Too Malty for a Red IPA?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

McClellandBrew

Active Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2012
Messages
37
Reaction score
1
Location
Mesa
I'm conjuring up a few different recipes to brew a Red IPA for the season. I'm fairly new to homebrewing so I've just been researching for days. I want to keep it pretty basic but still have a killer ipa for the hophead that I am. My rough recipe for 5 gal 60 minute boil is as follows:

10 lbs 2 row Pale malt (7.5lbs liquid extract)
1 lb Crystal 20
1 lb Crystal 80
1 lb Munich (Aiming for a hint of Oktoberfest flavor)

1 oz Columbus hops (60min)
1 oz Cascade (30min)
1 oz Cascade (10min)
1 oz Willamette (5min)

I'm aiming for something with a slight malty flavor and red color that doesn't steal the spotlight of the hops (Just had a New Belgium Red Hoptober....perfect) Do I have too much C-80 or not enough? And is the munich too strong of a flavor for what I'm going for?
Too much hops? Too little?

I'm completely open for advice! Again I'm a new brewer.
I would appreciate any tips or experience with these malts/hops.
Thanks guys.
 
Your recipe doesn't look bad but I'll cut down some of your crystal malt and maybe replace some of it for carared malt (that will give you that red colour that you are looking for). And my personal opinion about hops will be to add one ounce at flameout and another for dry hopping
 
cut back amount of crystal but use more types of it and some roasted barley that will give you some caramel depth and the color. something like
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 20L (Cargill) (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 4.4 %
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 40L (Cargill) (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.2 %
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 60L (Cargill) (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
4.0 oz Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM)
 
I agree on cutting back the crystal malts big time. The liquid extract usually has some crystal in it already, depending on the brand, so as it stands you'd be setting up for an overly sweet beer IMO.

Also, I'd move that 30 min cascade addition up to 20 min or later in the boil. At 30 min you won't be getting much flavor out of it. What are your total IBUs currently?

And doesn't munich malt need to be mashed? Anyone want to chime in here?
 
munich malt needs to be mashed. When i first looked the recipe I tough it was AG, my mistake, ditch the munich, and I would go with 1/2 pound of carared a couple of ounces of crystal 60L and if you want that munich malt profile you can put a little caramunich of course I never done extract or partial mashes but far as I know you´ll have problems getting a low FG with extract and a lot of specialty malts, a little sugar to dry it maybe a good idea. Agree on the 30 minute addition ussually in my IPA I use a bittering hop high in alpha @60 and start my additions @20. And again dry hop it or add more in the last 5 minutes or flameout
 
Hey thanks for all the feedback. I hadn't checked out carared yet but will look into that. Also, moving the cascade to 20min makes sense. I'll just ditch the Munich for now. Maybe try it out in another batch. According to my Beersmith2 I'm sitting at 30 something IBU's which is fairly low for my liking. I just played with it putting
1 oz Columbus 60min
1oz Cascade 20min
1/2oz Cascade 10min
1 oz Willamette 5min
1/2 Cascade Flameout
Maybe another ounce or two for Dry Hop

Sitting at 30 something IBUs, should I make the Columbus 2 oz, bumping it up another 28 IBUs, and then adding another ounce here or there. My Palate can handle 110IBUs but I'd like to aim for 60-70 so others (roommates) can enjoy the brew with me.

Again, thanks for the feedback. I'm fascinated with my new hobby.
 
30 something IBUs its low for an IPA, more hops!! I dobn´t have beersmith in this computer but I will add a half and ounce of the columbus for bittering and get you other IBUs from your 20 and 10m addition adding a little more hops.
It is a fascinating hobby I just can´t stop brewing.
 
Others have suggested carared to get the red color, but there are other ways. In a 5.5 gallon batch I typically use:
7-8 oz Crystal 120L
2-3 oz Pale Chocolate (~200L)
.75-1 lbs Crystal 40L

That'll give you a real nice deep red color. I like to use Munich in mine as well. You could look for some Munich LME.
 
I'd agree, put in a smattering of a variety of Crystal malts if you're looking for a round caramel flavor, it's much more interesting than a single variety.

MORE COWBELL, whoops, I mean MORE HOPS!!!!! I recently did an Imperial Red IPA (http://hopville.com/recipe/1271109) and it's got 8oz of hops in the kettle (plus 3 more in dryhopping). If you're truly a hop head it is tough to go overboard.
 
For me IPAs are not about the caramel flavor, IPAs are about he hops. Of course needs to be balanced and with a nyce malt backbone if you are adding lots of hops but I don´t enjoy a sweet IPA or a caramely one. You can make a good Ipa without any crystal and simple grist don´t mean simple beer. Belgians for instance or IPA the very best that I have tried don´t have 6 different specialty malts in them.
 
cut back amount of crystal but use more types of it and some roasted barley that will give you some caramel depth and the color. something like
8.0 oz Caramel Malt - 20L (Cargill) (20.0 SRM) Grain 2 4.4 %
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 40L (Cargill) (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 2.2 %
4.0 oz Caramel Malt - 60L (Cargill) (60.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
4.0 oz Roasted Barley (Briess) (300.0 SRM)
I can see where RB gives color but caramel depth???
Better off using debittered carafa , black prinz or midnight wheat for color if needed.
 
Let me try!
Liquid extract as needed.
2# 2-row (for mash/steeping in a steeping bag with the munich)
2# light munich base malt
10 oz crystal 40
2-4 oz dehusked carafa II for red color

For hops 5-6 oz. in the boil will be substantial enough so long as the majority is 20-0 min. additions. 1.5-3 oz dry hop.

Voila, instant success!
 
Hey thanks again for all the advice. I guess trial and error is the best method (with great pointers of course). But it's the beauty of homebrewing right? Cheers everyone.
 
Still juggling ingredients, but will be purchasing the goods tomorrow. I will post what I chose and how the wort turns out.
 
This is it.
My local brewers' shop had a solid American Amber Ale. I took this, switched it up a bit and triple hopped it with better hops.
5 lbs Pale Liquid Syrup
1 lb Amber Liquid Syrup
8oz Belgium Biscuit
8oz Carafoam
8oz Caravienne
8oz 6-row Barley
4oz Malted Wheat
3oz Roasted Barley

2oz Chinook (1 @60, 1 @25)
2oz Cascade (1 @15, 1 @5)
2oz Simcoe (Dry hop)
Wyeast Northwest Ale Yeast 1332

Brew day is tomorrow 10/4

Any last minute malts or thoughts?
I had Carafa 1or2 in mind; a couple ounces
Maybe Black Patent, for a bit more depth on the red.
 
I put this in my Beersmith2 and I'm only getting a 4.2%abv and a 1.046 OG. Why is this so low? Should I add another few pounds of Malt or syrup to beef it up? Or am I over thinking this?
 
Just to follow up. My Red IPA turned out delicious. So good that my roommates and I drank it much quicker than expected. The recipe I used above was accurate, except that I had to add 3 more lbs of Light DME to get more body and a higher abv %. It was sitting at 1.042 before this. After adding the 3 lbs it went up to 1.062. FG 1.012. Turned out great!
Malty, smooth and perfectly hoppy!! Thanks for all the advice. Now it's time for my third batch. Thinking of a Black IPA.
Cheers everyone!
 
Back
Top