Ipa Question

[head]

Hi guys,
Looking through the recipe guidelines today and I came across an interesting point when it came to IPA's. For all 3 styles it states that OAK is not appropriate to include in these beers. What the......! I thought oak would be perfect in these beers.

What do you guys think on this, and why no oak?

Cheers,
Head

 

[goatherder]

Oak might be OK in an IPA, it would certainly be an interesting beer. It's not OK however to enter an oaked beer into any of the BJCP IPA categories in a comp. Although historical IPAs were shipped in oak barrels, the barrels were lined with pitch so there would have been no oak character in the beer. If you want to enter an oaked IPA into a comp, enter it as a specialty beer.

 

[Tony]

Oak an old ale or a robust porter.

Ive never understood why its not alowed in the rules but if your not entering it in a comp........ screw the rules!

cheers

 

[schooey]

.... the barrels were lined with pitch ....

Pitch as in the tar based pitch they sealed ships with? Geeez... you reckon that would have thrown weirder flavours in the beer than any kinda oak would have... :blink: