Help me make the reddest beer that was ever red
 

She will be called the the Red Dragon. Or the maybe R.E.D. (Really Extremely Dentures).

Okay, original plan was a simple beer brewed with Pale or Pils and dry 'hopping' with the herb Safflower which, if you have never used it before, turns stuff very, very red.

Unfortunately the local hippy store is out of Safflower and knowing them it probably won't be until the late next year when they have new stock. I am scratching that plan now because I want to brew this in two week from now when I have some alone time (subtract one SWMBO).

So here is what I am thinking:

- Lots of IBU. I want this thing to pucker the a$$holes of the non-craft brew drinker. This brew is for me.
- Red. Like blood red. If I can get this thing as red as koolaid I will be a happy camper.
- Sticking to the IPA style, OG should be around 1.050ish

I have an lots of pilsner malt, lots of pale 2-row malt and lots of CM Pale Ale malt in my inventory. I can buy specialty malts as needed. I have about 1/2 to 1oz of Safflower from a previous experiment on hand as well.

So I guess I should start with the first question, what can I use to make this ale as red as the sky during the rapture?

Try using some Carared; it'll definately lend a red color to your beer.

food colouring, or is that not allowed? some "red #3" or whatever they call it might do the trick

I'd say make up a nice hoppy IPA recipe. Use those lighter malts, and then that safflower herb to color it red. That'd keep the red as vibrant as it could be. Too many specialty grains might add a deeper red. I've tried to do a red IIPA before and it didn't turn out red. You might be able to get some red out of an ounce of roasted barley, but i haven't tried it. good luck, I'm subscribed and am interested to see what you end up doing.

I am trying to stick away from food coloring if possible and I am unsure how well 1/2oz of safflower will colour 5 gallons of beer. It may end up pinkish.

Do you think a mix of some a few ounces of specialty grains, such as carared or roasted barely and dry hooping with the 1/2 oz of safflower could help increase the redness of this beer?

beet juice? little bit of roasted barley.

Beet juice... Hmmm.. That could work, but do you think it would make the beer more purple then red? If its boiled long enough and with the high IBUs (I am thinking 80+) do you think it would hide the flavour of it? I don't imagine it would lend to the beers character...

A combination of carared, munich, roasted barley and dark crystal will get you a nice deep red. Carared alone gives me an orange-ish color. You don't need any stinkin' food coloring!

Color aside, how will the safflower affect taste??

Vienna (as well as Munich and presumably Melanoidin malt), rye and small amounts of certain roasted malts can get a beer surprisingly red.

Panil Barriquée (a Flanders Red), is an astonishingly red beer with flavours of red fruits/berries, and there's nothing in that beer other than barley, hops, water, and the microorganisms that ferment it.