How much roasted barley for red color, not squid ink?

Roasted barley was suggested for a reddish tinge to a pale brew. I forgot to add the roasted grain to the mash, so I figured a grain tea would work for color. So after the mash I scooped out 2 cups of the pale wort (150 F), steeped 2 oz of roasted barley in it for 15 minutes, then added the dark tea back into the wort.

The whole batch is black as squid ink.

OK, so I could use less. Any other ideas for getting that Irish Red Ale coloring? Has roasted barley worked for you? Maybe I steeped it too long?

I've used about two ounces before for red coloring. Does it all look black together or in a small sample? It will always be darker when it is in the kettle or carboy, how does it look in the hydrometer tube though? Or even a thin glass?

inhousebrew said:

I've used about two ounces before for red coloring. Does it all look black together or in a small sample? It will always be darker when it is in the kettle or carboy, how does it look in the hydrometer tube though? Or even a thin glass?

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I agree with this. 2 ounces should not make it black. I use 4 ounces of a lighter roasted barley (300 L) and it is a copper red. But all my beers look much darker in the fermenter.

I typically use 2-4oz (just like the other posters) which in my standard red recipe is about 2% of the grains. That combined with some crystal give me a deep red.

The newest way to get a nice red color is about a 1/2-1 lb of CaraRed malt per 10 lbs grain (5-10% of grain bill).

The traditional way is about a 1/2 lb of crystal 20 along with a 1/2 lb of crystal 60.

Both also impart a light sweetness that is expected in an amber or Irish red that you just wouldn't get from roasted barley.

Check out melanoidin for deep red color

I've also gone for about 2 ounces for some red color to my light colored brews. I think you'll be fine and it just looks dark because it's in a "full batch" container instead of a beer glass.

Ah-ha. Like always I should just be patient and see what it looks like in the glass. Got it.

It does look awfully dark, not black, in the hydrometer tube. I will try the other methods on half batches. Thank you.

TopherM said:

The newest way to get a nice red color is about a 1/2-1 lb of CaraRed malt per 10 lbs grain (5-10% of grain bill).

The traditional way is about a 1/2 lb of crystal 20 along with a 1/2 lb of crystal 60.

Both also impart a light sweetness that is expected in an amber or Irish red that you just wouldn't get from roasted barley.

Click to expand...

While I agree that a red ale should have some caramel malt in it, the "traditional" way to add red color is with the roasted barley. From the BJCP's description of the Irish Red style: "Generally has a bit of roasted barley to provide reddish color and dry roasted finish."

I have made a pale red ale with 1 oz of roasted barely, it was a pretty deep red color

As with all things homebrew related ask one question and get about 100 different answers... so I'll throw in my two cents:

Roast your own malt, especially if you buy base malt in bulk. It is a good way to save money and honestly home roasted malt is fresher and better tasting when done right. There are lots of guides online about how to toast/roast your own malt at home. If you do go this route though, the suggested "roast and wait 2 weeks" rule is IMHO a must. Some have said they roast and mash with those malts immediately but if you try it yourself you will notice a big difference just tasting the raw roasted malt if you give it a 2 weeks rest.

Here's a pic of a spring hop type ale that I used
10 lbs marris otter
1 lb cara red
2 oz roasted barley

I've only used the carared once in conjunction with a splash of RB and didn't really like the results. Could just be my recipe but it didn't do much for me. It's basically C-20 isn't it?

Use 4-8 ozs of roast barley, black patent or high Lovibond chocolate. Add it to the mashtun when you start sparging and you'll get a beautiful color with no roast flavor.