Irish Red - the Results

[Weezknight]

Well it's been awhile since I've posted about my first batch. This was an Irish Red recipe that I put together all by myself (with the help of a lot of research and HBT.com).

I brewed the batch on April 18th, and bottled after 3 weeks in the primary (May 8th). ABV was 4.5% and everything came out perfect. I've been drinking these a few at a time since about the 3 week in the bottle, and now, after about 7-8 weeks I only have about 11 bottles left.

So, without further ado, here is a picture of the results. This wasn't the glass I wanted to use, but I've been using my pint glasses quicker than my dishwasher can keep up with! Hopefully you can see the head in the picture...I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

 

[android]

looks tasty! i bet it's delicious about now.

 

[DRoyLenz]

I've got an Irish Red in my primary now, but it's only been in for about a week. I've still got a few weeks left before it's ready, obviously, but I hope to get similar coloration and head retention as yours. I brewed from a recipe assembled by Midwest Supplies, so it's (hopefully) a proven recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Weezknight]

I've got an Irish Red in my primary now, but it's only been in for about a week. I've still got a few weeks left before it's ready, obviously, but I hope to get similar coloration and head retention as yours. I brewed from a recipe assembled by Midwest Supplies, so it's (hopefully) a proven recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Funny thing about head retention. The beer pours with a great head, but using my glasses at home it doesn't hold for very long. I took a case down to the shore a week ago and the head held perfectly in the glasses there.

The big difference is that I use a dishwasher at home (with Jet-Dry), and the beach house doesn't have a dishwasher, so everything is washed by hand. I'm guessing that the Jet-Dry & Dishwashing tabs are leaving something on the glasses at home that are killing the head after a few minutes. I've seen it with commercial brews as well.

 

[Gremlyn]

I see the same thing with head retention issues. I have a 25 oz mug that I use for testing head retention as I never put it in the dish washer. What is the recipe you used? What do you think of the flavour?

 

[voegeli51]

Nice clarity!! Looks like a beer that I would like to drink!!

 

[Auspice]

Great color and clarity! I hope my Irish Red turns out nicely; it's in primary at the moment.

Any plans to post your recipe on HBT?

 

[DRoyLenz]

Funny thing about head retention. The beer pours with a great head, but using my glasses at home it doesn't hold for very long. I took a case down to the shore a week ago and the head held perfectly in the glasses there.

The big difference is that I use a dishwasher at home (with Jet-Dry), and the beach house doesn't have a dishwasher, so everything is washed by hand. I'm guessing that the Jet-Dry & Dishwashing tabs are leaving something on the glasses at home that are killing the head after a few minutes. I've seen it with commercial brews as well.

That is exactly the issue as I understand it. I have some pint glasses that I wash in the washing machine, and I have absolutely NO head retention. But I do have some nicer pilsner glasses and mugs that I use when I have company that I make sure to wash by hand for that very reason.

 

[Gremlyn]

That is exactly the issue as I understand it. I have some pint glasses that I wash in the washing machine, and I have absolutely NO head retention. But I do have some nicer pilsner glasses and mugs that I use when I have company that I make sure to wash by hand for that very reason.

How do your glasses survive the spin cycle?!

 

[DRoyLenz]

How do your glasses survive the spin cycle?!

My bad...

That's hardly the first time I've made that mistake. I always screw up "sweaters" and "sweatshirts." I get a lot of sh** for screwing up The Doors with The Who all the time, especially considering how much I love classic rock.

 

[JMSetzler]

It definitely looks tasty. I'm going to do an Irish Red soon as well. I have the recipe I want to use formulated but I have another beer ahead of it in line, so hopefully I'll get to it sometime in August

 

[PorterTockMan]

Your beer looks great, and I bet it tastes even better!

I never put my pint glasses in the dishwasher for two reasons: 1) Residue from the dish washer ruins head retention and 2) Repeated washings in the dishwasher wear away the graphics on the glasses.

I have a pretty good collection of pint glasses from many different places and events and I want them looking brand new for a very long time.

Anyway, congrats on your first batch. I wish I was around to taste it. I bet it was perfect drinking that at the beach.