Halloween Blood Red Ale

Anyone have a good recipe extract or AG that would be a quick turn around for a halloween party? I just found out about it and have a pumpkin ale in the fermenter now that I can bring, but I would like to bring another keg and was thinking to go with the halloween theme, something like a blood red ale.

Hibiscus flowers give a decent earthy/spiciness to a beer. Dryhopped, they'll make any light colored beer blood red as well.

Maybe a simple blonde or wheat base with a quick turnaround time?

I have a recipe that I call "Blood Red Ale" and it comes out dark red like blood from an open wound.

5 gallons

8 lb Maris
1 lb Special Roast
8 oz Cara 120L
2 oz Chocolate
1 oz UK Golding @ 60min
Wyeast 1056

I was thinking of trying to brew a similar thing. I was thinking of starting out with this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/belgian-red-ale-278458/

It looks pretty red. I was thinking of modifying it with some of the ingredients as per 509inc above after seeing that (thanks for the recipe!), and seeing if I could make it even deeper red. Maybe something like:?

7.00 Munich light
2.00 carahell, or maybe darker crystal?
2.00 2 row
.5 Special Roast
1-2 oz chocolate

1 oz bittering
1 oz hallertauer at 5 min

wlp023 or wlp568?

I have no idea, this is just my go at a recipe that sounds good.

That recipe looks good. Im a big fan of throwing a few ounces of Chocolate malt in for some color. My opinion would be not using the WLP568, but that would be to suit my taste.

Guys why just not use Carared it gives beer a nice red colour

Obliviousbrew said:

Guys why just not use Carared it gives beer a nice red colour

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Good call. According to the description that just may do the trick.

"Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers."

Well here's my latest plan, and i think I'm going to brew it tomorrow:

5.0 Light Munich
5.0 Marris Otter
1.5 Carahell or Carared
.25 Special Roast
.1 Chocolate
.25 Crystal 80 or 120L
.5 flaked oats (just because I have them, and they have worked well in other things)
.5 Honey for 5 minutes of boil

1 oz. Perle 60 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer 5 min.

pitch starter of WLP023. From what I've read this produces a complex and somewhat fruity beer, which I think could be nice for a halloween/fall beer.

Any thoughts?

Forgot to mention, in the TastyBrew calculator, the color looks perfect with this grain bill, nice dark red.

I´ll ditch the cocholate and the special roast, a little less than 1.5 pounds (a pound will be more than enough) of carared and I´ll use the crystal 80 if you are looking for colour I think that will put you rigth on target. But I´m away from my computer and beersmith to be certain.

GuitarGumption said:

Forgot to mention, in the TastyBrew calculator, the color looks perfect with this grain bill, nice dark red.

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I didn´t see that comment go for it then!

I think I may, I think the small amount of chocolate is adding just a little deep/dark to the red.

Brewed today, and overshot my target gravity but that's ok. Got 1.068.

Very dark orange/red. Going to be interesting how the color comes out!

Steam a beet and throw it in secondary the day before you keg/bottle....

GuitarGumption said:

Brewed today, and overshot my target gravity but that's ok. Got 1.068.

Very dark orange/red. Going to be interesting how the color comes out!

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Normally, I would agree that overshooting your OG is not a bad thing... but for a beer that you need to have finished on a particular date, it's better to undershoot.

Less than a month to go? I wouldn't have brewed anything over about 4.5% ABV unless it was a wheat.

Cool discussion here. I hope it's ready in time.

4 weeks and 3 days by my calculation, haha. That's more than a month!

I know what you mean. I'm not too worried, if it's done a little late its still an Autumn beer.

Sorry to the original poster by the way, to hijack this thread. But maybe it will be useful for you?

GuitarGumption said:

4 weeks and 3 days by my calculation, haha. That's more than a month!

I know what you mean. I'm not too worried, if it's done a little late its still an Autumn beer.

Sorry to the original poster by the way, to hijack this thread. But maybe it will be useful for you?

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Ahh.. so you're kegging, I take it?

And some months do have 31 days.

Regardless, an OG of 1.068 is not likely to mellow in time to be good in a month's time. I'd aim to start drinking it in early December. Or January would be better.

Yes kegging, all kegging these days. So much less un-fun then bottling.

My IPA had about the same OG and was good in about a month. Then again the higher hops and dry hopping probably masked some of the younger flavors of the base beer. I'm sure you are right.