Red X Malt
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Brewmex41
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Yes it is. Nice red color.
Brewmex41
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I had to go back and see what recipe you used. Can you share the rest of it? Hops, mash temp etc? I'm gonna bottle this one from the keg maybe I can leave one at bader for you to pick up and compare.
Brewmex41
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Do you let it carb for a couple weeks or are you impatient like me and crank and shake it? Have you tasted it yet?
DanH
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Lol. It's been carbing for like five days and I pulled a pint. I should've posted a pic but the short story is that it came out somewhere between dark gold and bronze. I'd call it an "all day drinker." There's nothing not to like but it could definitely use more special grains for a roasted or biscuit flavor. I kept it super basic though cuz I wanted to see what the RedX was all about.
It's good, but not exceptional. And not hit of redness.
So... I hear 100% leads to brown, and mine is bronze, so I don't see where red plays in...
Let me know when and I'll bottle from my keg and maybe meet you at bader or something to trade?
(I guess this wasn't the short version... Sorry for the ramble)
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It's good, but not exceptional. And not hit of redness.
So... I hear 100% leads to brown, and mine is bronze, so I don't see where red plays in...
Let me know when and I'll bottle from my keg and maybe meet you at bader or something to trade?
(I guess this wasn't the short version... Sorry for the ramble)
Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Your beer, based on the recipe you posted above, should have ended up somewhere around 7 SRM. That's probably far too light to have a real red color. Your beer looks quite red in the fermenter, I suspect that if it was more like 12 SRM it would be relatively red.
The other poster who posted his RedX beer has a fairly-red hue, but it's far too dark to truly shine very red.
I know you were told that all-RedX turns it "brown", but I think until someone makes a smash using Red-X in an amount that results in a final SRM in the 11-13 range (which would be something around 10lbs of Red-X for 5 gallons), it's tough to draw any conclusions yet.
Brewmex41
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I can pm you my number. I'll go there sometime either tomorrow, Friday or Saturday morning so I can brew Saturday. I work nights so it would most likely be around 130pm while I'm on my way to work.
from anthony over at the homebrewersassociation forums.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=18327.msg239990#msg239990
that guys beer looks pretty red to me.
heres another good nugget of info on this malt https://nationalhomebrew.com.au/beer/grains-and-malts/best-malz-red-x-malt
heres a quote from that article by the development team at Best Malz in Heidelberg, Germany
we developed this malt type to use it with 100% of the malt bill and to get then a red beer. The idea was from the beginning to create a ready to use malt to brew beer with a rich red (reddish) colour and a very smooth malty taste. We achieved the realisation of this idea with the successful Red X malt. So you should get the best results (red colour and an optimal taste) if you use 100 % Red X in the malt bill, an extract content of 12,5% Plato (ready boiled wort) and a pH of 4,2-4,5 in the ready beer. If you aim a lower extract content than 12,5% you should use some BEST Melanoidin malt to get the beer a bit darker, if you aim a higher extract content than 12,5% you should adjust with some BEST Pilsen malt (straight proportional ratio).
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=18327.msg239990#msg239990
that guys beer looks pretty red to me.
heres another good nugget of info on this malt https://nationalhomebrew.com.au/beer/grains-and-malts/best-malz-red-x-malt
heres a quote from that article by the development team at Best Malz in Heidelberg, Germany
we developed this malt type to use it with 100% of the malt bill and to get then a red beer. The idea was from the beginning to create a ready to use malt to brew beer with a rich red (reddish) colour and a very smooth malty taste. We achieved the realisation of this idea with the successful Red X malt. So you should get the best results (red colour and an optimal taste) if you use 100 % Red X in the malt bill, an extract content of 12,5% Plato (ready boiled wort) and a pH of 4,2-4,5 in the ready beer. If you aim a lower extract content than 12,5% you should use some BEST Melanoidin malt to get the beer a bit darker, if you aim a higher extract content than 12,5% you should adjust with some BEST Pilsen malt (straight proportional ratio).
DanH
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My LHBS ships, so you could order it online. Baderbrewing.com (I don't work for them; just giving you an option of where to get some RedX)
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Since I'm a cheap ass who doesn't get supplies unless my LHBS has it, and only been brewing a year, how would you approximate RedX with other grains? I've been trying to clone Drop-Top for awhile and just stumbled across this thread
Off-topic, but all this talk about Bader is making me homesick. 
I miss my LHBS...
I miss my LHBS...Lactose? That's interesting, would have never thought about that in Drop Top. Went through multiple cases of that for parties
I'll try it out, with my normal 2.5g batch size here this weekend. Mash at 150 ok? I usually do 90 minute mashes for attenuation sake. Also, US-05 I'm assuming?
Brewmex41
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Lactose? That's interesting, would have never thought about that in Drop Top. Went through multiple cases of that for parties
I'll try it out, with my normal 2.5g batch size here this weekend. Mash at 150 ok? I usually do 90 minute mashes for attenuation sake. Also, US-05 I'm assuming?
It's on the website. DT was my first all grain batch a year ago.
http://widmerbrothers.com/beer/#drop-top-amber
US-05 should work. I emailed them once about their o'ryely Ipa recipe and they literally gave me the entire recipe. Maybe they would give you a little insight if you email them.
Brewmex41
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DanH: I liked your brew much better than mine. Didnt last very long!
I also took a bottle inside Baders. They cracked it open and it sat for a little bit before we got around to tasting it. I think the problem with my beers is that its being served too cold. The malty munich like flavors pulled through more after it got a little warmer. I have my keg in a fridge with no real temp control of any kind. I think I am about to pull a pint of mine and let it sit for a bit before drinkin it.
