heres recipe for my dark american ale..doing today 11-7-10

well today i am brewing that basic recipe again but with 23 #''s maris otter and 1.5 #'s rye flakes and 12 oz 120 carmel..and the same two different yeast that i estarted last nite as per suggestion..

yes but they are the ones for great american beer fest right?

in the end i doubt "Cascadian" will be in the name.

i have heard enough i might just call it hoppy black ale!

Just an FYI, those guidelines were proposed to the BJCP by Abram Goldman-Armstrong. The guidelines have not yet been approved or adopted by the BJCP. Just wanted you to be sure you saw that in Mike's post it says "Proposed Style Guidelines". Still a good basis to develop off of.

The only thing i am not seeing is the carafe special 2 (the husk less black malt). Remember it is supposed to be black as night and not overly roasty, subtle to medium.

As for the starter, i have understood bring it to room temp before pitching (and aerate it)

below are the guidelines

Aroma: prominent NW hop aromas: citrus, pine, resinous, sweet malt, hints of roast, toast, chocolate malt, and/or Carafa back-up the hops. Dry hopped character is often present. No diacetyl, esters generally range from low to none.

Appearance: Deep brown to black with ruby highlights. Head varies from white to tan/khaki

Flavor: A balance between piney, citrus-like and spicy NW hop flavor, bitterness, caramel malt, and roast, chocolate, or Carafa-type malts. Roast character ranges from subtle to medium. Black malt is acceptable at low levels, but should not be astringent. Intense ashy, burnt character is not appropriate. Caramel malt as a secondary flavor is acceptable but the finish should be dry. Diacetyl should not be present. Emphasis should be on hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium, hop bitterness and tannins from roast malts combine to create a dry mouthfeel. Resinous character from high levels of dry hopping may create a tongue coating sensation.

Overall Impression: A highly-hopped, medium-bodied dark ale, similar in many ways to a strong version of American IPA, except that it incorporates dark malts and signature NW hop varieties, often in conjunction with fruity esters. Bitterness and body is much closer to an IPA balance than a strong ale or American stout. Finish is a nuanced interplay of hop and roast bitterness to create a dry quenching impression.

History: A style that came to prominence on the Northwest Coast of North America in the early
21st Century. Northwest hops play key flavor roles, balanced with malt, roast malts give color and flavor, but body should be reminiscent of an IPA, not heavy like a porter or stout. The style celebrates the hops of the Pacific Northwest, but is commonly brewed in other regions.

Comments: Some brewers prefer to cold steep the dark grains to achieve a very dark beer without the tannin contribution of adding the grains to the mash. The use of Sinnamar to enhance color is common. The interaction of dark, roasted malts and grains with NW hop character creates a unique spicy flavor component described as minty, or rosemary like.

Ingredients: Pale or pilsner malt, some mid-range caramel malt in a supporting role, Carfa type
malts, both regular and debittered, small amounts of chocolate malt, roast barley, and black patent malts can also be used. Northwest American hop varieties, or hops with similar characteristics (eg New Zealand), for flavor and aroma additions. Heavy dry-hopping is common.

IBUs 60-90+
Color: 40+ SRM
OG: 1.060-1.075 (15-18 P)
FG: 1.008-1.016 (2-4 P)
Abv 6.0-7.75%

I would recommend looking up some style guidelines on Cascadian Dark ales - I think there's a BYO magazine article on it from a few months ago, but I'd have to find it. As far as the starters go, I'd take it out, let it warm up again and decant the yeast out of the wort and into a new, fresh starter.

Quote :

Proposed Style Guidelines Via Oregon's Brew Crew: Cascadian Dark Ale

Aroma: prominent NW hop aromas: citrus, pine, resinous, sweet malt, hints of roast, toast, chocolate malt, and/or Carafa back-up the hops. Dry hopped character is often present. No diacetyl, esters generally range from low to none.

Appearance: Deep brown to black with ruby highlights. Head varies from white to tan/khaki

Flavor: A balance between piney, citrus-like and spicy NW hop flavor, bitterness, caramel malt, and roast, chocolate, or Carafa-type malts. Roast character ranges from subtle to medium. Black malt is acceptable at low levels, but should not be astringent. Intense ashy, burnt character is not appropriate. Caramel malt as a secondary flavor is acceptable but the finish should be dry. Diacetyl should not be present. Emphasis should be on hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium, hop bitterness and tannins from roast malts combine to create a dry mouthfeel. Resinous character from high levels of dry hopping may create a tongue coating sensation.

Overall Impression: A highly-hopped, medium-bodied dark ale, similar in many ways to a strong version of American IPA, except that it incorporates dark malts and signature NW hop varieties, often in conjunction with fruity esters. Bitterness and body is much closer to an IPA balance than a strong ale or American stout. Finish is a nuanced interplay of hop and roast bitterness to create a dry quenching impression.

History: A style that came to prominence on the Northwest Coast of North America in the early
21st Century. Northwest hops play key flavor roles, balanced with malt, roast malts give color and flavor, but body should be reminiscent of an IPA, not heavy like a porter or stout. The style celebrates the hops of the Pacific Northwest, but is commonly brewed in other regions.

Comments: Some brewers prefer to cold steep the dark grains to achieve a very dark beer without the tannin contribution of adding the grains to the mash. The use of Sinnamar to enhance color is common. The interaction of dark, roasted malts and grains with NW hop character creates a unique spicy flavor component described as minty, or rosemary like.

Ingredients: Pale or pilsner malt, some mid-range caramel malt in a supporting role, Carfa type
malts, both regular and debittered, small amounts of chocolate malt, roast barley, and black patent malts can also be used. Northwest American hop varieties, or hops with similar characteristics (eg New Zealand), for flavor and aroma additions. Heavy dry-hopping is common.

IBUs 60-90+
Color: 40+ SRM
OG: 1.060-1.075 (15-18 P)
FG: 1.008-1.016 (2-4 P)
Abv 6.0-7.75%

Classic Examples: Rogue Brewer, Phllips Black Toque, Hopworks Secession CDA, Barley Brown’s Turmoil, Widmer W’10 Pitch Black IPA, Lucky Lab Black Sheep, Three Creeks 8 Second IBA, Block 15 Benton Brigade, Stone 11th Anniversary (Sublimely Self-Righteous) Ale, Walking Man Big Black Homo, Rogue Black Brutal, Laughing Dog Dogzilla, Southern Tier Iniquity

I dont know if anyones looked at the recipe but i would like an opinion if i should try this as a Cascading Ale as Mike p suggested.?? i again would use the two yeasts as i have the other half of the starters in the fridge and would like to brew it tonight or thursday nite...and a question on starters i'v not used one thats sat in fridge, should it be jsut warmed and used or woke up with more wort first??

well everything tuned out as planned...no hickups...till the end and i dont have a airlock here so i just sealed e'm up till i get home...

oday i am trying an american darker ale 10 gallon batch and using 1056 on 5 gallons and 1272 on 5 gallons..

-- Prepare Ingredients for Mash
Amount Item Type
21 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain
6.0 oz Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain
3.8 oz Roasted Barley (450.0 SRM) Grain
2.7 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM)

Add first wort hops to boiler at start of sparge
Amount Item Type
2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.50 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops

Boil for 60 min Boil Ingredients
Boil Amount Item Type
15 min 1.40 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops
0 min 1.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (0 min) Hops