I plan to make my first stab at a Red Ale recipe to be brewed on Friday. This is not my favorite style, but the fiance is a huge fan Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Red, so I figured I’d keep her happy. Plus it gives me an opportunity to brew something new…Tell me what you think.
Haha…No, I don’t use software. I do it the old fashioned way. I usually round to the nearest quarter ounce. I figure since my scale can measure that, why not be precise?
Awesome! I’m the exact opposite lol. A measurement slob. I plan my grain in pounds but it ends up being pounds ish. My scoop holds about 3 pounds and I just roll with it. Hops is a different deal. I plan them to half ounce increments and actually weigh them out.
I say go for it. In my next red, since the spec b is only for color, I’ll steep it in the boil kettle post mash, pre boil, just till I get the color I’m looking for.
I like your hops but I’d double them personally. Like my red with a little bite.
Let us know how it goes
Looks pretty good to me but I agree with Jim, I like a bit more hop bite from mine. Of course mine is more of an American Amber than an Irish red. I am a big proponent of adding the crystal and roasted or dark malt to after vorlauf and only sparging them and not mashing them. Seems to give a bit more of a restrained flavor.
Looks good to me Frank. I like red/amber ales hoppier too, but an Irish Red has little to no hop presence. If that’s what she’s after, I say leave it as is. It’ll be good.
If it were for me, I would up the hops. The old lady isn’t a huge fan of hops… Hence the reason why I’m not brewing her an IPA lol. I did have the Mt Hood and Willamette additions at .75 oz, but I kicked them down because I have a handful of each of those growing on the vine that I plan on throwing in. I will be rebrewing an imperial hoppy red for myself he soon for the fall. I made one late winter that was finished Simcoe and Amarillo… I didn’t like the Amarillo… My go with Cents instead
This is also my first time brewing with Maris Otter. I finally broke down and bought a sack. The LHBS had sacks of two row Briess on sale for $35 but limited to two per customer. So the money I saved there made it like buying the three sacks of two row that I planned on getting at regular price. That and the salesman told me to think of it as “pennies per beer” lol
Does she not like the bitterness of hops, the aroma or both? My wife also has expressed some “concern” about my unhealthy love of cones, but I’ve found she finds the bitterness most objectionable. I recently brewed an IPA and moved most of the hops to flameout and dry hopping. She claimed it was a big improvement. Perhaps this is an option for you as well.
I got her really enjoying stouts, porters, and reds though… Miller lite now tastes like piss… So it’s not a complete failure… She now considers herself a beer snob lol… Just nota hop snip haha
I’d settle for my wife liking stouts, porters, and reds in a heartbeat. That’s what turned me into a damn fruit beer expert! The only non-fruit beers she’ll drink are weizen, wit, and maybe saison. Baby steps !
That’s the truth! Baby steps are progress. I never mind making up a batch for her taste as undoubtedly there will be some BMC drinkers that wander by and benefit from a palate opening experience. Good luck!
The brew day went well. I’m liking the color. Even though this isn’t my favorite style, I’m lanxious to try it… It’s something different, so the anticipation is there!