SoLo 'Dark n' Stanky' India Brown Ale vs. Spicy Korean Beef Burger

Blending styles and bending rules can be endlessly entertaining.  The 'India Brown Ale' is a product of such entertainment.  The color and malt profile of an American Brown Ale with ABV and hopping in alignment with that of an IPA.  I brewed one up a few months ago and got the chance to enjoy it alongside another product of funky fusion, my spicy Korean beef burger.

I really wanted to maximize the amount of hops I could cram into this beer, without driving the alcohol up into the Double/Imperial IPA range.  To compensate I used Maris Otter instead of 2-Row to provide some very stable backbone.  The rest of the recipe rounds out with Victory for additional biscuit/bread notes, Caramel 60L for sweetness and color, torrified wheat for mouthfeel and haze (for some reason in the planning phase I decided I didn't want this beer to pour clear, not sure why, but the murkiness appealed to me), CaraPils for head retention and Carafa I Special for color.  I also made a last minute addition of half a pound of brown sugar for dryness and a bump in alcohol, after becoming worried that OG was too low to support the hops.  Glad I did.

As far as hopping goes I really wanted to get a mix of dank, piney, resinous notes, akin to waxy herbs, a note often described by others as 'good bud'.  Colombus is the king of such character, so I used it to bitter and for dry hop.  A blend of Chinook, Nugget and Simcoe were used as support cast flavoring.  Bittered to the point where I estimated it may be uncomfortable (turns out I was wrong again); a real hop heads dream.

A healthy dose of Wyeast 1217-PC West Coast IPA (reportedly sourced from Green Flash or Stone) made for a very clean, active, four day fermentation that seemed to drop out well.  The yeast left some sugar behind as I hoped.

'Dark n' Stanky' India Brown Ale

OG: 1.069
FG: 1.014
ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 85
SRM: 17
VOL CO2: 2.8

Grain Bill:
10 lbs maris otter
1 lb victory
1 lb torrified wheat
¾ lb caramel 60L
½ lb carapils
¼ lb carafa I special

Hop Bill:
1/2 oz Colombus (15.2%AA) @ FWH
½ oz Columbus (15.2%AA) @ 20 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 0 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 0 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 0 minutes

Yeast:
1 pkg Wyeast 1217 PC West Coast IPA Yeast
Built to a cell count of ~330 billion

Other:
1 tsp wyeast yeast nutrient @ 10 minutes
½ lb brown sugar added during fermentation
2 oz Columbus dry hop for 7 days

Brew Notes:
mashed @ 156F for 60 minutes

Fermentation Notes:
Fermented @ 63F

Tasting Notes:
Pours murky brown with a slight green tinge and a thin, easily forgotten head of khaki.  Hop forward on the nose; dank herbal tones, wax, pine and Simcoe style fruit notes of peach and berry.  Bitter, backed with a touch of bready sweetness and perhaps the tiniest hint of cocoa. Moderate bodied with above average carbonation.

Overall I would say this came out quite well.  Despite being a hop bomb, it's very well balanced in my opinion.  Next time I might be prompted to clear it up by using less wheat and adding Irish moss.  I would definitely cut the Simcoe in lieu of more Colombus, as it seems to have taken over the beer (good thing I like Simcoe).  Keg hopping would also provide more hop character without adding any more bitterness.  Even after three weeks in keg, with no oxygen exposure, I can taste the difference in hop aroma.  

Here's the recipe for the Korean beef burger if you want to give it a shot.  They were damn tasty in my opinion.  The spice played well with the bitterness of the beer, and the smokey soy notes contrasted the fruity, herbal hops.  You're not likely to find my beer at the LCBO any time soon, so replace it with a pint of one of Canada's great full bodied IPA choices, like Boneshaker from Amsterdam, Red Racer from Central City or Lone Pine from Sawdust City.

Korean Style Beef Burger

2 lbs MEDIUM ground beef (fat is important here folks!)

5 tbsp good quality soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Sambal Oelek chili paste (or the more common Sriracha)

1 tbsp katsuobushi (dried smoked bonito flakes, common in Japanese cooking)

1/3 oz salt

2 shallots, grated

Combine in a mixer for no more than a minute and a half, only to incorporate the ingredients and agitate the proteins ever so slightly.  This will make three 8oz patties.

Grill or pan fry to desired doneness and serve up on a quality bun with delicious toppings like lettuce, kimchi, and Kewpie mayo.