Irish Red Recipe for St Patrick's Day

I'm not Irish but it seems everyone is! I'm planning out my next brew and I think I'd like to brew an Irish Red to have in time for the festivities. Can anyone recommend one to me?

I do 5 gallon all grain batches. Thanks!

I made my dad the northernbrewer's Irish Red kit for his birthday last year. Brewed it in mid-June, 1 week primary, did 2 weeks in secondary, and then bottled. By mid-August the beer was magnificent. Crystal clear, warm coppery tone with red overtones in light, not as much head as I would have liked (though that could have been my brewing style).

Flavor was forward on the malt with caramel tones, and it was rather lightly hopped. Beersmith put the recipe about 1 IBU under the style, but I was doing a partial boil, so it was right around the bottom of the style guidelines. I'd probably up the hops from what they gave me at the time (the kit contains *significantly* more hops now than it did when I brewed it, and I'll include both versions).

In short, it's a versatile recipe, which you can either front load with malt or balance out with hops. My pop personally drank all 5 gallons (it was his birthday present) within 2 weeks, and said it was better than anything he's bought at the store, so I suppose it passes the taste test.


Irish Red:
* 7.5 lbs. Rahr 2-Row Pale
* 0.75 lbs. Dingemans Caramel Pils
* 0.25 lbs. Briess Special Roast
* 0.125 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit
* 0.125 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate

Hops-
* 1 oz. Willamette (60 min)
* 1 oz. Kent Goldings (30 min)

Mash Schedule-
* 153° F for 60 minutes
* 170° F for 10 minutes

Yeast-
* Notty or Wyeast as appropriate (kit suggests american amber 2)

Note: My kit only included 1 ounce of Glacier to bitter, and it was about half the IBUs of this recipe (aprox. 16.5 in my partial boil at the time).

OG: 1.045
FG: 1.012
Color: 14.5 or so
Primary: 9 days @ 70
Secondary: 8 days @ 72
Carbonation: 2.5 volumes

I was looking for an Irish Red recipe and came across this post and I see that you're from Cary. Maybe we can exchange a brew or two sometime. I've got a batch of Raspberry Wheat (Purple Haze Type) and a batch of Spiced Winter Ale if you're interested.

Anyways, I think I may hit up American Brewmaster and try out this Red recipe.

I also had the same idea in mind, and brewed mine on the 30th of Dec. Samples have been encouraging, though it is not in bottles yet.

Irish Red Ale
All Grain/5.5 Gallon/60 min boil

9lb Marris Otter
12oz Crystal 40L
8oz Munich Malt
3oz Pale Chocolate Malt
3oz Roasted Barley
1oz EKG (60 min)
0.5oz EKG (20 min)
WLP005 British Ale

Simple Mash at 152 for 60 minutes

OG:1.051 (on 75% efficiency, which is about what I get)

I offset the maltiness of Munich with a mash *slightly* on the dryer side, and was looking for a bit more character at the finish from the combo of roasted barley and pale chocolate. As I mentioned, the samples show real promise, and this will be a good beer once bottled and carbed, just in time for St Patrick's Day. Hope this gives you some ideas; good luck with yours!

I'm planning on brewing this for a friend and he is looking for a little more "bready" flavor as he puts it. Do you think adding a half pound of Melanoidon malt will be ok and give that hint of bread to this?

I think melanoidin malt tastes like candied apples myself... I'd use munich if you want bready flavor. I use munich in my Irish red. It's tasty:

8# Maris Otter
2# Munich
4oz Crystal 120
4oz Roasted Barley

Mash 152*F 60
1oz Fuggles 75 min
1oz Goldings 20 min.

Briess's Victory or Special Roast provide pronounced bready, toasty character. Don't forget them!

Bob

Thanks guys for the recipes. Saccharomyces what yeast did you use? I try to use dry yeasts to offset costs but if theres a particular strain you can recommend I'd give it a shot.

Acidjazz54, I'm a beginner brewer with only three AG batches under my belt but I'd love to swap brews in the future. Have you heard of CARBOY? Its the local homebrew club here. I've only been to one meeting but I highly recommend it although it would be a bit of trip for you.

Saccharomyces,
What kind of yeast do you use for that recipe? Wyeast Irish Ale? Also, is that Light Munich or do you use something a little darker in order to get the Irish Red Color? I haven't checked Beer Smith yet.

Darwin,
That is quite the haul but I may join so I can attend some of the functions. I'm just now switching to All Grain and have only done a few kits recently but I'll add you as a friend and sometime when I make up something good I'll check and see if you want to try it.

This, from the HBT database, is awesome! I've made it in the past, and may do another go-around soon.

St Fuad's Irish Red

Here is mine, I've been tweaking it over several batches. Its a little more complex than most but it comes out great. This is a 20g batch at 85% efficiency, so you can 1/4 this and adjust for efficiency. Its on the dark side for a IRA and mid way in IBU. Its very quaffable.

Road Kill Red
Irish Red Ale


Type: All Grain
Date: 8/8/2008
Batch Size: 20.00 gal
Brewer: Jason
Boil Size: 22.89 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 85.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
25.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 79.37 %
2.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6.35 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 75L (75.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %
1.00 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 3.17 %
0.50 lb Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.59 %
5.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 20.9 IBU
2.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.7 IBU
4.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.048 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.011 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.79 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.30 %
Bitterness: 22.6 IBU Calories: 194 cal/pint
Est Color: 17.7 SRM Color: Color

I'm in the same boat. I'm not Irish, but I have certainly had fun in Ireland and with Irish co-workers. I think it would be cool to have our house-warming party in March with a St. Patty's day theme. I have my Irish Red in Primary now. In a week or so I will brew up a Guinness clone and put it on the same yeast. I'm using 2nd generation Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale.

Here's my for 5.5 gallons:

7 lbs American 2-row
3 lbs Marris Otter
.5 lb Crystal 40L
.5 lb CaraPils
4 oz. Roasted Barley
.6 oz UK Phoenix (60 min)
.5 oz Fuggle (5 min)

The stats:
OG: 1053
FG: 1.013
IBU: 28
SRM: 15
ABV: 5.2%

I used primarily US 2-row since that's what I have in bulk. I threw a little MO in to be closer to authentic.

I've got the Northern Brewer's extract kit in the bottles now going on 1 week. This should be good stuff. I hope. Opened one today and carbonation is coming on strong. Good malty profile with some hop noticeable but this stuff is still pretty green. I am contemplating just sitting on it until St. Pat. Day. Oughta be good by then.