Specialty IPA: Red IPA India Red Ale

[TimBrewz]

Glad you tried it. What was your hop schedule with those hops? I am assuming you bittered with Apollo?

Cheers,
Tim

Finally decided to give this a go today. I'm heating my strike water as we speak, doing a 2.5 gallon batch just as an afternoon diversion. The hop schedule is going to be way out from this recipe (the updated one) due to the shop's inventory. No Simcoe, no Amarillo, no Citra, nothing I like! I ended up getting some Cascade, Apollo, and Summit. I'll play around with them to see how I want to add them in, but I really need to start planning ahead and ordering my hops online instead of just putting myself at the mercy of the LHBS.

 

[SilverZero]

Glad you tried it. What was your hop schedule with those hops? I am assuming you bittered with Apollo?

Cheers,
Tim

I did indeed, but it was a last-minute swap for the Summit. I originally subbed Apollo for Amarillo, Summit for Simcoe. I don't know why, probably just whatever I remember from a chart somewhere. I did 5 grams of Apollo @ FWH and 60 mins (20.1% aa), 11 grams of Summit @ 20 mins (17%) and 15 grams of Cascade @ 5 mins. Still thinking about how to dry hop. Even adjusting down for aa's I probably ended with 85 IBUs or so. It might be a bitter red, but we shall see.

If that looks bad, don't tell me. I was shooting from the hip. I'm still planning a full 8 gallon batch in the future, but I'll order the right hops in advance next time.

 

[TimBrewz]

Looks good. The malt tends to stand up well to whatever you throw at it. I have never used Apollo or Summit, but I have had an all Summit IPA and it was great. I might dry hop with Summit and Cascade?

2012 Hop Harvest is just around the corner, so Simcoe and Amarillo should show up some time in October. BC hop farm here in the valley are beginning harvest on 8/22 and say it will be a good year for hops.

 

[foodfight]

Thinking of brewing this with:

1 oz Centennial 60 min
1 oz Amarillo 30 min
1 oz Summit 5 min

Thoughts?

 

[DustBow]

I brewed a 5 gallon batch of this a couple months back w/ Magnum for bittering and 2 oz of Falconer's Flight (or was it Falconer's 7C's?) addded evenly over the final 15 minutes, and another oz keg-hop (I only had 3 ozs on hand). I used the original recipe/grainbill that's heavier in crystal.

It's good but I would call it more of a West Coast "Amber" than an IPA. Not sure if the Falconer's hops just aren't as strong as I planned (1st time using them), or if 15 minutes was too early and I should have started the additions later, or if the grainbill just needs even more hops to cut through the malt. Maybe all the above.

But it's still a nice beer, not as in your face hoppy as I thought, but it's tasty and definitely different than anything I've brewed before.

I'll definitely be trying again, maybe toning down the crystal a tad like you have done, and look forward to throwing some Simcoe and Amarillo at it next time. I've got a good amount of both stashed away in the freezer and I love all DFH beers with that combo so I'm looking forward to brewing that one up sometime soon.

 

[TimBrewz]

Thinking of brewing this with:

1 oz Centennial 60 min
1 oz Amarillo 30 min
1 oz Summit 5 min

Thoughts?

I have never used Summit, but I have used Amarillo at 5 min or FO on a lot of IPAs and that is always a good choice. However, if you are willing to be the Summit guinea pig, please report your results!

 

[TimBrewz]

DustBow, I think if you do as mentioned; and bring the crystal down a bit you will find the hops shining through a bit more. I have also tried decreasing the munich to 3 lbs and the upping the 2 row to 8.5 lbs, and that made the hops pop a bit more too. Glad it turned out OK and you are trying another iteration.

 

[foodfight]

I have never used Summit, but I have used Amarillo at 5 min or FO on a lot of IPAs and that is always a good choice. However, if you are willing to be the Summit guinea pig, please report your results!

After reading a bit I might add the Summit at FO because it sounds like they add quite a bit of onion flavor if you put them in any sooner. Might push the Amarillo closer to FO as well. I'll hopefully be able to dry hop with some cascade from my hop harvest.

