Irish Red Ale Irish Red (1st place HBT comp)

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Myrdhyn said:
One more "Do you think this'll work?" S-04 as the primary yeast rather than just as the bottling yeast.
Click to expand...

S-04 is too estery IMO. Most commercial examples are lagers, so the cleaner the ale yeast the better.

ButcherBrew said:
Can anyone share a PM version of this recipe? Preferably one for a 5 gallon batch?:mug:
Click to expand...

Added an extract version to the original post. :mug:
 
Saccharomyces said:
S-04 is too estery IMO. Most commercial examples are lagers, so the cleaner the ale yeast the better.
Click to expand...

TYVM for the info. Pretty sure I'm going to brew this one on my birthday (Feb 25th) to crack for our 4th of July party, so having the cleaner yeast will probably be a much better choice due to it being consumed in very hot weather.
 
I'm going to give this a whirl. My LHBS had Breiss Roasted Barley with a color rating of 300L instead of the Thomas Fawcett's 500L. I'm hoping it'll just be a tad lighter since Saccharo said his came out at the darker range of the style.

Ideally this would be ready in time for St Patty's, but we'll see how it goes. Obviously the longer I can let it sit the better. However lately I've been having trouble keeping the kegs full with various events and the recent superbowl.

Thanks for Posting Saccharomyces!
 
Well I brewed this up yesterday with a slightly different recipe. I was trying to scale it to a 6gal recipe, but I had some trouble weighing out precise amounts of the Roasted Barley and Crystal 120 at the LHBS. I also fudged the hops amounts using the 10gal hops amounts instead of the scaled-down amount (whoops)

I ended up with the following:

7.5# Maris Otter
2.5# Vienna
0.5# Roasted Barley (300L Briess)
0.25# Crystal 120L
Mash @ 153F, BIAB, 8.5gal water for 90min
Pre-boil Vol: 8.0gal, gravity 1.040

2oz Fuggles (4.0% AA) 75min
1oz Kent Goldings (4.5%AA) 15min ~31IBUs
Whirl Floc 10 min
Post boil Vol: 5.5gal, Gravity 1.054 Efficiency ~78%

WLP051 Yeast with 2Qt starter

After brewing this came out really dark, looked more brown than it did ruby red. I wasn't sure is that was just because of the trub since everything in the pot went into the fermenter. I also know the hops are going to be too much for this style, but it shouldn't make for a bad beer.

Sacchro - Did the color look more borwn going into the fermenter? If not I'll probably just rename this version something like a "Poor Dirty Irish Ale". I think next time around I'll definitely scale the specialty grains better since I think that was the root of my problem.

Thanks again for the recipe!
 
mtbiker278 said:
After brewing this came out really dark, looked more brown than it did ruby red. I wasn't sure is that was just because of the trub since everything in the pot went into the fermenter. I also know the hops are going to be too much for this style, but it shouldn't make for a bad beer.
Click to expand...

It should be pretty dark, but have ruby highlights in the glass after fermentation. Usually wort lightens a bit during fermentation.

The hops may push it a bit out of style but I don't think it'll be too bad... it'll just make it seem more stout-like.
 
Thanks for the feedback. After a week in the carboy it is looking a bit more red-ish. I'm going to let it run out another two weeks before transferring to a secondary to crash. I'll check the color in a glass then. Either way I think it'll turn out to be a nice session beer.
 
Ours came out great but surprisingly it has a Belgian taste and smell that is very much like a Hoegaarden smell. I'm not sure if this was from fermenting in the low 70's with the WLP051 strain or from letting it sit for 2 months in primary. It is actually very good but totally unexpected. It would be a great beer to replicate as a Belgian red of sorts if I can figure out what caused it.
 
Ingredients to brew this should be on my doorstep this afternoon.

Modifications are to recipe are:

1) Notty yeast starter
2) Dropped to 10oz of roasted barley because what I could find is 550, and I want to get it closer to a ruby color.
 
Myrdhyn said:
Ingredients to brew this should be on my doorstep this afternoon.

Modifications are to recipe are:

1) Notty yeast starter
2) Dropped to 10oz of roasted barley because what I could find is 550, and I want to get it closer to a ruby color.
Click to expand...

Why are you using a starter with a dry yeast?
 
So.. I brewed this the weekend after St. Patty's and it's been sitting in the fermenter since :) Finally got it kegged tonight and noticed that it is really brown yellowish. I suppose along the lines of amber colored (yes I read that it's supposed to be amber colored). However, I didn't see any red highlights. I suppose in a glass with some carbonation and better lighting could bring out the redness of it.

