So I have been gifted some apple pie extract from a flavoring company (can’t name them). So I wanted to make a 3 gallon test batch with this. I was thinking of doing BIAB for this. I want to make it a bright red or candy apple colored brew. Would I be best using RedX Malt or Carared? Or something else? I dont know what hops I’ll use either, I just want to make the focus of the brew on the apple pie extract. any help in the recipe would be appreciated
I think it all depends on how malty you want it. Red x has worked well for me to get deep red tones but in my experience anything at 50% of the grist or more will contribute to a pretty uniquely malty beer. I think carared and a small amount of roasted malt may be the way to go.
I agree with this. Red X is the only way to get a true red color from grain alone, but it has a deep maltiness that only fits a handful of styles. The color and flavor are both distinct and are married together. Red X is a one-trick pony that works exceptionally well withing a rather narrow flavor spectrum.
Unless you’re looking for a serious malt bomb, then CaraRed and some roast barley are probably better suited to a broader variety of styles. I’m thinking you’d want a rather neutral base recipe to let the flavoring show through. Something like an Irish Red Ale for a base style would be pretty good, I think.
I agree, too. I like Red X in principle, but just can’t find many beers where I want to use a large amount of it. High sulfate levels do help offset some of the ‘malt bomb’ character when using it in high %.
As it happens I just kegged my Oktoberfest today and it’s probably the reddest beer I’ve ever brewed. 6.5% CaraRed and 0.5% black patent, the base being Pils/Munich.
im definitely looking for light malt flavor. What do you think of a combo of 2 row, carared, a touch of roasted malt. Would vienna help since it does add orange which might go well with the carared ?
Im going to do this as a BIAB batch to get a finished 3 gallons of beer since I don’t want to do a full 5 gallon batch for a test batch.
im definitely think subtle malt profile because I only want the apple pie flavoring to come out. I think im going 2-row, vienna, carared, touch of carafa III