21.B - Specialty IPA: Brown IPA (BJCP 2021)

Description

Hoppy, bitter, and moderately strong like an American IPA, but with dark caramel, chocolate, toffee, or dark fruit character as in an American Brown Ale. Retaining the dryish finish and lean body that makes IPAs so drinkable, a Brown IPA is a little more flavorful and malty than an American IPA without being sweet or heavy.

Profile

Moderate to moderately-high hop aroma, often with a stone fruit, tropical fruit, citrus, resin, pine, berry, or melon character. Medium-low to medium malty-sweet aroma mixes in well with the hop selection, and often features milk chocolate, cocoa, toffee, nuts, biscuits, dark caramel, toasted bread, or dark fruit character. Clean fermentation profile. Light esters optional. Light alcohol aroma optional.

Color ranging from reddish-brown to dark brown but not black. Clear, if not opaque. Light haze optional. Medium-sized, cream-colored to tan head with good persistence.

Medium to high hop flavor, same descriptors as aroma. Medium-low to medium clean, supportive malty flavor with same descriptors as aroma. The malt and hop choices should not produce flavor clashes. Medium-high to high bitterness, no harshness. Dry to medium finish, with a bitter, hoppy, and malty aftertaste. Low esters optional. Very low alcohol flavor optional. No highly roasted or burnt malt flavors. The malt should nearly balance the hop bitterness and flavor.

Medium-light to medium body, with a smooth texture. Medium to medium-high carbonation. No harshness. Light warmth optional.

Ingredients

Similar to an American IPA, but with medium or dark crystal malts, lightly roasted chocolate-type malts, or other intermediate color character malts. May use sugar adjuncts, including brown sugar. Any American or New World hop character is acceptable, but the hops and character malts should not clash.

Examples

Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Harpoon Brown IPA, Russian River Janet’s Brown Ale