Australian IPA

[Florian]

Pretty obvious who it was without even looking at name or post count.

Oh well, at least Peter was trustworthy I guess, didn't even get one single post in.

Wouldn't have minded to give Bobby a fair go at least, but that's not for me to decide of course.

Sorry for taking this interesting thread off topic.


On topic, and not sure if it has been said already, but are we defining an existing style or are we trying to create one? If creating one, then I don't really see the point.
If something evolves naturally then great, perfect it, make it known/common, and then write the guidelines around that existing style. Seems like we are trying to put the cart before the horse so to speak.
Surely the americans would have evolved from their APA, and then, when trying to define it into a style, realised the connection to an IPA and subsequently called it AIPA, rather than venturing out on a mission to create a new type of IPA?

 

[manticle]

Individual gets banned, not the account. Several have been given a go over the years and guess what? Nine times out of ten, true colours shine.

The one out of ten that is the exception might slip under the radar.

Bobby already had a red hot go, just with a different name.

Definitely time to get back on topic. Anyone wants to make a case for any of the three usernames, by all means PM me and we can chat.

 

[Bridges]

I know a brewer can call a beer what ever they want but this is apparently an Australian IPA. In my experience a damn nice beer too.

 

[Bridges]

Sorry bigger than expected pic!

 

[kevo]

Could you tell us what was in the picture perhaps?

Agree with florian - cart is currently before the horse. But! Keep brewing what you consider an AusIPA - discuss them here, share with mates and maybe down the track a 'style' will present itself.

 

[Not For Horses]

Some interesting points raised in this and I've been thinking about this a bit lately.
Just speaking from personal taste and brewing preference here which is kinda what we're going for right?
I find the IPAs that I make and the commercial beers that I enjoy to be a bit different to US and UK variants.
They are also very different to Aus Pale ales which generally tend to use sugar and early POR hops.
I'm not a big fan of the pine/resin flavours so I avoid those hops. I do like the citrusy/fruity aroma and flavour of some US IPAs though.
I find that US IPA tends to be much more bitter as a general rule so in this regard I prefer UK IPA.
On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of UK hops in such a large dose as an IPA requires. Too much floral-earth so late is not my bag.
I prefer the maltiness of UK IPA over US.
I personally use less early hops cause I like the big flavour without the extra bitterness.
I also tend to go for lower alcohol versions too. I like to be able to have a few and still drive home.
I've been buying hops in bulk from HPA in Hobart so I've been using all Tassie hops for most of my brews lately regardless of style.
One thing I find different is the fruitiness of a lot of our hop varieties. We have a lot of hops that I find to have soft fruit characters that are not so prevalent in international varieties. Some still have a floral character but more of a fruit blossom rather than wild flower.
I also add wheat to my pale ales cause we grow a lot of it here and I like what it brings to the table.

So I guess an AusIPA for me would be:
A fairly well balanced beer with the emphasis towards hop flavour and aroma.
A lower alcohol version than AIPA with a generally lower perceived bitterness due to the reduced usage of early hops.
Generally fruity hop flavour and aroma but some floral or citrus tones acceptable. Pine/resin flavour and aroma should be avoided.
Good malt backbone with a low to medium wheat/grainy flavour. Biscuit or caramel character optional.
Esters can be low to medium but should not dominate.

OG 1.050-1.065 IBU 40-60 ABV 5-7

Thoughts?

 

[Bridges]

Could you tell us what was in the picture perhaps?

Yeah sorry I was talking about my previous post the Hawthorn Aus IPA.

 

[Barry]

Just a side point. According to an interview with Dr Tim Cooper (in Radio Brew News 23/03/2012) sugar is no longer used in their beers except a very small amount in their stout and vintage ale for adjustment/profile. So it would probably be better (IMHO) to mash at a lower temp for Australian pale ales and Aussie IPA's. Then again sugar has been/is used in many/most main stream Australian beers. Some American craft brewers also add sugar to lighten the body of their AIPA's given the recipes that I have seen.

 

[stakka82]

Agree bridges, that is a good beer and their pale is a nice drop too.