 

[StarksChef]

Thanks for the recipe. Just made this today. Hope it comes out

 

[SilverZero]

Hope it comes out

Don't push it into a decision, just let it decide what kind of beer it is on its own.

I just snuck a test of mine that's been going for almost 2 weeks, it seems to be coming along nicely. Gonna dry hop it mid-week and bottle next week.

 

[StarksChef]

Just racked into my secondary as I only have one keg, and I just filled that with my pale ale. Gravity looks good, and tasted great. Dry hopped with .5 oz simcoe .5 amarillo, and 1 oz cascade. The recipe is a bit altered at this point, but I have a felling it will be delicious.
Although I am a bit woried it is going to taste like oranges because I ran out of star-san so I just used orange scented dawn to sanatize....
Haha you can all breath thats a joke! RDWHAHB!

 

[SilverZero]

Oh, right, I guess I never came back with my impressions on this. So I brewed it with some Apollo, Summit, and Cascade as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, otherwise using the grain bill from the 2nd recipe with even amounts of C40 and C80, scaled down to 2.5 gallons. I like it, but it's really got a little too much sweetness for my taste and it's a bit hot. Maybe it's just too early to tell, it's been in the bottle for almost 4 weeks. I tend to dive into my beers pretty early since I mostly do IPAs. It is good, I like it, I'll probably keep this recipe and work on it for a future brew. I'll just have to give it some time to see how much I like it.

 

[TimBrewz]

Give it another 2 weeks or month. It really is slow to come to its potential. I am usually not good at waiting, but recipe needs it. Seems like 4-6 weeks in the keg(I do not secondary) helps it all smooth out and find a sweet harmony. This recipe is sweeter than the average NW IPA for sure, so you may want to play with the grain bill to suite your tastes. I have never had this beer have that hot alcohol character, so I hope that disappears for you.

Cheers,
Tim

Oh, right, I guess I never came back with my impressions on this. So I brewed it with some Apollo, Summit, and Cascade as I mentioned in one of my previous posts, otherwise using the grain bill from the 2nd recipe with even amounts of C40 and C80, scaled down to 2.5 gallons. I like it, but it's really got a little too much sweetness for my taste and it's a bit hot. Maybe it's just too early to tell, it's been in the bottle for almost 4 weeks. I tend to dive into my beers pretty early since I mostly do IPAs. It is good, I like it, I'll probably keep this recipe and work on it for a future brew. I'll just have to give it some time to see how much I like it.

 

[DustBow]

DustBow, I think if you do as mentioned; and bring the crystal down a bit you will find the hops shining through a bit more. I have also tried decreasing the munich to 3 lbs and the upping the 2 row to 8.5 lbs, and that made the hops pop a bit more too. Glad it turned out OK and you are trying another iteration.

Interestingly enough, this beer actually seemed to get hoppier the longer it was in the keg....so we drank it faster....the keg has been kicked for a while now, but forgot to follow up.

Great grain bill that is versatile and can handle just about any hop bombing you want to throw at it

 

[SilverZero]

Give it another 2 weeks or month. It really is slow to come to its potential. I am usually not good at waiting, but recipe needs it. Seems like 4-6 weeks in the keg(I do not secondary) helps it all smooth out and find a sweet harmony. This recipe is sweeter than the average NW IPA for sure, so you may want to play with the grain bill to suite your tastes. I have never had this beer have that hot alcohol character, so I hope that disappears for you.

Cheers,
Tim

I'm optimistic, I made an IRA before this one that I originally named "Red Dragon" because it's so hot, but even that one is cooling off bit by bit. I kinda wish I hadn't bottled it in bombers. I'm sure this one will come around, and it's drinkable as it is.

 

[TimBrewz]

Brewed this iteration today with some awesome hops just harvested and dried from BC hop farms in Woodburn OR Notched the gravity down a bit to make it more sessionable. Also did more of a "hopbursting" hop schedule, getting about 1/2 the IBU in the last 5 min. Cut the crystal to just 6% of total grain bill.

