Red Color Flanders

[tobbias]

I've made two flanders red in the past 10 days and neither one is red. I'm starting to think I'm on a snipe hunt looking for the red color.

first try 7 gallons OG, 1.055, 70 minute boil
4# 2-row german pils
4# vienna
2# flaked corn
1# aromatic
1# carared
1# pale wheat malt
1# Special B
1.5 oz. hops

second try 8 gallons OG 1.066, 90 minute boil
9.25# 2-row german pils
3.25# vienna
3.25# flaked corn
.5# special B
.125# english roasted barley
1 oz. hops

Used WLP 665 yeast

The color looks brown the first try being more brown than the second try. If anyone could give me any help on getting the red color let me know.

 

[Holter]

Well, from my experience you can use small %'s of Carafa Special III to add some red to your beers. I use that in my Vienna Lager to push the color to red from a dark orange.

At the same time I just made a flanders red base using the Wild Brews recipe which is:
50% Vienna
20% Flaked Corn
9% Carahell
9% CaraVienna
9% Belgian Aromatic
3% Special B

and here is a photo I took on brew day straight out of the boil kettle:

Its a bit dark, but that is red.

 

[maverick0524]

Definitely need one of the Cara varieties or maybe 10% of a lighter crystal/caramel. They bring out some nice redness.

 

[tobbias]

Well, from my experience you can use small %'s of Carafa Special III to add some red to your beers. I use that in my Vienna Lager to push the color to red from a dark orange.

At the same time I just made a flanders red base using the Wild Brews recipe which is:
50% Vienna
20% Flaked Corn
9% Carahell
9% CaraVienna
9% Belgian Aromatic
3% Special B

and here is a photo I took on brew day straight out of the boil kettle:

Its a bit dark, but that is red.

Thanks for the malt bill your color looks good my two batched are more brown.
What was your boil time and mash schedule?
Did you do a step or single infusion?
What was your mash temp?

 

[Holter]

1. Boil time was 2 hours.
2. Mash was a single step @ 158F for 90 minutes, 15 minute mash out @ 168F.

We actually fermented it with US05 for the primary ferment which was the first time I have used dry yeast in 8 years - it tasted awesome. Racked to a used wine barrel with a sour blend.

 

[masonsjax]

The two I've got going now used the grain bill from the Flanders red recipe in Brewing Classic Styles and both came out very red.

 

[MileHighBrewer]

I used bestmalt red x as my base grain, very red, almost ruby

 

[tobbias]

I don't have Brewing Classic Styles so I looked at several recipies that used that formula came up with the following:

5# Pilsner
5# Vienna
3# Munich
.5# Aromatic
.5# Caramunich
.5# Special B
.5# Wheat malt

Is this the recipe from the book?

 

[dantheman13]

This may or may not be relevant to the discussion, but keep in mind that the type of bugs in your beer will effect the color as well. Generally it's been my experience that Brett(?) will strip some of the color. For example, I brewed a clean brown ale and a sour brown ale with the same recipe, and the sour had a wine like look to it (I can provide a video if you want).

 

[masonsjax]

I don't have Brewing Classic Styles so I looked at several recipies that used that formula came up with the following:

5# Pilsner
5# Vienna
3# Munich
.5# Aromatic
.5# Caramunich
.5# Special B
.5# Wheat malt

Is this the recipe from the book?

That looks like the one.

 

[passedpawn]

I brewed the flanders red from BCS. It's the one on the left. On the right is Russian River Consecration, which I consider the best Flanders Red. Evah.

I added a lot of tart cherries and zante currants, but I doubt that affected the color.

 

[Puddlethumper]

That looks like the one.

What yeast did you use?

 

[masonsjax]

The two I have aging now, one was pitched with Wyeast Roeselare, the other got ECY Flanders Ale.