I’ve tried a couple times to produce a red beer, and have at best achieved a very modest red tint if you hold the glass in just the right light at just the right angle.
I’ve tried CaraRed, which does not achieve the “deep red” promised in the product description.
Ken Lenard gave what I trust is spot on advice for achieving red: 8 oz C120 and 8 oz Special B. I chickened out when I thought about the amount of dried fruit flavor that seems like it would add in a 5 gallon batch.
So, back to the drawing board. What do you think of this:
9 lbs 4.0 oz Rahr 2-Row (1.8 SRM) Grain 89.2 %
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.8 %
8.0 oz Crystal 120, 2-Row, (Great Western) (120.0 SRM) Grain 4.8 %
2.0 oz Roasted Barley (Simpsons) (550.0 SRM) Grain 1.2 %
I’m aiming for something in the neighborhood of an American amber ale in terms of flavor. Hence the copious amount of crystal.
Looking at Kens photo’s, I would start with his recipe to get the color you are looking for. Make adjustments on subsequent batches for flavor/mouth feel.
I prefer to avoid the Special B in this recipe. I used 8 oz in a batch a few months ago, and the dried fruit was too much for me.
Shouldn’t a touch of roasted barley combined with the C120 give me red? Is 2 oz. of roasted barley the right amount? I imagine there’s a fine line between red and brown from this ingredient.
I was originally going to use C40 as the other crystal, but I opted for a lighter crystal thinking it will contribute less tan/brown to interfere with the red from C120 and roasted barley.
A lot of Irish red ales use around 3% roasted barley and achieve a nice red color. Start with a fairly light grain bill with some medium to dark crystal and a touch of roasted barley should get you in the red territory. Research some credible Irish red recipes.
I use Fawcett’s Pale Chocolate when I want a red beer. Depending on what other malts I’m using, I use anywhere from 2-4 oz to get the red color.
J
[quote=“Barliman”]I use Fawcett’s Pale Chocolate when I want a red beer. Depending on what other malts I’m using, I use anywhere from 2-4 oz to get the red color.
J[/quote] I use Carafa I, the huskless type added to the top of the mash right before sparging. In a 10 gal batch I use 3-4 oz, so for 5 gal I would start with 2 oz, you can always add more as you see the color you’re getting.Using it this way you don’t get alot of roast flavor.Crisp also has a amber malt 25-30* L, but it also has a biscuit flavor and is a little intense, I use it in Irish Red. The Carafa I, I use in a American Red that has won metals.I believe the pale chocolate is lighter so you could use more of it. Cheers, Mike.
