial (or Double) IPAs have developed as a way for brewers to show how rad they are. Add more malt and more hops to get something that most people find undrinkable and beer snobs will pay handsomely for. These brews start at around 7% alcohol but climb all the way up to 14%! Anything higher would be a barleywine, and would require some very special yeast. As an aside, the Imperial moniker was developed for the very very strong Russian Imperial Stouts crafted in England for the Russian Monarchy. It now is used to refer to any very strong beer.

I wanted my IPA to have a good punch and lots of hops, but be smooth and largely inoffensive.

• 2.5 lbs American Two-Row
• 1 lb TF&S Crystal
• .75 lb American Caramel
• .25 lb American Six-Row
• A sprinkling of Chocolate Malt

This Crystal Malt, an English variety, is used to provide a slight sweetness, rich body, stable head, and reddish color to beer. The Caramel has a similar effect, though the particular shade and flavor profile can vary. I threw in some six-row to make sure that the mash maximized starch conversion, to maximize final alcohol content. I also cheated and added a bit of sugar to boost the final alcohol content.

For the hopping, I began by adding 1/2 oz of Cascade hops as a First-Wort-Hopping. In this process, the hops are placed in the vessel under the draining grains. The warm wort drips onto the hops, purportedly stabilizing the aromatic molecules during the boil. I'm not entirely convinced, though.

Sixty total minutes of boiling. A leftover 1/2 oz of Fuggles at 60 minutes, 1/2 oz Cascade at 30 minutes, 1/2 oz Cascade at 5 minutes. The final 1/2 oz of Cascade was used for cold-hopping. It sat in the fridge for seven days.

Flash forward through 14 days of primary fermentation and 10 days of secondary fermentation.

• OG - 1.066
• FG - 1.020 (not as low as I'd like, but the residual sugar helps balance the hops)
• ABV - 6.4%
• IBU - 73

Appearance: Darker than an average IPA - it looks more like a weak nut brown ale, however when held against a light source in a smaller glass, it has a deep red color. The head is thick and has a slight caramel color. The bubbles are medium-sized, and form at an average pace.

Smell: Some pine and citrus zest from the hops. Dirty dark fruits - like caramelized canned peaches and bananas, if you can picture that. Slight toast. Slight caramel. This beer is hoppy enough for the hop addict, but not so hoppy as to scare malt chasers away.

Taste: The sweetness is actually restrained due to the decent amount of hops. It definitely tastes like an IPA. It's not as fruity as many are. It's even somewhat earthy. Caramel flavors come through without being noticeably sweet. The chocolate malt lends a slight nutty flavor that really takes this beer to a level that I'm not used to from my own creations. The hops are present on the sides of my tongue, while the fruit and sweetness are present at the front and the chocolate is at the back.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly light, given how much residual sugar is in it. Not American Light Lager light, but still fairly light. It's incredibly smooth and slightly creamy. The bubbles are just plentiful enough to make their presence known without gassing out your mouth.

Drinkability: Danger!

*sigh* I guess it's not really an "Imperial" IPA (though it would have been if it had fermented fully). But it's pretty dang tasty.


Prost!