Need advice on getting a ruby color

[dansdigs]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to put together an all grain recipe for a 5 gallon ESB that I'd like to end up with a nice deep red color. I'm thinking 1 lb of 80L Crystal will get close, but others I've done with that don't really get red, just kinda orangish. Any suggestions? Will chocolate or black malt do it in small amounts? A few ounces?

Thanks.

 

[944play]

If it's red red you seek, beets will get you there. If you don't mind vegetables in your beer, that is.

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

IMHO Black Roasted Barley gives the most color.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[BlueWolf]

I just did an American Amber with Melanoidin malt that had really nice results.

 

[dansdigs]

About how much black malt do you think would be good in 5 gal? I'll be using 10 lbs of base malt, probably a pound of 80L crystal.

 

[BlueWolf]

The crystal 80 will give you a deep/dark bronze color already. Black malt (patent) is pretty intense in regard to color. I'd suggest no more than 2 ounces at the most, personally. Any more and it might start turning dark brown. One ounce will noticeably darken the color.

 

[Karlberg]

I have recently made an IPA that turned out quite nicely deep red, the grain bill for 5 gal was:
10 lbs base malt
1 lbs Crystal 60L
1 lbs Carared

 

[GuldTuborg]

You may want to alter this depending upon how much you use in the way of darker crystal, but I generally go by a 1oz/gallon roasted barley for my irish red. It comes out distinctly red, with a slight brownish tinge. If it's brilliantly, brightly red and nothing else that you're after, you may just want to go with colorings or beets, as suggested. I'm skeptical that malts will get you there. Even most commercial examples have a slight brownish color to them.

 

[dansdigs]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I'll try the roasted malt method, and I'll see if my supplier carries Carared as well. I'm intrigued by the beets, I'll give that a shot if the grains don't work.

Cheers!

 

[yogensha]

My red:

9.0 lb 2-row
1.0 lb Crystal 40
0.5 lb Crystal 90
2.0 oz Roasted Barley

It's a little darker than what I imagine "ruby" being, so you can ease up on the crystal a bit.

 

[Hoppocrates]

What are the differences in red color using a touch of roasted barley vs black patent?