My HBS (not so much the L part of that) has a habit of substituting things. That could be the culprit, or maybe I messed it up, hard to say. Either way I'm sure it will be delicious. I'll let you know in a few days (probably run out of CO2 before it fully carbonates). lol.
 
Well, mine ended up quite a bit darker than 18 SRM I'd say closer to 30ish. quite malty, aroma of... mostly chocolate and coffee... nice dry, and almost bitter finish. But I wouldn't say hoppy by any means, well, I guess I wouldn't say overly hoppy. It has a nice rounded profile I'd say. I think (at least my color anyhow) ended up closer to a stout. There aren't a large amount of beers available in our liquor store down here in BFE, and I'm not really sure that I've ever gotten a true Irish Red. For some reason I kind of pictured them as somewhere between a pale and an Irish Stout....

Guess I should hit the liquor store this week and see how far off I ended up.
 
Sacc.. thanks for the recipe.. I like that it's extremely simple and straightforward (too many complicated recipes out there).

I've plugged your recipe into my Brewmate, which has regurgitated some numbers different than yours, but I'm more than okay with that.. I think you've got a great-looking beer with this one and I'm looking forward to making one of them.

Cheers!
 
Awesome beer Sacc. Drinking a pint right now.

I'm impressed with how "malty" this beer is - especially since I mashed at 149 and finished at 1.008.
 
Just bottled this recipe this weekend. Mine managed to ferment all the way down to 1.007 (started mash at 151, fell to 147 unfortunately). Still had a good flavor though it wasn't red, it was brown.

Looking forward to tasting the final product.
 
Made a 5.5 gal batch of this madness. Mash at 150 for 60 mins. Hops at 60 and 15. Sat on yeast for 3 weeks and then aged in keg for a month at 35F. So good.
 
Saccharomyces said:
My house Irish Red ale. It is best after 4 months of aging, so I brew 10 gallon batches and re-brew when the first keg kicks. The key to this style is malt forward but with a roasty, dry finish. Hop flavor is barely noticeable and there is no hop aroma. If you can lager, even better, use a clean lager yeast (eg. WLP840, WLP833). I only do ales though so I pitch Wyeast 1272, and ferment on the low end of the range to suppress ester production. Wyeast 1272 American Ale II is a nice, clean ale yeast that accentuates malt character. WLP051 is an exact sub for this yeast (it is the Anchor Liberty strain). If you use dry yeast, Nottingham or US-05 will work fine for this style, but if using the dry I recommend increasing the mash temp to 152*F.

This style should be crystal clear in the glass and shine ruby red when held up to a light. If you bottle condition, I recommend a two week secondary followed by pitching some English yeast like a half package of S-04 in the bottling bucket so the beer finishes nice and clear in the bottle.

Malt Bill for 10 gallons:

12# Maris Otter (70%)
4# Vienna (24%)
12oz British Roasted Barley 500L (4%)
6oz Crystal 120L (2%)

Mash 150*F for 75 min.

Hop Bill for 10 gallons:

2oz 4.5% AA Fuggles (75 min)
1oz 5.0% AA Goldings (15 min)

Extract Version (for 5 gal):

4# Light DME
2# Munich LME
5oz Roasted Barley, steeped 20 min @155*F
2.5oz C120L, steeped 20 min @155*F
Click to expand...

How big is your mash tun? I am using a converted cooler that is 48 qts.

Thanks,

BrewerRick
 
How much water do you use for your first mash in? How much water for your rinse? I might be able to get the 48 qt to work for 10 gallons.

Thanks for your help...and of course the recipe!
 
BrewerRick said:
How much water do you use for your first mash in? How much water for your rinse? I might be able to get the 48 qt to work for 10 gallons.
Click to expand...

On my equipment I mash at 1.5 qt/lb (fairly thin) and fly sparge because it's the easiest method. Doesn't really matter how you mash/sparge as long as you get the right mash temp so it finishes dry enough.
 
Saccharomyces,

I just brewed your recipe on Friday. I was able to brew 10 gallons in the 48 qt mash tun. I think 10 gallons is the max for that mash tun tho. The color came out nice, a little brown but I think it'll convert nicely. We'll see, as long as it tastes good! I'm looking forward to drinking it.

I used the nottingham yeast and kept my temperature right at 152F for mashing.

I'll let you know how it comes out and thanks again for the recipe!

BrewerRick
 
I brewed this a couple months back and we tapped it for the 4th of July. Just wanted to say this recipe is *amazing*.
 
