Comparison
Black IPA vs Double IPA
What is the difference between Black IPA and Double IPA?
The short answer
The main difference is roast: Black IPA has noticeably more of it than Double IPA. Double IPA also leads on malt intensity, tropical fruit and hop aroma.
Generated from the two style records. No editor has written this comparison up, so it carries no verdict beyond what the data supports.
Where they overlap
They share comparable bitterness, sweetness, body, the same style family — the boundary between them is narrower than the comparison suggests.
Side by side
| Black IPA | Double IPA | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | IPA | IPA |
| Fermentation | Top-fermented (ale) | Top-fermented (ale) |
| Origin | United States | United States |
| Category status — One of these is a more settled category than the other, which is worth knowing before treating the comparison as exact. | Commercial category | Established |
| Strength | 5.5–9% ABV | 7.5–10% ABV |
| Bitterness (IBU) — IBU measures iso-alpha acids in the lab. It does not track perceived bitterness, which residual sweetness, body and roast all alter — compare the sensory rows below for how each actually tastes. | 50–90 IBU | 60–100 IBU |
| Colour | Very dark brown to black — 25–40 SRM, 49–79 EBC | Gold to amber — 5–12 SRM, 10–24 EBC |
| Original gravity | 1.050–1.085 | 1.065–1.085 |
| Final gravity | 1.010–1.018 | 1.008–1.018 |
| Serving temperature | 8–11°C | 8–11°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ | 2–3 vol CO₂ |
| Glassware | Tulip glass | Tulip glass, Teku glass, Snifter |
| Clarity | clear | clear |
How they taste different
| Character | Black IPA | Double IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Roast | Low–Moderate | Not characteristic |
| Malt intensity | Not characteristic | Low–Moderate |
| Tropical fruit | Not characteristic | Moderate–High |
| Hop aroma | High | Very high |
| Coffee | Trace–Low | Not characteristic |
| Chocolate & cocoa | Trace–Low | Not characteristic |
| Alcohol warmth | Low | Moderate–High |
| Citrus | Moderate | High |
Which should you choose?
- You want more roast → Black IPA
- You want more malt intensity → Double IPA
Derived from where the two actually differ. Neither is better — this is a question of which difference you want.