Here's an interesting (well, if you're a beer geek) article about a new style of beer and the trouble beer nerds are having in classifying it.
After thousands of years of brewing, it's not every day that someone comes up with a new beer style. But in the last few years, West Coast craft brewers have been churning out what looks like a porter but tastes like a sweet India Pale Ale. Everyone loves it. In its debut as a category at this year's Great American Beer Festival, it garnered 53 entries; only 15 of the 79 categories had more—and those were mostly stalwarts like blonde ale and barleywine.
The problem is, no one can decide what to call it.
Cascadia Dark Ale? American-Style India Black Ale? India Black Ale or India Dark Ale?
8 comments:
Though this is a further development of American IPA, which is already distinctly different from classic British IPA, I think this ought to be called Cascadia Dark Ale. It originated in that region and deserves an appropriate appellation. There can't be enough in the grain bill and hopping schedule left in common with a true IPA to warrant the comparison.
Of course, reading more of the background articles, I can see the desire to limit the Cascadian association. Maybe it's been done in the past, maybe in several places, but if it's becoming a regional specialty out there... why not?
I think you make a good case and I'm inclined to agree with you. But I have to wonder if the body that officially has the honors here would take into consideration a world audience. Do you think they'd invent a classification that would make more sense to a non-American audience?
This style has been around for about 200 years and Guinness called it West India Porter.
http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/3055116
Scroll down to History.
Anonymous - are you sure they're the same styles? I admit total ignorance here.
I don't care which name becomes common, as long as it's not Black Pale Ale. That would make about as much sense as Dunkel Weiss.
Well, there's an argument that the style, as the Cascadia brewers brew it, is distinct from the supposed older versions in the variety of hops emphasized. The BJCP gets a LITTLE more specific than, "dark and hoppy? must be X."
You can call that splitting hairs, but a real Pilsener is a Pilsener because it's brewed with Saaz hops and soft water, etc.
Joe - I am going to lobby for Black Pale Ale just to piss you off. ;)
Post a Comment