Looking for an Irish Red with a Bright Red color

So I've got a friend of mine who's planning to come to visit around Christmas '09. They are Irish and have bright red hair. Thus, a commemorative beer is in order!

I'm looking around for a good Irish Red recipe (extract or all grain, I'll do either) that has a good solid Red color to it. I'm not looking for copper, or amber/brown.

Anyone have a recipe that they've tried and hit that fire-engine red dead on?

Thanks!!!!

I brewed an extract batch (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/bromance-irish-red-117326/), came out pretty good except the extract twang. Next time I do it, I plan on using as much Maris Otter for the base as I can fit in my equipment and fill in with some extract. The colour came out a great red IMO, and it's quite a simple recipe. I also would switch the yeast for maybe an Irish Ale yeast and change to Fuggles or Goldings for the hops to get the style dialled in.

I have been looking into this myself. I have no experience with this, but here are the things you might consider:

Rye
Belgian Special B
CaraRed.

My third batch is an extract. I used Caramunich (8 oz) and Special B (2 oz) as well as Crystal 80L and light DME. I saw a nice red color seeping out as it was steeping - from my hydro samples it's going to be a dark red. I vouch for a Caramunich and Special B combo.

If you're going for a true Irish Red, keep in mind the BJCP guidelines:

Ingredients: May contain some adjuncts (corn, rice, or sugar), although excessive adjunct use will harm the character of the beer. Generally has a bit of roasted barley to provide reddish color and dry roasted finish. UK/Irish malts, hops, yeast.

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Roasted Barley.

I think it is rather hard to pull off the dry finish of an Irish red if you have enough caramel malts in there to make it red. When I make a Irish red, I make something lighter in color and adjust with roasted barely.

Pinck said:

Anyone have a recipe that they've tried and hit that fire-engine red dead on?

Thanks!!!!

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BEETS
just add one beet and it will be super red
and i dont think it will change the flavor at all
beets have a very mild tast
i have been pickeling some here with eggs and
veggys and just a sliver of beet turns the whole jar red.

Beet Puree Soup


get you a beet and taste it then think about that deluted with 5 gal of beer
i dont think it will have any real impact if you slice it up thin and steep it in the last 15min of the boil

seriously thow the amount of pigment in a beet is unbelaveable if you have never cut one up the color just runs out of them its like thay are full of red ink

Use CaraRed. Your application is what it was meant for.


From an online home brew supplier:

Weyermann CaraRed
20° L. Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers.

just put food coloring in it if your so concerned about the color. It will never be naturally fire engine red!

How much carared should be used? I've seen people use up to 20% in recipes but wonder if that is too much? The reason I ask is because I'm planning a Red that uses 16% CaraRed.

Pangea said:

Use CaraRed. Your application is what it was meant for.
From an online home brew supplier:

Weyermann CaraRed
20° L. Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers.

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I actually think that CaraRed is a little gimmicky. It's really just Crystal/Caramel 20L with a trade marked name. z987k is right, if you only use crystal malts then you'll end up with a sweeter (less dry) finish. Roasted barley is the correct way to add the red colour, 0.25 lbs in 5 gallons got me a beautiful red beer. It also adds that characteristic slight roasted after taste you can't get anywhere else.

ajwillys said:

How much carared should be used? I've seen people use up to 20% in recipes but wonder if that is too much? The reason I ask is because I'm planning a Red that uses 16% CaraRed.

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Are you using any other crystal malts? How much you can use effectively is dictated by how much total crystal, I think the recommendation is to try to keep it below 20%, but definitely below 25%. Could be pulling that out of my butt, but I swear it's been in at least one of my brew books.

Why use CaraRed over the roasted barley anyway? You can get away with ~3% or less depending on your total grain bill weight.

I brew an Irish Red that has become a regular beer in our house and has a nice, red color. It is nice and simple and doesn't require crystal malts. Look in my 'Recipe' drop down to the left.

Gremlyn,
Have you actually used CaraRed and find it to be gimmicky and/or the same as Crystal 20? From what I've read, it is not the same as a typical crystal at all.

I've not used it, I'm just going off the research I did when looking into making my recipe. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks like Weyermann just gave names to each of their crystal malts (Weyermann®). They have a name for all of their levels of crystal malt, but sell nothing that is just Crystal 20/40/60/etc. Maybe it's just the cynical marketer in me, but it looks like it's just a marketing gimmick, but nothing on their site makes me think this will do anything different to a plain old Crystal 20L. No matter what it actually is, it still won't give you the right flavour that roasted barley will. BUT if you've used it and you liked the results, then it doesn't matter what I think

I haven't used it, I was just wondering if your comments were based on experience, research or what. Thanks for the information, I'm still not sure what I will do with mine.

I'm tempted to go the beet route for adding some color boost, at which point I'll probably go for an amber recipe.

My thought on the beets is that I'll boil one or two then strain and add the water to my wort boil. Any thoughts here?

I'll probably put together a recipe this weekend and post for comments.

Stay tuned!

I have an irish red ale that is a beautiful red color.. BJCP judges scored it a 30.8 and said the only real downfall is that it was fermented at a little bit higher temps creating a slight off flavor. but its a deep red and I just used crystal malts and roasted barley. Its an AG recipe.

BrewMeister49 said:

I have an irish red ale that is a beautiful red color.. BJCP judges scored it a 30.8 and said the only real downfall is that it was fermented at a little bit higher temps creating a slight off flavor. but its a deep red and I just used crystal malts and roasted barley. Its an AG recipe.

