Longer Nights, Blacker Beers
Now that the season has definitely shifted from Summer into Autumn, it’s time to talk about darker beers. Much as I love a stout or a porter, they’re not exactly what I crave when the days are long and hot. And being the power-mad dictator of the brewery that I am, we are yet to brew a black beer this year. Time to change that!
We have two pitch black beers on the brewing schedule this week for your delight and delectation, each radically different to the other.
Clyde Puffer is a traditional Scottish Stout; brewed with a combination of crystal malts and roasted barley, it’s a beer that really lets the malt do the talking. Crystal malt is barley which has been dried at a sudden high temperature, causing the sugars to crystallise and bringing flavours of toffee, caramel and stone fruits to the party. Roasted barley is exactly what it sounds like – it provides the black colour to the beer, while also providing the flavours of coffee and dark cocoa. I’ve been doing my jiggery-pokery with the recipe again, so this year’s Clyde Puffer will be a full bodied, chocolate-y delight. A real stouty stout, if you will.
Id, on the other hand, is a liquid contradiction: a Black IPA. For the acronym aficionados amongst us, you’ll be aware that IPA stands for India Pale Ale – so logically, IPAs must by definition be any colour other than black. To which I respond – shusht. Call it a Cascadian Dark Ale if it helps you sleep at night. Id is the evil twin of Ego, our Session IPA. Through the magic of a special variety of roasted barley, Id pours jet black… but retains all the aromas and flavours of a modern IPA, with only the merest hint of roasty-toastiness. We’re going big with this year’s batch – Jose got very excited at the idea of using all Simcoe hops for the brew, to really bring out the pine and tropical fruit flavours. I’m very excited to taste it when it’s ready, and even more excited to bring 330ml bottles back into our catalogue!
If you’re a novice to the daunting world of dark beers, I’d encourage you to give these brews a try; Clyde Puffer is a classic example of a malt-forward beer, and Id is a twist on the American IPA for the hop-heads out there. Let us know what you think!