2.19.2012

Organic American India Black - Split Batch [Ale Yeast | 100% Brett]

I was watching TV the other day about Black history in Minnesota.  One story really stuck out to me.  There was a man by the name of George Bonga who was a fur trader of African American and Native American descent.  He was one of the first people of African American descent born in what is now Minnesota.  Born in Duluth, MN, formally educated in Montreal, and eventually made a home on Leech Lake.  An educated explorer, a voyageur, and fur trader.   He once tracked a murderer down and delivered the man to Ft. Snelling for prosecution which subsequently made him famous.  The thing I found the most interesting was how people of different cultures perceived him.   The Indians referred to him as pale because he was educated like the white men of the time.  He was in fact half Black and half Indian decent.   I thought a Black Indian Pale beer was appropriate.

It's hard to put this beer into a category much like it was hard to put George Bonga into a category.  It'll definitely be a Brown Ale, but because I used locally grown hops it's hard to say how much bittering power they have.  In my experience so far, locally grown MN hops don't bitter properly.  Because of this I adjusted the IBU's down about 15% but I still expect the final IBU's to be lower then even that.  This is one of those beers where I just take handfuls of locally grown hops and through them into the boil to see what happens! 

    Bonga Black India Pale

    malt & fermentables

    %
    LB
    OZ
    Malt or Fermentable
    ppg
    °L
    79%
    20
    0
    Briess Organic 2-Row
    34
    2
    8%
    2
    0
    Briess Organic Caramel 60L
    34
    60
    6%
    1
    8
    Briess Organic Chocolate Malt
    34
    350
    4%
    1
    0
    Briess Special Roast
    34
    50
    2%
    0
    8
    Briess Crystal 120L
    34
    120
    1%
    0
    4
    Briess Roasted Barley
    34
    300

    25
    4



    Original Gravity: 1.060
    Final Gravity:  1.015?
    Color:  32° SRM (Black)
    Mash Efficiency: 70% 

    Hops
    use
    time
    oz
    variety
    form
    aa
    boil
    60 mins
    3.0
    Organic Magnum
    leaf
    12.0
    boil
    15 mins
    1.0
    Organic Cascade
    leaf
    4.0
    boil
    5 mins
    1.0
    Organic Cascade
    leaf
    4.0
    boil
    1 min
    1.0
    Organic Cascade
    leaf
    4.0
    Bitterness: 58.8 IBU

    Alcohol: 6.0% ABV
    Calories: 198 per 12 oz.


    5 G's fermenting on Wyeast NB NeoBritannia 1945
    Large starter of second generation top cropped from Ithaca Brute Clone
    Pitched at 65 degrees and fermenting at the same. 

    5/28/12 - Aroma is smoky, and roasty.  Flavor develops with Caramel, chocolate, and a slight Green Tea flavor in the finish (from the local MN Cascades).   Nice beer, but could drop the crystal malt a tad and up the Chocolate malt.  Bottled from the Keg.

    5 G's fermenting with 100% Brett:   Three varieties equal parts           |  Brett Lambicus  |  Brett Bruxellis  |  Brett Drie  |
    Pitched with equal parts of each strain of Brett.
    Pitched at 86 degrees 
    5.18.12 - Added 1/4 ounce Medium Toast French Cubes.
    5.28.12 - Bottled using 4.3 ounce corn sugar in 5 gallons to reach 2.5 volumes of carbonation.
    •  No, it's not an Ale.  It's fermenting with 100% Brettanomyces.
    • No, It's not just 100% Brett....it's 33.33% of 3 different kinds of Brett. (WY Brett L, WY Brett B, and Avery 15/ Brett Drie)
    • No, it's not just Organic, it's locally grown Organic (OK...94% of the grain/hops is Organic)  
    • No, it's not an American Brown, a Brown Porter, an India Brown, a Cascadian Dark, or Black IPA.

    2 comments:

    1. Just came up with a recipe remarkable similar to this except going to throw in some acid malt and use UK hops

      ReplyDelete
    2. If I was to make changes to this recipe, I'd take down the Crystal 60 a notch or drop it all together. I'd up the Chocolate Malt a pound and drop the Special Roast in half. Just my 0.02 cents.

      I love this beer, it turned out like a Brown Porter at about 35-40 ibu's. I has a "smokey' aroma from the roast, and then a caramel flavor from the Crystal. Good luck. I'd love to see your recipe and hear your results!

      ReplyDelete

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