Red Ale recipe advice.

[PaulCa]

So it's been a while since I brewed and I started with a couple of kits and dextrose, but I'm going to make my red ale recipe today. It's been a while so I thought I'd ask if anyone has improvements...

12 litre mash in a 12.5 litre pot.
500g x Maris otter
500g x Light Crystal
100g x Medium Crystal
50g x Torrified wheat

Steeped in a strainer bag for 30 mins at 60-65C.

Boil 30mins (when the grain is removed the water level is fine for a boil, might need to add some)
25 grams of flavour hop - 20 mins before end
25 grams of aroma hop - 5 mins before end
(I haven't decided on the type of hops as I haven't looking in the freezer to see what I have left frozen from last year).
1 protofloc tablet.
End boil

(might need some dextrose as the mash efficiency will be pants.)

1 x Coopers Original Draught (base malt + hops)
Cool in the sink with running cold water until circa 35*C and try and let the cold break settle
Syphon into fermenter, trying not to suck up the cold break
Fill with cold water
Place in bath of cold water with ice bottles until < 24C
Add Nottingham Ale yeast.

Any thoughts?
Smithwicks / Bass is what I'm sort of aiming for, I have had this recipe come out amazing sometimes and a little dull others.

What I'm really aiming for is that malty, caramelly taste.

 

[Cononthebarber]

If you mash for at least 60 minutes you will get much higher conversion...30 mins is not long enough to get a proper conversion of starches to sugars. Also boil for 60 mins and you will get a clearer beer as it won't have enough time with 30 minutes to separate the break materials...

 

[RobWalker]

Red colour comes mostly from - CaraRed, Roasted Barley, and Crystal Rye. You're really looking at a more brown with those ingredients.

You've also got quite a lot of crystal, and it only gets you to around 8 SRM at a rough calculation. I would suggest you drop the crystal to around 200-400g max, and add about 60g roasted barley for the red colour. :thumb:

 

[clibit]

What Rob said. :thumb:

 

[PaulCa]

Interesting guys. Thanks.

I did the brew, not long after I posted, but I modified things a little. I did mash for a bit longer, I added a (attempted) sparging of the grains in a small pot, basically just washing them. I increased the boil to 40 mins. It looks like a nice mahogany colour in the fermenter.

I'll try your suggestions next time. I "think" I have a small amount of chocolate malt... would 50-60g of this cause the beer to go too dark or add a red colour?

Regarding the mash time, I did try a teaspoon of wort while waiting on the boil (grain already dumped) and it was slightly starchy to taste. Aww well, I'm sure it will make beer.

I'm out of CO2, with about 5 litres of my last batch still in the keg, can't get more till Saturday, so it's looking like nearly 3 weeks in the fermenter for the red ale.

 

[boozy_shoes]

I usually use dark crystal for my red ales, I find it gives the beer a good hue wothout making it brown.

 

[RobWalker]

Take a sample out. If the colour looks reasonably close to what you're after I'd probably just leave it at this point! If you want a little darker, steep it in COLD water for an hour - that'll pick up the colour and not much of the flavour :thumb:

In reality red ale is pretty hard to achieve without brewing it over and over for a plethora of reasons. If you had to put it down to one, regional and batch to batch colouring of the associated malts can change a little, and it's enough to offset it. Don't beat yourself up about it, just enjoy your awesome beer. :thumb:

 

[PaulCa]

To be honest the colour isn't really a big concern, and as to taste, I'll pretty much drink anything.

I would like to get someone close to Smythwicks or Bass, that caramel taste, which I was hoping to get with a high amount of crystal.

I have brewed this before and have achieved the red colour a few times, though it's usually mahogany which is fine. Some have been better than others.

This batch has fermented for 5-6 days at 18*C by filling a bath full of cold water (which drains on it's own in about 12-18 hours) and topping it back up once or twice a day. Once the airlock slowed to virtually nothing I let the water drain and put the radiator in the bathroom back on, which raised the temp of the brew to 22C where it still sits, no airlock activity. I probably won't get to keg it until Sunday or Monday night, so it will be about 16 days in the FV.

 

[kev]

Red colour comes mostly from - CaraRed, Roasted Barley, and Crystal Rye. You're really looking at a more brown with those ingredients.

You've also got quite a lot of crystal, and it only gets you to around 8 SRM at a rough calculation. I would suggest you drop the crystal to around 200-400g max, and add about 60g roasted barley for the red colour. :thumb:

Whilst I don't disagree with this, all good red ales I've seen have had a wee bit black malt in. Really makes the red "pop" out.

K

 

[RobWalker]

My apologies, I'm totally hung up on colour :lol:

Good luck with it! :thumb:

 

[PaulCa]

Well, turns out I was a little over zealous with Target hops (again!). They are so bloody strong it's an easy mistake. I used 25 grams for 30 minutes. The beer is very bitter, not undrinkably so, but it completely hides any attempt the beer had at being malty and caramel.

I gather they will mellow with time, but I have nothing else to drink.

Aww well.

Colour isn't "red", but it's spot on for Smithwicks.

I'll make a kit only brew next and then try another go at this redish ale for the xmas batch. Though I may not have time, only 4-5 weeks to crimbo.

Think I am going to write, "No more than 10g" on the target hops bag in the freezer!

 

[PaulCa]

Well, the good news is, it's mellowed quite a bit in a week. It's still got a pretty sharp hop kick, but, you know, I kinda like it. It's, I imagine like a red ale IPA.

It's surprisingly crystal clear and doesn't have a hint of green about it, though I suspect that might be hidden under the fog of bittering hops :)

I would definitely make it again, but I might just back off the Target hops 5 or 10 grams.