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

[bob1852]

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.

 

[DrinkNoH2O]

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.

 

[Saccharomyces]

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.

Nice. I would definitely like to try your version, if you can bring some to NHC!

 

[timbudtwo]

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.

 

[BrewerRick]

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

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

Thanks,

BrewerRick

 

[Saccharomyces]

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

A 48 qt cooler is definitely big enough for a 5 gal batch of this but would be a squeeze for 10 gallons. I have a 70 qt cooler and a 20 gal Blichmann w/ false bottom.

 

[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!

 

[Saccharomyces]

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.

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.

 

[BrewerRick]

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

 

[Myrdhyn]

I brewed this a couple months back and we tapped it for the 4th of July. Just wanted to say this recipe is *amazing*.

 

[BeerBaronBob]

My house Irish Red ale. It is best after 4 months of aging,

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

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.

 

[barhoc11]

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."

 

[LandoLincoln]

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.

 

[NEKvt]

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.

 

[BeerBaronBob]

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

 

[Chefencore]

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!!!

 

[Saccharomyces]

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!!!

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!

 

[Chefencore]

found it!
yo estoy siego

 

[Chefencore]

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.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Just one extra pound I would roll with it, it won't make much of a difference.

 

[phoenixs4r]

Brewing this recipe this weekend, first 10 gallon batch. If you don't mind me asking, what is your pre boil, and mash efficiency?

 

[BeerBaronBob]

Brewing this recipe this weekend, first 10 gallon batch. If you don't mind me asking, what is your pre boil, and mash efficiency?

The three times I brewed this I achieved 69-73%. Hope your experiment goes well. I like to brew 10 gal in one boil and split the batch into two 5-gal carboys and use a different yeast in each. This was one of the reasons I did purchase a 15 Gal brew kettle initially. The issue I have been having with these larger batches is the capacity of my 10 Gal Rubbermaid mash tun. It falls a little short in multi infusion mashes or larger gravity beers but OK for single infusion mashes or decoction mashes. Thinking of getting a larger Igloo brand cooler mash tun on wheels like a 60 Qt.

BBB

 

[phoenixs4r]

The whole brew day went extremely well. We missed our mash in temperature (target 152, achieved 150) due t me explaining the entire process to some buddies and took a little long getting the water into the mash tun. Ended up with more worth than needed, I need to figure out all my dead spaces more accurately. Still ended up with 5.5 gallons in each fermented at 80% efficiency. Not bad, can't wait to try it.

 

[mrcastellino]

Used this recipe for our first all grain brew. We' re doing an Irish Red brew off within our brew club and it looked like this would be a good recipe to try. All in all it seemed like it went ok but we ll of course have to wait to see how the beer tastes. Followed the recipe almost spot on but didnt have access to Roasted Barley (500 L) and used some at 300 L instead. The recipe was as follows :

4.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 2.5 %
6 lbs 14.1 oz Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 2 69.4 %
2 lbs 4.6 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 3 23.1 %
4.8 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 4 3.0 %
3.2 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 5 2.0 %
0.98 oz Fuggles [4.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 15.5 IBUs
0.48 oz Goldings, East Kent [6.10 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 5.5 IBUs

Mashed at 152 F for an hour and did a continuous sparge for about 55 minutes collecting about 6.5 gallons of wort. Pre-boil gravity was 1.042, post boil was 1.054 (effic. 76%).

Awesome red hue in the hydrometer tube:

Im using US-05 for this and fermenting at 65F. Im second guessing even using that temp vs. going lower as Id prefer to keep the esters at a minumum and be more lager like. Not sure if i should leave it at 65 for the full ferment or bump up the temp at the end to have the yeast clean up after themselves...thoughts?

Here is a pic of it fermenting at 18 hours after the yeast pitch :

Happy Brewing !

 

[pstrohs]

I brewed this beer per the posted recipe using American Ale II (OG 1.055 FG 1.012) and in the primary for 23 days. I just tried this beer after only 2 days on the gas and all I can say is "WOW". This is incredible. I am so glad that I brewed 10 gallons of it. Great beer OP.

 

[dadnboys]

Just one extra pound I would roll with it, it won't make much of a difference.

I brewed this beer per the posted recipe using American Ale II (OG 1.055 FG 1.012) and in the primary for 23 days. I just tried this beer after only 2 days on the gas and all I can say is "WOW". This is incredible. I am so glad that I brewed 10 gallons of it. Great beer OP.

I brewed this 9 days ago with only minor changes to Saccharomyces original recipe. I could not back off on the roasted barley slightly to allow more red color to come through as my HBS mixed the grains after milling. I simply added 0.5 lbs of Carapils Red to help the final color. Also added 2 tsp CaSO4, 2 tsp CaCO3, but ran out of Epsom Salts (Mg) 1 tsp so I could not add it. I split the 10 gal batch and used the Amer Ale II in one and the Amer Lager yeast in the other pail. Hit the OG dead on-still in the primary so no FG yet.

One dilemma and question. My spare was real slow and I'm not sure why. I increased my mash water to 1.25 qts per lb grain due to the fact that I brew outdoors and it was cold! Also my first tub of spare water may have been a little too hot. Again trying to keep everything from cooling down too quick. Maybe add rice hulls next time?

 

[DeusInnomen]

One dilemma and question. My spare was real slow and I'm not sure why. I increased my mash water to 1.25 qts per lb grain due to the fact that I brew outdoors and it was cold! Also my first tub of spare water may have been a little too hot. Again trying to keep everything from cooling down too quick. Maybe add rice hulls next time?

For what it's worth, I also had a nearly-immediate stuck sparge on this. I wasn't prepared to deal with it (being only my second all-grain batch ever, I'm new at this stuff) so I resorted to stirring and scraping to get the liquid to flow. It took forever, but I ended up getting the liquid out. Came well under my volume goal though and was low on time so I didn't get a third batch of water to fix the volume.

Looks good to me though, regardless, just not quite what I expected on paper. I'll be bottling this week or next.

 

[phoenixs4r]

Put this in the keg last night. Really amazing how far less then a pound of roasted malt goes in a ten gallon batch. I really like it however. It'll age until my ipa keg is empty!

 

[mrcastellino]

Kegged my batch over the weekend. Hit 1.011 for my FG. Its sitting at 11 PSI and i figure ill let it sit for a month before i pull my first pint...

Cheers !

 

[Brewcrew86]

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

I want to brew the 5 gallon extract version but the hop bill is for 10 gallons of all grain. Should I just cut it in half? That would be 1 oz AA fuggles an .5 oz goldings?