Wow, it's been ages since I wrote about beer. I'm still brewing.

This is a picture of someone else's beer. I would take a picture of my own, but then I have to bother with my camera, and this is just eye candy anyway.

I accidentally made an imperial IPA yesterday. Not quite accidentally. My intention was to make an IPA with a gravity of 1.075 which is the BJCP brightline between IPA and Double IPA. I boiled off about 3/4 of a gallon more than I expect and consequently I have a beer with a gravity of 1.086. I'm hoping this doesn't compromise the bitterness too much. 

The recipe: 

• 14 lb. Cargil 2-row, 
• 1 lb. Paul's light (10-20L) crystal malt
  
• 1 oz. Simcoe pellets, 13.2 AA, 90 min
• .75 oz. Amarillo leaf, 8.4 AA, 90 min
• .25 oz. some cascade a friend grew, 20 min
• .25 oz. cascade leaf from my LHBS, 7.4 AA, 20 min
• .125 oz. Amarillo leaf as above, 20 min
• .25 oz. cascade leaf as above, 10 min
• .125 oz. armarillo leaf as above 20 min 
• Dry hops, .5 oz. cascade and 1 oz. yet to be determined

Mash at 147 for 45 minutes, then raise to 158 for 15. 90 minute boil. White Labs Dry English Ale yeast.  

Commentary This beer is pretty close to my ideal hoppy strong ale. It should be very well attenuated and so not too heavy, should have just a touch of sweetness and solid malt character to provide a stage for the hops. The metaphor I use for Imperial IPA (and the pale ale family in general) is that malt is the stage upon which the hops perform. Some people like the building metaphor and compare the malt to the foundation. But this metaphor ignores the fact that the hops should be a lively show. Buildings are static. Good IPA is dynamic.

For my next trick, I'm thinking about an americanized strong bitter. I'll use american hops but likely british hopping rates. I'm thinking about a combination of cascade and willamette with three finishing hop additions, like at 30, 20, 10 and then lightly dry hopped, perhaps with 1/4 oz of cascade and 1/2 ounce willamette. I'll bitter with what ever sounds cost effective.