OG 1.060
IBU 60
6 gallons
Color 16.7 SRM

6.5 lbs Great Western Organic 2-row
5.0 lbs Great Western Organic Munich (6L)
.5 lbs Great Western Organic C-40
.25 lbs Great Western Organic C-120
.125 lbs. Briess Organic Chocolate Malt

1 oz Magnum (14%) at 30 min
2 oz Centennial (10.1%) at 5 min
2 oz Cascade (8.2%) at 5 min

to dry hop with 2oz Falconers Flight 7 Cs pellets

Slurry of Safale 05 from wet hop IPA
Fermenting at 63f in basement.

 

[StarksChef]

I am gonna have to brew this one again soon. I thought it was really good. I might need to learn how to not drink the keg in a week to get some age on it lol

 

[TimBrewz]

I am gonna have to brew this one again soon. I thought it was really good. I might need to learn how to not drink the keg in a week to get some age on it lol

When this beer comes out right, it really is hard to save! Glad you enjoyed it.

The "light" version I did about 10 days ago is really tasty already. The 7c's as a dryhop is very nice. There is still plenty of malt and hops, but will not kick my ass as quickly. I have a feeling this batch will see an early end!

 

[TimBrewz]

This recipe is too dry, so I cut the crystal a little too much. I also like the original hop bill much more. Oh, well it is still pretty good! \

Edit: I spoke too soon, had one last night and it is getting better, more rounded. Need to heed my own advice and sit on this one for a another few weeks.

Brewed this iteration today with some awesome hops just harvested and dried from BC hop farms in Woodburn OR Notched the gravity down a bit to make it more sessionable. Also did more of a "hopbursting" hop schedule, getting about 1/2 the IBU in the last 5 min. Cut the crystal to just 6% of total grain bill.

OG 1.060
IBU 60
6 gallons
Color 16.7 SRM

6.5 lbs Great Western Organic 2-row
5.0 lbs Great Western Organic Munich (6L)
.5 lbs Great Western Organic C-40
.25 lbs Great Western Organic C-120
.125 lbs. Briess Organic Chocolate Malt

1 oz Magnum (14%) at 30 min
2 oz Centennial (10.1%) at 5 min
2 oz Cascade (8.2%) at 5 min

to dry hop with 2oz Falconers Flight 7 Cs pellets

Slurry of Safale 05 from wet hop IPA
Fermenting at 63f in basement.

 

[nickmv]

I'm gonna give this bad boy a try, just in time to serve at Thanksgiving to the family in the keg!

Using Cascade and Amarillo (2012 crop) that I just got in the mail last week.



Thanks for the great recipe! I've been wanting to do an IRA.

 

[skullface1818]

I did something similar to this, except I used British ale yeast, 1/2 base of golden promise, some special and victory malt added, some roast barley to add a deeper redness, a lighter hopp profile, and about .25 lb of cane sugar.

so quite a bit different but quite similar

Currently sitting in my cool brewings cooler, and will continue to do so till the Sunday after next when I start bottling.

 

[TimBrewz]

I'm gonna give this bad boy a try, just in time to serve at Thanksgiving to the family in the keg!

Using Cascade and Amarillo (2012 crop) that I just got in the mail last week.



Thanks for the great recipe! I've been wanting to do an IRA.

This is a great Fall/Winter ale, perfect for a hoppy Thanksgiving. Are you bittering with the Amarillo? That would be my choice if I were to use only those two hops.

Cheers

 

[nickmv]

This is a great Fall/Winter ale, perfect for a hoppy Thanksgiving. Are you bittering with the Amarillo? That would be my choice if I were to use only those two hops.

Cheers

Yep, bittering with Amarillo, then the other additions are split between Amarillo and Cascade. I matched the IBUs appropriately. Probably going to dry hop just with Cascade. This Amarillo is in short supply this year, and I only got a pound.

It's gonna be great!

 

[TimBrewz]

This recipe is too dry, so I cut the crystal a little too much. I also like the original hop bill much more. Oh, well it is still pretty good! \

Edit: I spoke too soon, had one last night and it is getting better, more rounded. Need to heed my own advice and sit on this one for a another few weeks.

