New idea for a rich American red with amarillo

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Yooper

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Bob said today that he wants an American red (amber) with lots of hops but with a caramel flavor behind.

I rarely use much crystal 120L so I need some help with my idea!

I was thinking of mixing crystal 40L and 120L with some "toasty" malts to give him a warm nutty toasty beer with lots of crystal notes and tons of hops flavor. But how much 120L is too much in a 10 gallon batch? Will this be too raisiny? The roasted barley is strictly for color.

14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 67.0 %
2 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.6 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.2 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.0 %
1 lbs Oats, Golden Naked (Simpsons) (10.0 SRM) Grain 5 4.8 %
1 lbs Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 6 4.8 %
2.1 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 7 0.6 %
1.00 oz Magnum [11.60 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 8 20.8 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [10.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 9 9.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [10.10 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 10 6.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [10.10 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 11 3.6 IBUs
2.00 oz Amarillo [10.10 %] - Aroma Steep 0.0 min Hop 12 0.0 IBUs

OG 1.050ish
IBUs 39.9

Unsure of yeast- I only have Denny's Favorite, so4 and S05 on hand.
 
I've used up to 4.0% of Caramel 120L in my Imperial Red Ale and use 6 oz. of hops with my first addition at 20 min. Obviously, an American Amber is a different style, but I think that it won't taste too out of whack. That said, I'm a big fan of 120L.

Why not use some Dark German Munich for color?
 
Why not use some Dark German Munich for color?

Pretty much because I don't have any! :D I used the last of it last week, and I'm not ready to order yet. When I order, I order BIG.

I was just thinking that I use 1.5 pounds of 120L (10%) in my Arrogant Bastard clone and it's not overtly raisiny.
 
What is the reasoning behind mixing C40 and C120? I'm not criticizing, I simply don't know how the crystals mix yet. Why not must use C80?
 
sudsmcgee said:
What is the reasoning behind mixing C40 and C120? I'm not criticizing, I simply don't know how the crystals mix yet. Why not must use C80?

Different color crystal malts have different flavors. Lighter ones tend to be more sweet and caramel-y while darker ones start bringing in dark dried fruit flavors like raisins, dates, figs. By mixing you can drive the flavor profile in a particular direction.
 
AB is supposed to be 10% Special B, I don't see any reason why you should have a problem with this.

If anything I would up the 120 and drop the 40 ........ Brew it as it is and let us know the results.
 
I've done this twice now...good balance of caramel sweetness and hops.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Estimated OG: 1.056 SG
Estimated Color: 12.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 43.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
9 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 78.26 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
1 lbs Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
8.0 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
20.00 gm Centennial [10.60 %] (60 min) (First WortHops 26.0 IBU
28.00 gm Amarillo Gold [9.60 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops -
28.00 gm Amarillo Gold [9.60 %] (10 min) Hops 10.9 IBU
28.00 gm Centennial [10.60 %] (5 min) Hops 6.6 IBU
1 Pkgs American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 11.50 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
60 min Mash In Add 3.59 gal of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F
 
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