Well, we’ve been having a great time hanging out with all of you dear Oakshire fans as we sample out our new Spring Seasonal, O’Dark:30. Whether it was at the Bier Stein, Beer Nuts, The Eastburn, Belmont Station, or one of the many tastings Sam and Erik are doing this week, we’ve enjoyed chatting with you about this new beer we ventured into. The overwhelming response has been positive and we’re glad you are enjoying it. The biggest thing I notice is we’re having a lot of discussions about the beer style name, Cascadian Dark Ale, rather than the beer name, O’Dark:30 (which I thought might be more of a sticking point with you all). Anyway, we’ve given a little info here at the website about Cascadian Dark Ales and perhaps you’ve been following the whole movement here in the Northwest to identify dark hoppy beers as such. Whether it be Abe Goldman-Armstrong’s symposium last month at Belmont Station or Lisa Morrison’s word on it or Angelo’s at Brewpublic, you may have heard something about it. Ezra, the Samurai Artist, at The New School Blog just posted some great thoughts as well. Perhaps you tried Widmer’s W 10 or Hopworks Secession or are seeking out Deschutes new Hop in the Dark. Maybe you’ve even done some comparing and contrasting of ODT and these fine beers. Either way, new or seasoned to the Cascadian Dark Ale Movement, I’d like to give you my thoughts based on our last ten days of selling this beer.
Let me start, though, by stating that we at Oakshire and We as in the Cascadian regions brewers don’t claim to be the only one’s ever to make a hoppy dark beer. In fact, there is quite a bit of debate on who brewed the FIRST Black IPA if you will(not that it really matters in my mind). There is quite a bit of debate on the topic. Some say it was the late Greg Noonan in Vermont. Some say it was Phillips Brewing in BC, Canada. I just saw something last week from Shut Up About Barclay Perkins blog, who found an exerpt from a text written in 1888 that talked about a similar such beers like dark pale ales/IPAs.
So, yes, point number one is that beers LIKE a CDA has been done somewhere by someone, and certainly took on slightly different forms than what we have going on here, but in general it was hoppy and black.
Secondly, I’d like to summarize some of the reasons that our friends here in the Nowrthwest are championing a new beer style name:
1)Black and India PALE ale is oxymoronic. Doesn’t seem to make sense.
2) Ordering a India Dark Ale or India Black Ale as and IDA or IBA is certainly tough for the poor publican who’s trying to hear your order in a loud barroom.
3) Using the word India in the style name assumes that all beer drinkers know that it must automatically be a hoppier version of some kind of beer and it seems to me that there is no historical context for these beers traveling from England to India and needing to be hopped up to avoid spoilage as our friend the true IPA is rumored to have developed.
4) Furthermore, if using the term “India” in the name lets the consumer know it has a lot of hops, it makes the scope of the style too broad. Any hop? Any dark beer style? You see, we already have American Stouts and American Porters. This is a different animal. You really need to read the Samurai Artists thoughts on narrowing the scope of this new beer style.
So, I am in agreement with the above four points, and I certainly use them when attempting to explain why we at Oakshire boldly placed Cascadian Dark Ale on the front of our bottles. But let me tell you why I personally don’t want to refer to the beer we made, O’Dark:30, as a Black IPA. Priamrily, because it does not TASTE like an IPA. If the intent for a CDA was to close your eyes and swallow what you believed to be a piney, citrusy, juicy India Pale ale, and only discover the ink black color upon opening your eyes, then I would be thrilled to introduce you to Oakshire’s newest Black IPA. But that’s not what you find in O’Dark:30, or other examples of CDA for that matter. Let me share with you some talking points in describing the flavor and aromas in a CDA as found from John Foyston’s column after Abram Goldman-Armstrong’s CDA symposium last month:
Key flavor points:
- Peppery, resinous, citrusy hop aroma and flavor
- Significant, but smooth with quick bitterness
- Medium body built on caramel malt sweetness and lightly toasted malt
- Slight, soft dark malt flavor
Also, the Brewers Association has now decided to include this for next fall’s Great American Beer Festival, albeit with the name American-Style India Black Ale, and a pretty broad style guideline.
American-Style India Black Ale
American-style India black ale has medium high to high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma with medium-high alcohol content, balanced with a medium body. The style is further characterized by a moderate degree of caramel malt character and medium to strong dark roasted malt flavor and aroma. High astringency and high degree of burnt roast malt character should be absent. Fruity, floral and herbal character from hops of all origins may contribute to aroma and flavor.
Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.056-1.075 (14-18.2 ºPlato) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.012-1.018 (3-4.5 ºPlato) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 5-6% (6 -7.5%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 50-70 ● Color SRM (EBC) 25+ (50+ EBC)
As a judge for the last three Great American Beer Festivals, I have to say that I am thrilled that this beer style is recognized and not just thrown into a “traditionally brewed-out of style” catch-all category. And I do understand the need to NOT regonalize the name. I just wish they had considered taking out the word India. I think American style Black (or dark) ale is more appropriate. It has nothing to do with India! I also know that the BA is constantly evaluating categories, adding, deleting, amending style guidelines to make this the absolute best beer competition in the country. This will evolve over the years as brewers (and consumers) continue to define the style. For now, I’m very pleased to perhaps enter the Inaugural year of American Style India Black Ale at the GABF. Stay tuned for September.
So I hope that gives you a little more background on what is happening in the world of Cascadian Dark Ales and also my (Matt) humble opinions on what we are doing here at Oakshire. Until it all gets sorted out, IF it all gets sorted out, we’ll just have to crack another bottle of O’Dark:30 and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Cheers!
Matt
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