I am very pleased with this lighter version of the IRA at this point. It still maintains the defining characteristics of this beer; complex malt and aggressive yet smooth hops. If I have mashed in the 154-155 range to get a bit more body, this beer would be outstanding. To summarize, I upped the volume of the brew to 6 gallons, decreased the total crystal malts to 6% using C-120 instead of C-80, 2oz chocolate malt(450L) instead of 1 oz black patent(550L) and changed the hops to entirely. Note: 7c's pellets have a great aroma as a dry hop.
Also, I used a slightly ligher munich malt, 6L instead of 10L. The color on this version is more classic red than the original, which is a bit darker. Finally, I have moved to the local organic malts I am fortunate to get at a great price in Portland.

Original:
OG 1.065
IBU 70-75
5.5 Gallons
SRM 17

Pale Ale Malt 6.5 lbs
Munich type 1 (10L) 5 lbs.
Crystal 40L .75 lbs
Crystal 90L .5 lbs
Black malt 1 oz

All whole hops
Simcoe(13% aa) 1 oz 60 min
Amarillo(9.3% aa)1 oz 30 min
Cascade (7% aa)1 oz 5 min

Simcoe .5 oz dry hops
Amarillo 1 oz dry hops
Cascade .5 oz dry hops

Mash 153 for 60 min
Collect 7 gallons
Boil 90 min

American Ale yeast.

"Lower Gravity/IBU version"

OG 1.060
IBU 60
6 gallons
Color 16.7 SRM

6.5 lbs Great Western Organic 2-row
5.0 lbs Great Western Organic Munich (6L)
.5 lbs Great Western Organic C-40
.25 lbs Great Western Organic C-120
.125 lbs. Briess Organic Chocolate Malt(2 oz)

1 oz Magnum (14%) at 30 min
2 oz Centennial (10.1%) at 5 min
2 oz Cascade (8.2%) at 5 min

to dry hop with 2oz Falconers Flight 7 Cs pellets

Slurry of Safale 05 from wet hop IPA
Fermenting at 63f in basement.
TimBrewz is online now Report Post

 

[TimBrewz]

This is the latest, lighter version. I love the color, a classic red ale. Perfect for a Friday evening

 

[DustBow]

Think the lighter color is due more to the lighter Munich or less crystal?

 

[TimBrewz]

Think the lighter color is due more to the lighter Munich or less crystal?

Both, (I use BeerTools) SRM for each malt is as follows:

Original:
2-Row 1.6
Munich 5.17
Crystal 90 4.65
Crystal 40 2.07
Black Malt 3.55
------------
17.04 SRM

Lighter Version:
2-Row 1.2
Munich 4.79
Crystal 40 1.92
Crystal 120 2.87
Choc Malt 5.69
----------
16.47 SRM

Important note regarding color, I have moved to a 60 minute boil from 90 minutes, so some of the decrease in darkness is probably due to less carmelization of the wort. You will see I am getting more color from the 2 oz of chocolate and less from the Munich and crystal malts. Also, the increased volume of the recipe brings the SRM down accordingly.

 

[Braufessor]

Great looking recipe. I love smooth, rich, hoppy amber ales . . .. and this one looks to fit the bill perfectly. I have a standby amber recipe that I have brewed for a couple years, but looking for another take on what I have been doing. Brewing this tomorrow - thanks for posting.

 

[Brandx40]

I finally brewed this up and so far so good. Smells great even so early in the game. I'm 10 days in. I just threw in the dry hops today. I did an OZ each of Simcoe, Amarillo and some homegrown Centennial instead of Cascade.
I can't wait for this one. Perfect time of year for this style too! Samples taste great!
Thanks for the recipe!!

I might have to try the lighter version too.

 

[Brandx40]

Finally got this beer in the keg. This beer is soooo good!! if you are on the fence or have it on the schedule to brew later, you have to brew it now. This is one of the beers I have brewed that I would take over almost any commercial red/IRA beer I've tried (and i live in Portland, OR, home of some good hoppy red ales). Great recipe!