Red Ale - which crystal malt?

[jgerard]

I was looking online today for a simple red ale recipe to brew. Here is what I found:

Frank the Tank's Red Dragon Ale

8 oz crystal malt
4 oz roasted barley
7 lbs pale liquid malt extract
1 oz fuggles
1/2 oz fuggles
1/2 oz east kent golding
1/4 teaspoon irish moss
Irish ale yeast

I have two questions:
Can I use coopers light lme for pale liquid malt?
What SRM of crystal malt should I get?

Also I am open to ANY suggestions to make this beer better.

Thanks!

 

[permo]

I love me some C120 in a red ale. In my opinion that dark crystal flavor from the 120 is one of the signature flavors of red ale.

 

[lextasy23]

I don't see why not, just make sure it's not hopped extract. My first brew was the lager extract that came with the cooper's kit. It was my only experience with Cooper's, and it was a hopped extract.

I'd use Weyermann CaraRed 15.6 - 19.3L (http://morebeer.com/view_product/5615/102156/CaraRed_%C2%AE_Malt), or maybe British Crystal Malt - 50/60L (http://morebeer.com/view_product/11409/102156/British_Crystal_Malt_-_50_60L) if you wanted it significantly darker.

 

[lextasy23]

I love me some C120 in a red ale. In my opinion that dark crystal flavor from the 120 is one of the signature flavors of red ale.

Man, that would be some dark stuff. I figured the roasted stuff would be enough for the darkness...

(how many gallons is this batch? recipe seems lightweight)

 

[jgerard]

Its a 5 gallon recipe, I will be splitting it in half to fit into my mr beer fermentor since I don't have a carboy or bottling bucket.

What would you do, if necessary, to make it heavier?

 

[CrookedTail]

Use crystal 80L

 

[jgerard]

Thanks much!

 

[Haputanlas]

Man, that would be some dark stuff. I figured the roasted stuff would be enough for the darkness...

(how many gallons is this batch? recipe seems lightweight)

I love C120 as well. You probably would have to lower the roast malts. However, I think it's worth it. I love the color and the sweetness it adds to a Red.

 

[jgerard]

It sounds like you guys swear by the 120, I think I will try a combination.

6 oz 80c
4 oz 120c
2 oz roasted barley

 

[Stankonia]

I'm planning on doing a double red ale. I'm just going with grains I have available. I'm using the following:

8oz C-20
8oz C-60
5.5oz Special B

Hopefully it turns out alright.

 

[Haputanlas]

I'm planning on doing a double red ale. I'm just going with grains I have available. I'm using the following:

8oz C-20
8oz C-60
5.5oz Special B

Hopefully it turns out alright.

What are your base malts and what is the volume?

 

[Stankonia]

What are your base malts and what is the volume?

Pale Extract. But I was thinking about making this batch my first real partial mash and getting 3 pounds of 2-row and do a BIAB style partial mash.

Beer Smith gives me an SRM of around 20, OG of 1.076. I'm shooting for 5.5gal in the carboy.

 

[Haputanlas]

Pale Extract. But I was thinking about making this batch my first real partial mash and getting 3 pounds of 2-row and do a BIAB style partial mash.

Beer Smith gives me an SRM of around 20, OG of 1.076. I'm shooting for 5.5gal in the carboy.

Once I switched to BIAB, I've never gone back. So simple and amazing results.

 

[jgerard]

Yea I love brew in the bag. I will probably never buy a mash tun, I think its much easier with less equipment.
2 big pait straining bags are only a few dollars, and my bayou turkey fryer pot replacement was no more than $30.

 

[jgerard]

So i couldn't wait to order the stuff online so I stopped by my lhbs and picked up my ingredients there.

I ended up getting black malt on accident so here is the recipe I used:

3.3 liquid light malt extract
6 oz crystal 80l
1 oz black malt (~500l)
1/2 oz fuggle 60min
1/4 oz fuggle 30min
1/4 oz kent goldings 15min
Pinch of irish moss 15min
White labs irish ale yeast (1/2 vial)

I got about 2.25 gals

It looks/ smells great and is actively fermenting! It was actually my first partial mash, I will be doing more for in the future for sure.

I won't be secondary fermenting this, but I might drop a sack in.and dryhop with some of the left over hops.

Should I use the fuggles or the goldings (/neither?) to dryhop?

 

[jgerard]

I threw in the last 1/4 oz of fuggles I had leftover into the brew today for the hell of it.

Any recomendations on how long to dry hop for?

I have had the beer brewing for a week now, krausen has dropped.

 

[badhabit]

I use 120 and a little 30...just because I like the way it tastes. I would use a pale extract but would also consider adding a little Marris Otter, a pound or maybe up to two. It will give it a real "irish" taste.

 

[badhabit]

I use 120 and a little 30 because I like the way it tastes. You can use the pale extract but also consider adding a little marris otter, it will give a real irish taste...a pound would work.

 

[ghpeel]

Jamil uses half 40 and half 120 for his crystal additions on more than one recipe as I recall. Good mix.

 

[CrookedTail]

I just cracked open a red ale I brewed 5 weeks ago.

3.15lbs Extra Light LME
3.15lbs Amber LME (sub in 2:2 lbs Munich/Two-Row malt and .25lbs Crystal 40 for a similar color)
6oz Crystal 80L
3oz Belgian Special B
2oz Roasted Barley


Here's what I got:

 

[jkarp]

Love him or hate him, can't argue with the success of Jamil's Amber-Red Ale. I brew it at least 2-3 times a year.

 

[jgerard]

I bottled this stuff up on Monday night, let's see how long I can wait before popping one open. Hopefully this weekend at the earliest haha