I don't want the batch I made

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jacksonbrown

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In preperation for St. Patty's Day I'm making an Irish Red and a Guiness Clone. Both recipes were taken from this forum because I can't make up my own to save my life. I brewed up the Red two weeks ago and am just not pleased. It's not bad by any means, but it's not Irish and it sure as hell ain't red. It's pretty much a pale ale, and at the moment, I don't need another batch of pale (I've got a case of IPA, 5 gal of Rye IPA waiting to be bottled, and an Ordinary Bitter bring kegged tonight).

Yes, I know, it's still young, and I can appreciate that fact. But it's not anywhere near what an Irish Red should be and time won't solve that. Sadly, scheduling does not permit me to brew up a "better" recipe in enough time for March 17th. I will never waste beer, so I will be giving it away in due time.

When looking at the recipe it didn't strike me much as an Irish Red, but it got good reviews from members who had made it themselves, and I thought it would be worth a shot. Should've stuck to my instincts. Should've looking at style guide and other recipes more carfuly. Lesson Learned.
 
I've had that happen quite often. Recently I had a few friends over and mentioned that I was going to dump a couple of batches that I did not really like. Two of the guys each said that they would take one home. One of them loved the beer and the other soon found why I did not like it. Like you mentioned, see if you can pawn off this batch to some of your friends who might not know any better.
 
You can ship it to me - I'm planning an Irish version of Cinco de Mayo :) It should be good and ready by then
 
If I pull a recipe off of the web, I make certain that the creator is one highly respected on that particular website.

Too often people will post something that may not have been well thought out and tested.
 
Could you Irish it up a little bit by adding something to it? Some Irish whiskey, or some green food colouring? Normally I'd think such things were terrible ideas, but if it's that or dumping it, it could be worth trying. Or take it to a catholic church and have it blessed by the priest so that it's holy beer. My Irish grandma would have loved that.
 
I don't reference the recipe because I didn't want to bring any undue heat to the creator. This was just my opinion on its outcome. And I have zero intention on dumping it, but I do intend to give it away.
As for the stout, I don't have the direct link, but here's the recipe:

Guiness Clone
6.75 lb Marris Otter
2.5 lb Flaked Barley
1.12 lb Roasted Barley
2 oz Acid Malt
2 oz East Kent Golding hops (60)

Anticipated OG 1.044
Anticipated FG 1.012
IBU 32
SRM 25
 
Here's the Irish Red:

6.5 lb Marris Otter
1 lb Brown Sugar (10 min)
0.5 lb Dextrine
0.25 lb Chocolate malt
0.25 lb Flaked Oats
1 oz Challenger hops (60)

Anticipated OG 1.051
Anticipated FG 1.013
IBU 22
SRM 16
 
One of the problems and it is something that we hashed back and forth is that people post untried recipes into the recipe database (which also shows up in our pulldown menu) rather than in the Recipes/ingredients section...

Sadly there is no way to "police" this....we'd like to see only "tried and true" recipes in the database (meaning complete recipes that have been brewed at least once, preferably more and tasted and maybe even brewed by other brewers) and those become the HBT "canon" of official recipes..

And in the Recipes/ingredients forum we put our "experiments" as well as ask for feedback...Then once we feel the recipe is "good enough" to have other brewers brew it THEN we add our recipe to the "canon"

If you look at my pull down..you see only one recipe in there (and in the database) yet I have posted a lot of my recipes in the Recipe/ingredients forum..

But I feel that my brown ale (even though I constantly tweak it and post the notes of variations in the thread) is the only one I "stand behind" right now enough to attach my name to it...

But like I said there's really no way to "police" it without coming off mean...some have suggested a voting system...some have suggested that 2 or 3 brewers have had to have brewed it before it goes into the database. But there is really no way to do it easily...

We kinda hope that people on here would just police themselves, and not add to the database unbrewed recipes..Not to at least post the recipe til they are drinking the beer...not the day before they brew it...and put that in the other section...but most new people don't know the distinction...

Oh well


One thing to do is to be selective in the recipes you brew on here...if you are around long enough, and read people's posts you get an idea of who has experience in creating recipes and who doesn't...Which recipes get brewed alot, etc....and trust the recipes by them...

When I'm looking for a recipe I start with those by people I know on here, like the Mods or some of the other brewers who help beginners because I know their brewing philosophy or level of experience, or have seen the response to their recipes..After those people I will look at the other recipes and see if the poster has updated or posted comments about their recipe, or if other people have as well..to see if anyone else has brewed it...then the next "tier" is those that look like the recipe was written AFTER it was brewed and bottled (once clue look to see if they put a final gravity in the recipe..if there is a question mark, or a blank, than more than likely it was put in there before being tested.)

Hope that helps...But to anyone lurking...post "experiments" in the forum...and recipes you trust enough and have brewed more than once, recipes good enough to release in the database...it makes it easier for other brewers to brew with trust.

:mug:
 
Here's the Irish Red:

6.5 lb Marris Otter
1 lb Brown Sugar (10 min)
0.5 lb Dextrine
0.25 lb Chocolate malt
0.25 lb Flaked Oats
1 oz Challenger hops (60)

Anticipated OG 1.051
Anticipated FG 1.013
IBU 22
SRM 16

Its very frustrating when trying to make a red just a little to much of something will make it brown. Just drink what you got and try again eventually you will have it down. I have two Reds that always come out red if you want to take a look. One is in my recipes under my avatar its called crimson ale and the other I havent put on here yet. But it is.....

