18 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

I filtered some water and measured out my grains for this. I have not made a red lager in a long time and now with 2124 up & running in my brewery, it's time. The temps have been cold enough where I have to try to brew anytime it's warm enough. Tomorrow is supposed to be a high of 37° so I may work late tonight and try to get this in tomorrow. It's a "new" approach to getting a red beer:

Red Lager

7 lbs Malteurop 2-row base malt
2 lbs Best Malz Dark Munich (9-12°L)
4 ounces Special B
4 ounces Thomas Fawcett & Sons Dark British Crystal #2 (about 95L)
.75 oz German Carafa Special III
.35 oz Magnum pellets @ 14.7% for 60 (about 20 IBUs)
1 ounce Spalt pellets 3.2% for 10
1 ounce Hallertau pellets 3.2% for 5
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager Yeast

OG: 1.052, FG: 1.012, SRM: 14, IBU: 30, ABV: 5.0%

All filtered tap water, balanced water profile, mash around 150° single infusion for 60 minutes. This is the type of beer I would use standard 2-row base malt on as opposed to using pilsner. I'm not sure anyone would be able to tell the difference with everything else in there and this Malteurop base malt is not deep & full... it's relatively middle-of-the-road. This is close to my Home Run Red Lager recipe where 830 might ordinarily be used. The 2124 should stand in nicely. Cheers.

[Poptop]

Happy new year Ken! Nice bill. Keep us posted on the progress and post a red pic. When I saw your post I got psyched cause I have 10 lbs of Red-X on the way for a second go at my Red-X Alt. Came out awesome first round.

Cheers BeerAmigo!!!

[Big Nake]

I do have a small amount of RedX left and it's slated for a sort of Czech Amber Lager kind of thing. The all-RedX Red Ale I made was indeed very red but I don't have enough for this batch. Mmm, a RedX altbier sounds great.

[SchwanzBrewer]

What kind of flavor profile are you expecting with that malt bill, raisony/toffee/gram cracker?

[Big Nake]

I have always liked a red lager or red ale to have more of a "carmelly" profile as opposed to a "roasty" one. I don't think that there will be much in the way of raisin. I have used double that amount of Special B without getting too raisin-like but I also may have a high threshold for it. Toffee/caramel is possible from both the british crystal and the special b. It's possible that the small amount of Carafa Special III will add a smidge of roastiness but in any beer I make with Carafa Special III, the roastiness fades and the character of the Carafa just becomes a part of the overall beer... and I have used 3-4 ounces in 5 gallons and here it's under an ounce. I expect the flavor profile to be "clean" because it's a lager. This is why the specialty grains are in such small percentages. I wanted to get color and some character but use as little specialty grains as possible. Btw, I ended up making this beer starting at about 4pm today. The kettle is sitting in ice water chilling down to 50° as I type. 2124 is about to be pitched. Cheers.

[neddles]

That Fawcett C85 you're using has an awesome deep caramel/toffee flavor. It's a great specialty malt IMO (N=1) I used 10oz/6gallons in an ESB I made paired with some Rahr Pale Ale and that was the signature flavor I played against some late EKG and Willamette. I loved it.  I have to think the TF alone at 4oz. would be very subtle can't say much for how it would come across with the Special B... but as you've shown it will be red.

[Big Nake]

That Fawcett C85 you're using has an awesome deep caramel/toffee flavor. It's a great specialty malt IMO (N=1) I used 10oz/6gallons in an ESB I made paired with some Rahr Pale Ale and that was the signature flavor I played against some late EKG and Willamette. I loved it.  I have to think the TF alone at 4oz. would be very subtle can't say much for how it would come across with the Special B... but as you've shown it will be red.