 

[technobabble66]

Apologies if this has been stated & it's a bit OT, but:
Given the type of weather all of us cop in this great brown land at this time of year, shouldn't one of the primary Aussie styles of beer be a saison?
Maybe instead of rehashing a slight variant of an American or English IPA (& I do luv ipa's) we could be looking at a style that suits our specific conditions in summer.
Saisons are very poorly represented in oz in commercial beers, yet it's the only thing you would've been able to brew in Melbourne in the last 4 weeks if you don't have a ferm fridge.
Doesn't an Aussie Saison make sense, or am I taking crazy pills??

On the topic of IPA, whatever Feral do with Hop Hog, that's what I'd focus on. I know it's modeled on an AIPA, but there's no point coming up with an Aussie style, then still preferring to drink something else - it's gotta be a beer we'd all love. Many people seem to be enamored with HH (or were).
So I'd vote for that style: good strong hops flavour & aroma - not just fruit salad though, a bit more depth (eg: galaxy & POR late) -plus a decent malt backbone, and keep the bitterness to a *moderate* level - I hate how many AIPAs have ridiculous bittering that's out of balance.
As a cultural reference, it should probably include some NZ hops also ;-)

My 2c

 

[lukencode]

I wouldnt mind trying something along the lines of a hopped up coopers vintage ale - kind of a brown IPA.

 

[Dan Pratt]

I know a brewer can call a beer what ever they want but this is apparently an Australian IPA. In my experience a damn nice beer too.

Hawthorn IPA is a great example of an Aussie IPA - I was very surprised when i tried it.

 

[Sippa]

I realize this is an old thread but I just wanted to add that all old beer styles came about because of the limiting factors of the region in which it was brewed whether it be climate or availability of ingredients, therefore to make a truly Australian style you would have to first develop a style using what is available to you uniquely from Australia. Once the style is established you could use what ever you wanted to replicate those nuances in the style.

 

[Tahoose]

IPA with an Aussie twist fermenting atm.

POR for 52 ibu's
Vic secret, summer and galaxy for late additions.

Total 65 ibu
OG 1.057

Ale
Wheat
Cane sugar

Nottingham ale. Will get dry hopped aggressively.

 

[paulyman]

Old topic I know, but it's reappeared.

If I asked my friends to name a Pale Ale, they would all say "Coopers". (Love it, or hate it, I'm not a huge fan). If I think Coopers I think esters from the yeasties rather than hop flavour and aroma.

Call me mad, as I said I'm not a Coopers Pale fan, but couldn't you up the esters by under-pitching or some sort of mash rest kind of like upping the hops in an AIPA? Not sure I'd drink it, but all my friends might.

 

[Captain Kimbo]

Anyone remember what Alpha pale ale tasted like 10+ years ago? When that 1st came out man that was a beer, big and malty, super bitter....when I think of Australian IPA's that had to be up there. It's totally changed now though

 

[droid]

@cap'n - yep i remember it back then, it was bloody good

a simple "+" sign on the end of our Pale Ale meaning more abv and more hops? so its a Pale Ale Plus but with an indigenous <edit> (ingredient) AU twist

 

[Spiesy]

Anyone remember what Alpha pale ale tasted like 10+ years ago? When that 1st came out man that was a beer, big and malty, super bitter....when I think of Australian IPA's that had to be up there. It's totally changed now though

But it's a Pale Ale, not an IPA, isn't it?

 

[Captain Kimbo]

Yeah it is, but it's one of those beers that was on the boundary. Look at Punk IPA by brewdog, that sits at 5.6% which is fairly low for an IPA. I think from memory that Alpha used to be 5.5%. I only mentioned it because there was a time when Matilda Bay were really dominating the craft brew scene over here in perth and Alpha Pale Ale was unlike anything that was widely available

 

[kevo]

Interesting choice for a 'big' brewer.

http://thefullpint.com/beer-news/stone-19th-anniversary-ipa-will-be/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Thefullpintcom+%28thefullpint.com+-+Beer+News%2C+Reviews+and+Event+Coverage%29