Black IPA, also known as Cascadian Dark Ale is a new wave beer that was created quite recently in the northwestern states of the USA, in the Cascade Mountains region. It is full of contradictions - in color it is dark like Porter, but it does not have such intense chocolate and roasted notes. The taste is clearly bitter, but the aroma mixes pine-resin notes with subtle citrusiness, resulting from intense, similar to AIPA, dry hopping.
The malt character is emphasized here primarily in the dark color of the beer. Dextrin sweetness is necessary to balance the hoppy, bitter nature of the Black IPA.
The Black IPA style needs to be hopped even a little more than the American IPA itself, because the base consist of the dark malts are somehow “covering” the hoppy character of the beer. The hops used in the production process are mainly giving a pleasant pine-resin profile (Chinnok) along with considerable citrusiness (Citra, Mosaic, Cascade).
Such intensely hopped beer tastes insanely, especially fresh! Hop aroma decreases over time. Therefore, treat this beer with particular care – keep it in a dark and very cool place (the fridge will be a good solution) and do not wait – drink fresh!