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Well don't hold back good sir, post 'er up!

Irish Redheaded Step Ale
Brew Type: All Grain Date: 4/14/2009
Style: Irish Red Ale Brewer: Tim
Batch Size: 5.00 gal Assistant Brewer:
Boil Volume: 6.72 gal Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68.00 % Equipment: My Equipment
Actual Efficiency: 70.53 %

Taste Rating (50 possible points): 30.3
scored by BJCP judges!

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
6.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 69.39 %
1.85 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 21.36 %
0.65 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7.52 %
0.15 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.73 %
0.75 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 15.9 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (15 min) Hops 5.3 IBU
1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
5.00 gal Oly Water Water
1 Pkgs Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.042 SG (1.044-1.060 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.011 SG (1.010-1.014 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Color: 12.6 SRM (9.0-18.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 21.2 IBU (17.0-28.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 6.9 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 4.07 % (4.00-6.00 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 5.08 %
Actual Calories: 190 cal/pint


Mash Profile Name: My Mash Mash Tun Weight: 0.00 lb
Mash Grain Weight: 8.65 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 0.00 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
mash Add 10.36 qt of water at 167.6 F 155.0 F 60 min
sparge Add 18.00 qt of water at 183.3 F 172.0 F 10 min

Pinck said:

I'm tempted to go the beet route for adding some color boost, at which point I'll probably go for an amber recipe.

My thought on the beets is that I'll boil one or two then strain and add the water to my wort boil. Any thoughts here?

I'll probably put together a recipe this weekend and post for comments.

Stay tuned!

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dont dubble boil it
i think you will break down some of the color
just put it in the main boil for the last 20 min
take 2 whole beets and slice them thin 1/8'' or so
and the color will come out really fast.

I recently made an Irish 'Red' Ale that used 1# of Carared and .125# Roasted Barley and it's not really very red.

Wouldn't some Vienna (instead of some of the base malt) help a little with the red hue? Would Vienna be out-of-place in an Irish Red?

Clayton said:

BEETS
just add one beet and it will be super red
and i dont think it will change the flavor at all
beets have a very mild tast
- snippy -

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This is one of the more interesting ideas I have heard here. I can't wait to hear how it turns out. I am tempted to add one of them to a Barleywine that I want to be red.

Magic Hat has a summer beer out that is made with beet sugar.
Magic Hat Brewing Company - Wacko

SpanishCastleAle said:

I recently made an Irish 'Red' Ale that used 1# of Carared and .125# Roasted Barley and it's not really very red.

Wouldn't some Vienna (instead of some of the base malt) help a little with the red hue? Would Vienna be out-of-place in an Irish Red?

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It's at least a European malt, but it isn't quite in style I think. If you double up your roasted barley you'll get the colour you want. I used 0.25# and it was perfect. It also gives the beer that much sought after roastiness flavour

Halldawg said:

Magic Hat has a summer beer out that is made with beet sugar.
Magic Hat Brewing Company - Wacko

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****tiest ****ing beer of all ****ing time!

Seriously. What the hell is wrong with me? I want to try something new, but I want something light and crisp and summer. Oh, hey - a new Magic Hat summer ale. I don't like most MH beers, but ****, it'll probably be a nice, light, maybe a wheat beer of some kind... summer seasonal, I'll give it a shot!






****. Dreck. It tastes like... earth. It's BRIGHT pink, they use beet juice apparently and it works; I better keep it away from the_Bean, 'cause it looks like carbonated kool-aid. Wife's got the camera, or I'd take a pic. This is a literal red ale.

And, it tastes like someone poured out a beer on the ground to their homies, but they were such a raving alcoholic they lapped it up off the ground. It's got a harsh aftertaste. VERY thin body.

Ugh. Why'd I buy Magic Hat again? They make ONE good beer (Roxy Rolles), the rest is just utter crap.

the_bird said:

****tiest ****ing beer of all ****ing time!

Seriously. What the hell is wrong with me? I want to try something new, but I want something light and crisp and summer. Oh, hey - a new Magic Hat summer ale. I don't like most MH beers, but ****, it'll probably be a nice, light, maybe a wheat beer of some kind... summer seasonal, I'll give it a shot!






****. Dreck. It tastes like... earth. It's BRIGHT pink, they use beet juice apparently and it works; I better keep it away from the_Bean, 'cause it looks like carbonated kool-aid. Wife's got the camera, or I'd take a pic. This is a literal red ale.

And, it tastes like someone poured out a beer on the ground to their homies, but they were such a raving alcoholic they lapped it up off the ground. It's got a harsh aftertaste. VERY thin body.

Ugh. Why'd I buy Magic Hat again? They make ONE good beer (Roxy Rolles), the rest is just utter crap.

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I understand. A couple of years ago, I bought "Joe's Garage"- a collection of MH beers. The only decent beer was the hefeweizen. Keep in mind that I HATE hefeweizens.

When people say, "I want to clone MH #9", the thought makes me gag. Drink a mouthfull of medicore beer, and shove a couple of apricots in your mouth. That's pretty much what I get out of $9.

What pisses me off is that I KNOW better! I know they're a marketing company, not a beer manufacturer. I've been to the brewery, I know they're more concerned with selling swap than making a good product. I've been disappointed by them many, many times.





So why'd I buy that ****?