Suggestions for Red Ale Canned Extract Kit

Hey guys,

Cash is tight and I have a can of Red Ale sitting in my basement from quite a few months ago that I want to brew up. I was wondering if you guys would have any suggestions to spice this one up. I do AG brewing and all my old extract batches were the basic kit + Sugar. I have done kits with Maple Syrup, Honey, and all that but there has to be some ideas, especially on a site like this. Thanks.

I'd just brew it as-is. In my experience trying to mess with the beer by doing something wild that you think will be good usually ends in a beer that could have been better if it weren't messed with. I'll do a wacky beer once in a blue moon as long as I have good, regular beer coming out of the other 5 taps. I've messed around with rose water, maple extract, pumpkin, honey, fruit, and fruit flavoring extract. I doubt that I'll ever use honey in a beer again. I'm going to try playing with the rose water again sometime, but I haven't decided what to use it on. It is very bitter so I might try using it as a bittering agent instead of hops. The rest of the maple is probably going to go into a nut brown ale.

I dunno man, I like regular red ale. If you want to do something conservative, maybe add a little malto dextrin for extra body without sweetness.

If you have a 5 gallon 2ndary, just make the can kit (I'm assuming a hopped LME kit like Edme or Munton's or something). Boil it in about 3.5 gallons for 20 minutes, add some hops at flameout for some aroma and put the 3 gallons after evap. in the 5 gallon carboy and you're good to go. About a 30 pack when bottled. I agree with Coastarine, reds are good without altering.

Thanks guys, I think I will just keep this one as is then. I was going to just add some honey or something if I didn't like the suggestions, but I'll go with regular. As for adding some hops, I may add some cascade to the very end of the boil for some aroma but we'll see how I'm feeling tonight. Cheers.