tropical red ale

[RayRay69]

hiya guys,
I'm really new to brewing i have graduated making beers with the cans through to using the can malts to adding hops and now im going to do my first using specialty grains and malt extracts... i really like the tropical fruity flavours of certain beers and want to make a tropical red ale, here is recipe i found off google and thought i would run it past you guys to see what you thought and any adjustments i can make

1.7kg (3.7 pounds) of liquid malt extract light
1.0kg (2.2 pounds) of dry malt extract light
0.450kg (1 pound) of crystal 40 @ 70L
0.225KG (1/2 pound)of caramunich II @ 120L
0.113KG (1/4 pound) of carapils @ 5L

hops bill
14g (.5 oz) centennial 10 a/a 30min boil
14g (.5oz) amarillo 6.6 a/a 15min boil
28g (1oz) centennial 4 day dry hop
28g (1oz)amarillo 4 day dry hop

Yeast
1 pkt of Safale s04 or us-05 i havent decided yet what are your guys thoughts?

O/G 1.056
ABV 5.5%
Bitterness 18 IBU
colour 11.7 SRM

I planned on steeping the grains for 60 min at 150F ( forgive me is thats wrong as i am so very new so insert eye rolly emoji here).... what do you guys think of a 24hr cold steep? i'm not really into bitter beers hence the low IBU however homebrewing is all about experimenting until you find the perfect recipe right

Do you think i should add more hops? what other hops will give me an awesome tropical flavor?
Will i get a nice red hue with the grains ive chosen?

 

[The_Wah]

28g (1oz) centennial 4 day dry hop
28g (1oz)amarillo 4 day dry hop
Do you think i should add more hops? what other hops will give me an awesome tropical flavor?

That's not a massive amount of hops for a Tropical Ale. I've made it a few times, and usually use between 80 and 140 grams for the dry hop. Galaxy is an obvious choice for its strong Passionfruit/Tropical flavour. Pairs well with Amarillo.

I've never tried to make red beer, so I can't comment on the colour. I'd use US-05 for the yeast. How long is your lag time between pitching and airlock activity?Making a simple starter the day before you brew dramatically increases the health of your yeast and reduces that lag time.

 

[RayRay69]

That's not a massive amount of hops for a Tropical Ale. I've made it a few times, and usually use between 80 and 140 grams for the dry hop. Galaxy is an obvious choice for its strong Passionfruit/Tropical flavour. Pairs well with Amarillo.



I've never tried to make red beer, so I can't comment on the colour. I'd use US-05 for the yeast. How long is your lag time between pitching and airlock activity?Making a simple starter the day before you brew dramatically increases the health of your yeast and reduces that lag time.

I usually get approx 8-12hrs lag time before the airlock starts going as i like my house to be relly warm. never thought of making a starter for dry yeast. thats kinda why i use dry yeast as making a starter seems abit daunting to me. Is i just pitching yeast in alittle bit of water overnight prior to brewing?

Yeah i was thinking the recipe sounded light on hops as i want a strong tropical flavour. Is that 80-140gms total dry hop for both varieties or like 80gm of each hop? Im also thinking maybe motueka hops as they are supposed to be rally fruity aswell

 

[The_Wah]

Is i just pitching yeast in alittle bit of water overnight prior to brewing?

That's usually called rehydrating. To make a starter, you put some maybe half a litre of water in a saucepan with some dry malt extract to make a little miniature wort. Try to get the sg to something similar to what you expect you OG to be. Bring that to the boil for ten mins or so, then leave it to cool. Transfer to a sanitised jar. Once it's at your pitching temp, add the dry yeast. Then leave it alone for a day or two until your brew day. But having said that, 8-12 hours lag isn't a problem. I was getting 36 hour lags, so I started making starters.

Is that 80-140gms total dry hop for both varieties or like 80gm of each hop?

80 - 140 total dry hop. I haven't used motueka yet, so I can't comment on its fruitiness!

 

[Argyll Gargoyle]

This sounds like a fun recipe. I’ve got a pound of galaxy - heard it’s better to use as WP or dry hop. Would galaxy pair well with cascade? What else have I got here.. BX? Nah. I think there is an oz of centennial around here somewhere...