10# MO
.25# Carapils
.25# Roasted Barley
.25# Special B
 
If I'm going to brew a style I've never done before, I ALWAYS listen to the Jamil Show podcast on that style. As of last month, the show covers every single category in the BJPC style guidelines. His book "Brewing Classic Styles" has every recipe from the Jamil show too.

When I'm formulating a recipe, I also look at a few here. I take the common ingredients from those recipes along with Jamil's recipe and plug something into beersmith. Although the visual SRM guide in beersmith is in no way a good way to "soft proof" the color of your beer, it is a good guideline.
 
I recommend adding green color to the Irish red and breaking it out on St. Patty's day. Beer is beer, and those drinking it will love it. RDWHAHB.
 
Again, it's not a bad beer, it's just not what I had wanted to brew.

If I'm going to brew a style I've never done before, I ALWAYS listen to the Jamil Show podcast on that style.

Funny you should say that. I was actually listening to the Irish Red podcast as I was brewing. I'm going to put his recipe to the test in a few weeks as a replacement.
 
I see two BIG variations here that can effect outcome: first, brown sugar. There are many variations of that ingredient that could effect both the color and outcome of that beer.

Second, If it is Rolf's recipe.... he calls for MALTED oats, not flaked.

Both of these would change both the character and SRM of the beer.

And + 1 to Revvy above on posting experiemntation recipes...
 
Buy a vinegar mother and make yourself up a gallon or so of malt vinegar.... That's what I'm doing with one of my particularly unexciting and underhopped brews.

Note from all I've read, it's best to minimize (or forego altogether) the hops in vinegar... but if you've got the beer lying around, why let it go to waste?
 
A Vinegar Mother is a jellyfish looking blob that contains a lot of acetic acid bacteria. The bacteria that are responsible for turning alcohol into acetic acid (vinegar). I've never done it, but I believe you "infect" a beer with a vinegar mother and let it do its thing.
 
A Vinegar Mother is a jellyfish looking blob that contains a lot of acetic acid bacteria. The bacteria that are responsible for turning alcohol into acetic acid (vinegar). I've never done it, but I believe you "infect" a beer with a vinegar mother and let it do its thing.

That is just cool. Never even heard of it. Could it be done with any fermented beverage? Like a bottle of apple cider?
 
Use the mother on cider and you have the famous cider vinegar. Pull some wort BEFORE hopping, boil and ferement, add the mother and you have malt vinegar (great on fries).

Mother is the gelatinous mass at the bottom of some organic, unpastureized vinegar. It can be purchased online.

It is ALIVE! (in best monstrer movie voice)
 
Use the mother on cider and you have the famous cider vinegar. Pull some wort BEFORE hopping, boil and ferement, add the mother and you have malt vinegar (great on fries).

Oh my god. I would have never thought of that. I love malt vinegar on my chips, but have always found American malt vinegar not acidic enough. I guess I will be making my own soon.
 
Use the mother on cider and you have the famous cider vinegar. Pull some wort BEFORE hopping, boil and ferement, add the mother and you have malt vinegar (great on fries).

Well, I have a lightly hopped beer that I'd rather not drink... so I'm making vinegar with it. We'll see how it goes... it certainly can't be any worse than the "beer". :cross:
 
As to the recipe, that is a short grain bill for a red. I mean it's MO, sugar dextrin and a touch of chocolate for color. If you're using a grain just for color chances are your doing something wrong. Beers aren't colored just for the sake of it.

As to the vinegar... the bacteria is our arch nemesis acetobacter and/or acetomonas. Likely the former. Both prefer a low pH, warm temperatures. Both are aerobic and therefore need oxygen to oxidize the ethanol into acetic acid. Both form a pellicle. Both are tolerant of hops resins.
 
Youll regret getting rid of it one day. Its like having an abortion. Just a warning


yelrotflmao.gif
 
Whew!!!

I just checked my drop down to make sure it wasn't mine.

Here's an Irish Red I did this past Summer for a big family anniversary. It was served in my garbage kegerator.

I did 10 gallons. One keg as killed the Friday night before when we had a 70th b-day party.

The other 5-r drained down to about the last gallon the next day...only because we also killed a keg of my cream of 3 crops and nearly killed a keg of my Belgian Wit.

This was a very fast beer because is was on the low side of the spectrum for an Irish Red. Cleared up nicely. Was low on the IBU's so it was more appealing to the masses.

No question if you pitch enough yeast, you could get this to tap by 3-17.

The only thing I might change is to halve the roasted barley to bring it from a brownish ruby...up to a more medium red.


Batch Size: 11.00 gal
Boil Size: 13.69 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 12.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.5 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------

15.00 lb Pale Malt, Golden Promise (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (250.0 SRM)
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM)
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)
1.50 oz Fuggles [4.00%] (60 min)
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.50%] (60 min)
 
I finished a red not to long ago and I notice it gets redder with age. At first it looked like a slightly dark pale ale. Then it became a burnt orange color and I decided to call it Longhorn Ale. Now it's lost alot of the burnt orange color and has evolved into a burnt red, almost like a brick, but clear. Time in the bottle has been 5 weeks.

You just never know what this time thing will do.
 
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