Saccharomyces said:
My house Irish Red ale. It is best after 4 months of aging,
Click to expand...

I am not waiting 4 months to taste this. I brewed this April 10th and I must say hats off to your recipe. :mug:

One of my best brews to date. The only substitution I made was regular US 2 Row Pale instead of Marris Otter and I used Amer Ale II yeast.

70% US 2Row Pale - Rahr
23% Weyermann Vienna
4% Crisp Roasted Barley - 550 SRM
2% Crisp Crystal Extra Dark - 120 SRM

I did mash at your recommended temps but I added the Roasted Barley for only the last 15 Minutes of the 75 minute mash.

It has been only 3 months and a week since I brewed and I let the primary ferment 4 weeks at 62ish and then conditioned in the keggerator at 36ish for the last 8-9 weeks.

Great brownish tan head, Dark brown with a touch of Ruby, very smooth mouthfeel. Very tasty.

Im hoarding this batch and brewing another 5 gal batch next using London ESB yeast to try the difference and in the future Bavarian Lager yeast. Thanks for sharing! I can only thank everyone at HBT and other great sites for sharing all the recipes and techniques that really ramped up my brewing skills.

This will be one of my regular brews in rotation.
 
I am about to brew this and I was curious if I could use the Wyeast 1945 NeoBritania in this recipe and what you think it might turn out like. Below is a description of the yeast characteristics, any opinions are appreciated!

"This traditional English ale strain works well for a wide range of beer styles, from low-gravity bitters and milds to strong stouts, porters, and old ales. Due to the cells’ chain-forming characteristics, it is an excellent top-cropping yeast. Moderate ester profile makes it a great match for hop-driven beers like bitter and pale ale, but attenuative enough to handle higher-gravity malty styles. Excellent flocculation yields clear beer and allows for cask-conditioning. Ferment at the lower end of the temperature range for a cleaner finish, or utilize the upper end to enhance low-gravity beers with a more assertive ester profile. Apparent attenuation: 72-77%. Flocculation: medium-high. Optimum temp: 66°-74° F."
 
My friend and I are going to brew this on Saturday, exactly three months before St. Patrick's Day, so hopefully it will be conditioned enough. I couldn't get any 500L roasted barley, but I did get some 695L roasted barley, so if you take 500 * 12 you get 6000, so if you take 6000 divided by 695 you get 8.63, so we're going to use 8.63 oz of roasted barley and see how that works for us.
 
I'm going to brew this one up using a wlp820 cake that will be ready next week.

What do you think about substituting the melanoidin for the crystal 120? I can get crystal 120 but I've got melanoidin on hand, and I know it will give plenty of red to the finished product.
 
Ive brewed this with Amer Ale II Wyeast 1272 and London ESB now and prefer the Amer Ale II over the London ESB by far. My next batch will be using the Amer Ale II again.
BBB
 
Ok. I plan on doing 5 gallons of this in the morning. Im going to use this brew as a control for yeast testing. First batch gets wyeast 1272, then next batch gets 1056. And now reading this thread again, I'll follow up with a few lager yeasts (wlp840/833)

A few questions -
1. I'm new to AG, what is the mash schedule for this? Mash at 150 for 60 min, then sparge? Any infusion or mashout?
2. Would there be any change in mash schedule for the other yeasts?

I'd like to keep the batches as close to identical as possible, so I can really appreciate the differences in yeasts.
Thanks!!!
 
Chefencore said:
A few questions -
1. I'm new to AG, what is the mash schedule for this? Mash at 150 for 60 min, then sparge? Any infusion or mashout?
2. Would there be any change in mash schedule for the other yeasts?

I'd like to keep the batches as close to identical as possible, so I can really appreciate the differences in yeasts.
Thanks!!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like an interesting experiment. I'd keep the mash and gravity constant as possible across the brews so you are only measuring one variable.

You have reminded me I have some lager yeast I bought to do a brew for my father-in-law but he ended up drinking my kolsch instead, I should use it on a batch of this beer!
 
Ok, so I've screwed this 'experiment' up already. I have purchased the Vienna, crystal and rstd from different places (Lhbs for one batch, NB for the other) and for some insane reason I inadvertently added an extra lb of Maris otter to the grain bill.
Here's what I'm thinking:
Add 5 more lbs MO, and the other grains and mash for 10 gallons, that way both batches are the same, and I haven't added any extra grain.
Here's the rub - I can't boil that much.
Would it be feasible to do two 5gal boils? Would the second batch be ok while I boiled the first? And now that I'm looking at my setup, not sure how I would sparge all that.

image-736207634.jpg
 

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