I have used the TF&S Dark Crystal #1 and #2 as the only specialty malt in a bitter/ESB and I agree with you... it's great. I choose this malt as an ingredient in a red ale or lager because it does have a deep red tint to it which surprised me the first time I used it. I went looking for a shot of that ESB which I thought was in the POST A PICTURE OF YOUR PINT thread but I couldn't find it. Anyway, I think that the british crystal plus the special b might work and I notice that if I hold my dunkel up to the light, there is quite a bit of red in it which must be coming from the Carafa so I added a smidge of that too. The wort color looked pretty good going into primary.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I wouldn't expect roasty. Maybe toast, but not roast. 

[positiveContact]

I have found the roasted malts to push things towards red when used in small amounts.

[positiveContact]

I've never used spalt.  are they good for anything besides lagers?

[Big Nake]

I generally use them in lagers. They're a noble hop and not that far off from Hallertau, Hersbrucker or Tettnanger but they do have a slightly spicy and herbal thing going on but only modestly.

On the roasty malts, I have also noticed that once the beer is on tap and clear, you'll get some red. But I have also noticed this with Carafa Special III which will make your kitchen smell like a coffee-house when you're mashing but it all disappears later once the beer is served and you still get that RED. Cheers.

[HVB]

I've never used spalt.  are they good for anything besides lagers?

 

I have heard that Splat is the traditional hop for Alts.

[3rd party JKor]

I have heard that Spalt is the traditional hop for Alts.

 

 

Well, obviously!  spALT.

[positiveContact]

I wonder if it would work in something like a brown ale.

[3rd party JKor]

spBROWN?  I don't think so.

[Big Nake]

I used to say that you can use any hop in any beer and I suppose you can. I seem to use German hops (Magnum, Hallertau in all its forms, Tettnanger, Saphir, Spalt, Hersbrucker, Perle, Northern Brewer, etc) in lagers. I seem to use APA/IPA hops and English hops (Mt. Hood, Crystal, Willamette, Ultra, Santiam, Liberty, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe, etc) in ales. I'm pretty certain that Spalt would be just fine in a Brown Ale but if I were rummaging through my hops and found Spalt hops when I was looking to hop a Brown Ale, I would probably say, Hmm, save these for the helles I'm brewing next month... and then move over to the "ale" bucket of hops and look in there.

I actually have three small buckets in my freezer... one is for bittering hops, one is an "ale bucket" and the other is a "lager bucket". Weird?

[positiveContact]

I used to say that you can use any hop in any beer and I suppose you can. I seem to use German hops (Magnum, Hallertau in all its forms, Tettnanger, Saphir, Spalt, Hersbrucker, Perle, Northern Brewer, etc) in lagers. I seem to use APA/IPA hops and English hops (Mt. Hood, Crystal, Willamette, Ultra, Santiam, Liberty, Amarillo, Citra, Simcoe, etc) in ales. I'm pretty certain that Spalt would be just fine in a Brown Ale but if I were rummaging through my hops and found Spalt hops when I was looking to hop a Brown Ale, I would probably say, Hmm, save these for the helles I'm brewing next month... and then move over to the "ale" bucket of hops and look in there.

I actually have three small buckets in my freezer... one is for bittering hops, one is an "ale bucket" and the other is a "lager bucket". Weird?

 

naw.  makes sense.  most hops seem to be best suited to ale/lager.  although I think you need a dual use bittering/aroma bucket for stuff like columbus.

[Big Nake]

naw.  makes sense.  most hops seem to be best suited to ale/lager.  although I think you need a dual use bittering/aroma bucket for stuff like columbus.

I hear that. Some of these are dual-purpose. Columbus is in my bittering bucket but it could go either way. Mt. hood gets used for bittering occasionally here and also later in the boil. I should say that I have no issues using something like Hallertau to bitter and it depends on the style and how much of what hops I have.

[positiveContact]

I hear that. Some of these are dual-purpose. Columbus is in my bittering bucket but it could go either way. Mt. hood gets used for bittering occasionally here and also later in the boil. I should say that I have no issues using something like Hallertau to bitter and it depends on the style and how much of what hops I have.

 

I often use hallertau to bitter my german lagers.  I think they are delicate enough that you can in fact taste what bittering hop was used based on flavor.  maybe it's all in my head though.