Brewing a test batch today. Here’s what the recipe is:
12 gallons
12 lbs Pils
8 lbs Vienna
4 lbs cara Red
3 lbs Sugar
Wasn’t red. A little orangy looking. Added another pound of cara red (5 lbs now). Still not red. What the…?
Gonna put a smidgen of carafa special II in to redden it up was wondering if the homebrew shoppe gave me something else. I broke open a kernal and it was red on inside. But the wort wasn’t red.
That should help. If you have a coffee grinder…try grinding a smidge to a powder and sprinkle over the mash right before the sparge. Should do the trick.
Actually, it’s the perfect color now with the carafa and the extra lb of cara red. Could be a tiny bit darker but for this test batch I’m gonna go with it.
I can try with my cell phone. Give me an hour or so.
BTW: When I first pulled a sample (around 10 minutes after dough in) it was decidedly blonde. I wonder if you just need to let it sit? I never really questioned the color of wort so early on in the mash before.
I’m pretty sure carared is just a proprietary name… its basically C 20…
20° L. Provides fuller body and imparts a deep, saturated red color, particularly to red ales and lagers, Scottish ales, bocks and altbiers.
but says you can use up to 25%… obviously its gone thru a slighty different process…
funny, I was just about to say that I just brewed my fest yesterday with a small amount of carared and it definitely had a red hue to it (though orangey-amber overall) but I also used a similar amount of Caramunich II - now I don’t know which caused it…