An IPA With a Heart of Darkness from Rubicon
…perfect for those dark winter nights.
In the slower winter months, the Rubicon brewers have a chance to put focus on the their favorite seasonal beers. This year, Aldred Griffin III, one of the Rubicon’s brewers, brought back a recipe that originated in his homebrewing days… the Capricorn Black.
Here is his story:
“About 8 or 9 years ago I was doing a lot of homebrewing, and, at the time, I was working as a cook at the Elk Grove Brewery (now closed). One of my favorite beers there was the Winter Warmer Porter. I love the dark beers. But, I also had a love for the hoppy flavors of an India Pale Ale, especially the Rubicon IPA. So we started pouring ourselves “brewers” black & tans using the Porter and IPA.
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I really liked the contrast of the roasty, dark malt flavors & the citrusy and pine hop flavors of the IPA. Being an adventurous homebrewer, I said, “I can make this at home!” So several homebrew batches later, and several years of professional brewing later, I have the pleasure of brewing the CAPRICORN BLACK– Rubicon’s India Black Ale.
Now there are a few other breweries who brew this style of beer, but I am partial to my version… an IPA with a heart of darkness. And I am not the only one. Last year we had a really positive response to the Capricorn. And this year, although I changed up the dry-hopping a little, the recipe remains the same. I’m sure it will be just as good– if not better– than last year.”
-Al Griffin, Brewer
Oh yeah, and as a special treat for you cask lovers…, a cask-conditioned Capricorn Black will be on the beer engine soon!