I also took a bottle inside Baders. They cracked it open and it sat for a little bit before we got around to tasting it. I think the problem with my beers is that its being served too cold. The malty munich like flavors pulled through more after it got a little warmer. I have my keg in a fridge with no real temp control of any kind. I think I am about to pull a pint of mine and let it sit for a bit before drinkin it.
Going to brew this next weekend, why not just use simcoe for both bittering and flavor? Half an ounce at fwh and half at 20 puts the ibu's at 19 according to brewersfriend
DanH
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When I had yours, it had warmed up a little. I liked it and my wife thought it was great. (I've brought her some pretty horrible beers from trades so I'm surprised she even tried it).
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Brewmex41
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Brewmex41
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Hah! Maybe, if I don't like it then surely
My biggest issue with using Magnum is for a 2.5g batch I would have to use a ridiculously small amount that I can't measure. .25oz is easier, just 1/4 the bag of pellets!
That's true.
I am brewing a Barleywine with the ingredients from drop top, just minus the lactose. Hopefully I'll do that next weekend.
Got a reply from Widmere, apparently Drop Top is being made with Cascade at this point, when I verified that they said they always adjust to what they have on hand.
All the rest of the ingredient list you had spot on. I still think I'm going to brew it with Simcoe.
All the rest of the ingredient list you had spot on. I still think I'm going to brew it with Simcoe.
Brewmex41
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Damn I'm good ;-)
I'm brewing a Barleywine this weekend with crystal 10, honey malt, special b and I'll do a partial mash with some two row, but ill use lme for the bulk of the fermentables.
Bittered with magnum and flavor hopped with simcoe. Essentially drop top, but I don't think ill add lactose.
JordanKnudson
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So we've strayed a bit from our original topic. No complaints, but I'm just curious, anybody have any more results to share from brewing with RedX?
I brewed a small batch of RedX SMaSH, then split the batch between two 1-gallon glass jugs and fermented one with Nottingham and the other half with Belle Saison. Interestingly, the one with Belle Saison was noticeably darker after primary fermentation was complete. Both have a very nice red color. If I remember, I'll snap a photo or two when I go to bottle them and post it here.
I brewed a small batch of RedX SMaSH, then split the batch between two 1-gallon glass jugs and fermented one with Nottingham and the other half with Belle Saison. Interestingly, the one with Belle Saison was noticeably darker after primary fermentation was complete. Both have a very nice red color. If I remember, I'll snap a photo or two when I go to bottle them and post it here.
Let me know if it's similar, I was thinking about omitting that as I have no clue how to do measurables like tsp and tbsp to oz. and have no scale
Brewmex41
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I used 7.5 lb for a 3 gallon batch and it came out around 16 Srm I believe. It was a pretty deep red almost light brown color and once I realised my keg fridge was set way too cold, I warmed it up a bit. When it was too cold all the flavors were muted but slightly warner and I got a lot more Munich malt flavors. Slight nutty with malt sweetness and a seemingly fuller mouthfeel than when it was too cold. It also helped form better head and that improved the overall quality of my beer.
MileHighBrewer
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Here are two pics of a split batch I did with Red X as the base grain. My LHBS owner was pretty excited to get this stuff in. He brewed a SMaSH with Red X and I want to say Hallertau or something similar. His beer was REALLY tasty. It was more brown then red until the keg was getting near the end, after some conditioning the red came out more.
Mine is a Flanders Red-ish beer. I made a 5 gal batch and split it in two to do some yeast/bug experiments.
5# Red X
2.5# Vienna
2.5# Munich 1
1# White Wheat
.5# Patagonia Especiale` (like special B)
.25# Patagonia C35
The first beer was done with 3522/Brett. L/a pinch of my own sour mix cake
The second beer was done with TYB Lochristi/Wyeast Lacto/Oude Tart dregs (which I drank while brewing)
Mine is a Flanders Red-ish beer. I made a 5 gal batch and split it in two to do some yeast/bug experiments.
5# Red X
2.5# Vienna
2.5# Munich 1
1# White Wheat
.5# Patagonia Especiale` (like special B)
.25# Patagonia C35
The first beer was done with 3522/Brett. L/a pinch of my own sour mix cake
The second beer was done with TYB Lochristi/Wyeast Lacto/Oude Tart dregs (which I drank while brewing)
Brewmex41
Well-Known Member
Here are two pics of a split batch I did with Red X as the base grain. My LHBS owner was pretty excited to get this stuff in. He brewed a SMaSH with Red X and I want to say Hallertau or something similar. His beer was REALLY tasty. It was more brown then red until the keg was getting near the end, after some conditioning the red came out more.
Mine is a Flanders Red-ish beer. I made a 5 gal batch and split it in two to do some yeast/bug experiments.
5# Red X
2.5# Vienna
2.5# Munich 1
1# White Wheat
.5# Patagonia Especiale` (like special B)
.25# Patagonia C35
The first beer was done with 3522/Brett. L/a pinch of my own sour mix cake
The second beer was done with TYB Lochristi/Wyeast Lacto/Oude Tart dregs (which I drank while brewing)
Interesting. I haven't used Munich a whole lot before but I've heard red x is supposed to be similar in taste. I wonder if you'll be able to get a feel for it with 2.5# of Munich added.
I add Munich to my Ipas sometimes, but I have no real reasoning for doing so other than I've seen it done on hbt recipes often. Usually when I'm looking for more malt sweetness rather than caramel sweetness. I have an India red ale cold crashing now. It's got 40% red x in the grain bill along with some 2 row and I think 2oz of midnight wheat just for a couple Srm points.
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