Cascadian Dark Ale with Moka Java beans??

[JOHN51277]

I was thinking of trying to make a Imperial Cascadian ale with coffee and chocolate. The roasted malt will give me some roasted flavor, and then throw in some beans and maybe some bittersweet chocolate.

Has anyone ever made, or tried something like this, or is it then just a hopped up Stout? Any suggestions??

 

[kzoobrew]

Opinions will vary on this but I will give mine. A CDA should resemble an IPA in every way except color. Too much roasted flavor really does not fit to style. With strong roasted characteristic you would have an American Strong Ale which leans more towards a hopped up stout.

 

[SumnerH]

Opinions will vary on this but I will give mine. A CDA should resemble an IPA in every way except color. Too much roasted flavor really does not fit to style.

This is a matter of much debate--brews like Sublimely Self Righteous that are generally considered normal examples of black IPAs have a fair amount of roasted flavor; you can quite easily tell them apart from regular IPAs with your eyes shut because of the reasonable amount of roast present. It's not like a big stout or porter, but it's hardly subtle either.

Calling the (Vermont-invented and popularized) Black IPA style "Cascadian" is even more controversial, of course.

 

[no_borders]

i just brewed one without coffee or chocolate, and i personally wouldnt put any in. there is so much hop flavor goin around that i dont think it would even be worth it. i mean everythings worth a shot either way.



i brewed mine like a double ipa, with the subtle roast flavor, and and it came out pretty good. i like the idea of it not being a stout with a **** load of hops, but more of an ipa that has a minimal amount of roast and very drinkable.