IXIboneheadIXI
Well-Known Member
what makes a red beer, red? ive never understood what a red beer is, i will include a pic to show what i am talking about
red beers
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Cara-red, melanoiden malt, carafa II, Roasted Barley all can contribute a red color to a beer in varying degrees. I just brewed an American Wheat that I called Panama Red, It is dry hopping in secondary right now but I used a bit of the cara-red, carafa II and Roasted Barley and it does have a reddish color. In addition, I did cut up and boil a beet for the last 10 minutes as I was trying to get a really red beer. In secondary it's looking pretty good as it clears. I will be bottling it this weekend. Once conditioned I'll try to post a picture.
IXIboneheadIXI
Well-Known Member
nice, hope it turns out well, at first i was wondering if just certain styles of beer were red but i looked into it some more and it seems like just certain ingredients turn it red, ive seen a holiday cherry beer that was this nice light red colour
"Light red"; you mean "pink"?
In that case, it could have been the actual cherries imparting the color (assuming they were not using extract). I've seen a beer that was literally pink, a Magic Hat beer (name is escaping me; it wasn't a good beer) that was brewed with beets. It was like Valentine's day for a dead person; bright pink and tasted like dirt.
If you want to add a little color without significantly impacting flavor, a couple ounces of roasted barley or one of the dehusked Carafe Special malts will add a nice hue. Munich malt and melanodin malt will get you that nice color along with a deep, toasty-bready malt backbone. I love some Munich for a balanced IPA/red-IPA.
"Light red"; you mean "pink"?
In that case, it could have been the actual cherries imparting the color (assuming they were not using extract). I've seen a beer that was literally pink, a Magic Hat beer (name is escaping me; it wasn't a good beer) that was brewed with beets. It was like Valentine's day for a dead person; bright pink and tasted like dirt.
If you want to add a little color without significantly impacting flavor, a couple ounces of roasted barley or one of the dehusked Carafe Special malts will add a nice hue. Munich malt and melanodin malt will get you that nice color along with a deep, toasty-bready malt backbone. I love some Munich for a balanced IPA/red-IPA.
I've had that same Magic Hat beer and thought the same. I only used one small beet and my sample taste fortunately did not impart the same characteristics but did give me a closer color to what I was trying to achieve. There was a slight earthy taste but I think the overall grain bill balanced it out well.
Right Brain in Traverse City brewed up a "Beet Wheat" that was a bright pink in color. Some of the vegetable flavor came through, but it was not as bad as it sounds.
Some grains will give the amber/red color as mentioned. I think it was roasted barley IIRC that is commonly used.
Some grains will give the amber/red color as mentioned. I think it was roasted barley IIRC that is commonly used.
sweed
Well-Known Member
I have read habiscus flower will help with pink/ red coloring without imparting flavor. I researched to find out how to get a pink beer for a recipe I have in mind once a certain hop is available!
inhousebrew
Well-Known Member
Just out of curiosity, for those of you that brew a rocking red ale/lager, what is the SRM you shoot for? And what are the best combination of grains to get you there?
I think it was on this forum, I red Special B and C-120 can get you there nicely and I tried a total of a 3/4# of those two but seem to have missed my mark on the low end. I remember it was recommended to use a full pound total but when I plugged it into beersmith it seemed like too much so I dropped it down a bit. Still searching for that perfect red color.
I think it was on this forum, I red Special B and C-120 can get you there nicely and I tried a total of a 3/4# of those two but seem to have missed my mark on the low end. I remember it was recommended to use a full pound total but when I plugged it into beersmith it seemed like too much so I dropped it down a bit. Still searching for that perfect red color.
bchurch
Well-Known Member
sweed said:I have read habiscus flower will help with pink/ red coloring without imparting flavor. I researched to find out how to get a pink beer for a recipe I have in mind once a certain hop is available!
Hibiscus flower can make your beer very tart in moderate amounts. I have a hibiscus mango blonde that was mouth puckering tart.
For red color without flavor, you cant beat Carared. You'll get good malt aroma, strong red color, with just a touch of roasty flavor. I used 10% in my Irish Red and it's spot on color-wise. I shoot for 12° SRM but I've been hitting 14°+ which is a tad darker than I'd like but it's still pretty.
Crazy 944play and his beet story:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/beets-not-powerful-colorant-i-thought-185580/
Does loami mean dead person?
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f85/beets-not-powerful-colorant-i-thought-185580/
Does loami mean dead person?
I'm a certified beet lover. I'd guess the reason 'beets not powerful colorant I thought' is due to the boil/cooking process. The heat dirties the color, same thing happens if you were to boil beets for 10 mins, then continue boiling the water after removing the beets, the color becomes muddy/dirty.
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