Modifying Irish Red Kit

Northern Brewer General
1

Hello,
I’m new to brewing, just did my first brew last Monday (Private Rye), and getting ready to bottle it and start the next one next week.
The starter kit came with the Irish Red Ale recipe, but I’m not a HUGE fan of Irish Reds. Not to mention the OG looks pretty low, so I was wondering if there was a way to add to it. I’m not too concerned with making it an “unauthentic” brew, just something that will taste good. Here is what the recipe has:

MAILLARD MALTSTM
SPECIALTY GRAIN

  • 0.5 lbs Belgian Cara 8
  • 0.25 lbs Briess Special Roast
  • 0.125 lbs Belgian Biscuit
  • 0.125 lbs English Chocolate Malt
    MAILLARD MALTSTM
    EXTRACTS & OTHER FERMENTABLES
  • 6 lbs Gold Malt syrup
    HOPTIMUS REXTM
    PREMIUM HOPS
    & OTHER FLAVORINGS
  • 1 oz Willamette (60 min)
  • 1 oz US Goldings (30 min)

I was thinking of adding 1 lb of DME (not sure which kind) to up the gravity, and then adding a good amount of hops to steer it towards an IPA. Does anyone have any advice? I know that the best idea would be to just make it as is, and then change the recipe once I’ve tasted it for the next time, but I like to tinker. What kind of hops should I add? Or any other ideas?

Thanks!

2

With that grain bill, I would stick to English hops. EKG hops would probably work well.

3

You could make a very tasty Belgian dubbel or something along those lines simply by using a Belgian yeast such as WLP530 or WLP500 or 3787. Turn it into something entirely different and even more delicious with just that simple tweak.

4

That’s a good idea! Maybe add a pound of sugar or dark candi syrup to get the gravity up a bit, and it’d be right there!! :cheers:

5

Just changing the yeast will make that much of a change? That sounds pretty good…

6

Just changing the yeast will make that much of a change? That sounds pretty good…[/quote]

You’ll soon learn how huge yeast is for ales. It’s nuts. Even more, how much yeast matters. Same beer, same yeast, brewed five degrees warmer, will be a different beer entirely.

7

[quote=“uberculture”]
You’ll soon learn how huge yeast is for ales. It’s nuts. Even more, how much temperature matters. Same beer, same yeast, brewed five degrees warmer, will be a different beer entirely.[/quote]
Soooo true.

My initial equipment purchase came with Lefse Blond, and I thought it was just OK; it didn’t really ring any bells for me. A year or two later, after I started controlling temperature, I revisited that kit. The difference was HUGE. The beer was delicious!

Choosing the right yeast, and giving it the proper love, has a huge impact on output quality.

8

Dave your a genious. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t put w530 in everything.

9

I brewed this recipe recently and added 1 lb of light DME to up the ABV to ~5.25% and it is delicious on it’s own. Way better than any commercial (Killian’s) I’ve had.

10

Here’s another idea:
Take a look at the recipe for Denny’s Waldo Lake Amber(NB has it).
To my mind it’s like a stronger Irish Red with a good amount of American C-hops. Might be just what you’re looking for, and I’m sure you could take that Irish Red recipe and tweak it to match.