Irish Red a bit too golden. Add color?

[R2-D2]

I brewed an Irish Red last Monday and it's currently sitting at 1.013 and still slowly fermenting down. While I always have a difficult time evaluating my fermenting beer, I do like where it's at from an aroma, clarity, and taste perspective. It will most definitely be a good drinking beverage by St. Patty's Day.

However, while 10SRM (9.76 was the projected reading) is within the bjcp style guidelines, I kind of find it lacking the "red" color. Even a tinge would be nice in my opinion. What I have now is golden with some slight copper. Would it be utterly stupid and ridiculous to steep 1/2-3/4 ounce of chocolate malt and add it into the fermenter at this stage??? By my calculations this small addition would bring it closer to the desired color range without adding too much chocolate taste.

 

[Yooper]

I brewed an Irish Red last Monday and it's currently sitting at 1.013 and still slowly fermenting down. While I always have a difficult time evaluating my fermenting beer, I do like where it's at from an aroma, clarity, and taste perspective. It will most definitely be a good drinking beverage by St. Patty's Day.

However, while 10SRM (9.76 was the projected reading) is within the bjcp style guidelines, I kind of find it lacking the "red" color. Even a tinge would be nice in my opinion. What I have now is golden with some slight copper. Would it be utterly stupid and ridiculous to steep 1/2-3/4 ounce of chocolate malt and add it into the fermenter at this stage??? By my calculations this small addition would bring it closer to the desired color range without adding too much chocolate taste.

I'd probably leave it alone, but if you want to do that it'll work. Remember that you must boil the liquor after steeping, though, and then cool it down and add it.

 

[BrewMU]

Chocolate would darken it, but would it make it red?

 

[ArtVandelay]

Dye it green for St. Patty's day.

 

[cjb]

I'd use an even smaller amount of roasted barley vs. the chocolate malt. That usually gives a nice red color without too much roastiness.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I'd second roasted barley. Or... Just call it an Irish Amber.

And depending on the volume you are adding, you may not even need to chill the addition.

If you have 640 ounces of 68F degree, that's 640*68 = 43,520 oz-F. To witch you add 8 oz @ 212F = 1,696 oz-F = 45,216 oz-F.

Divide that figure by 648 oz (the new volume) and you get a combined 69.8F.

[I'm excluding the SG factors]

Of course if you don't chill it, you'll have to be careful as to not crack the glass carboy by contact. Use a sanitized funnel.

MC

 

[R2-D2]

I'd second roasted barley. Or... Just call it an Irish Amber.

And depending on the volume you are adding, you may not even need to chill the addition.

If you have 640 ounces of 68F degree, that's 640*68 = 43,520 oz-F. To witch you add 8 oz @ 212F = 1,696 oz-F = 45,216 oz-F.

Divide that figure by 648 oz (the new volume) and you get a combined 69.8F.

[I'm excluding the SG factors]

Of course if you don't chill it, you'll have to be careful as to not crack the glass carboy by contact. Use a sanitized funnel.

MC

I like the Roasted Barley idea but don't have any on hand. Perhaps the best course of action is no course of action. Will give it some thought.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I like the Roasted Barley idea but don't have any on hand. Perhaps the best course of action is no course of action. Will give it some thought.

What do you have on hand? Crystal 120 would help, so would chocolate, pale chocolate, pale roasted barley, etc, etc etc.

MC

 

[R2-D2]

What do you have on hand? Crystal 120 would help, so would chocolate, pale chocolate, pale roasted barley, etc, etc etc.

MC

I do have plenty of 120 and Chocolate. I could swing by the shop after picking up my kids from school and hopefully they'll have some Roasted Barley.

Still trying to decide if I want to do it. My frankenstein attempts have been rather poor in the past.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I do have plenty of 120 and Chocolate. I could swing by the shop after picking up my kids from school and hopefully they'll have some Roasted Barley.

Still trying to decide if I want to do it. My frankenstein attempts have been rather poor in the past.

Post your original recipe and we'll go from there...

MC

 

[R2-D2]

Post your original recipe and we'll go from there...

MC

My recipe is a dead on recipe for HBT's SuperiorBrew "Red Headed Step Child"

I hit 1.054 for the OG (83% eff) and I'm about 1.0135 on gravity right now. If you check out the photos on that link, they look darker with more red than where I am at now. My grains came pre-mixed from Brewmaster's Warehouse. I wonder if they missed a small amount of something?

 

[badbrew]

I would leave it be.

 

[BeerCrafter2011]

Would the suspended yeast be affecting the color? Take a sample and chill it.

 

[R2-D2]

So, I ended up leaving it alone and moving to garage lager in secondary for two weeks. The color is definitely more in the copper direction now. It's a bit light for the Irish Red's I am accustomed to, but it's within BJCP range and quite drinkable. Just gotta give it two weeks to carb.