夜影の蜃気楼 (Mirage of Darkness)

It isn’t easy to find a beer that fits all seasons. Sure, beers like Pale Ale and Saison can be enjoyed regardless of the time of year, but sometimes you need something with a bit more depth and flavor. While it may seem like an odd choice, Yokage no Shinkirou ('Mirage of Darkness') might just be the solution we were looking for. The tropical hop nose and flavour of the beer are right at home even in the peak of summer, and with the dark malt playing a supporting role the beer has a crisp clean finish that keeps it from being to heavy or full. While most Black IPAs focus on a piney, resinous, or citrusy hop character, we decided to go for something a bit more unusual: the tropical aroma of Galaxy and Citra hops. In order to keep the fruity aromas from clashing with the roasty flavors of most dark malts, we used only de-bittered roasted malts and just enough to keep the colour of the beer from winding up a dark brown instead of a true black. The final result is an easy drinking beer that will satisfy regardless of the season!

Style: American Black IPA

Malt Bill:

Pilsner, Maris Otter, Munich, Carafa Special 2, Carafa Special 3

Hops:

Bittering: Merkur

Flavour/Aroma: Galaxy, Citra

Yeast: American Ale

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 36

Gas Volumes: 2.4