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Here you go Lusty - my Red ale recipe


Otto Von Blotto

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No worries mate happy Glad to hear you and your wife both enjoyed it! I'll brew up another batch or three myself over the warmer months as well, but going back to the original recipe if I can, which is the one I shared on here. Or maybe I'll sub the Cascade with Mosaic and see what that brings to it.

 

I was almost gonna say you guzzled that one down fast, but then I remembered you only brew batches about half the size of mine. lol

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I was curious one day though' date=' so I thought I'd measure the temp of the beer once it was poured into a room temp glass. It rose to about 7C just from doing that. With that being the case I'm not terribly bothered about what temp they are in the fridge - especially in the warmer months. [/quote']

 

I just did this again with a bottle of pilsner that was sitting in the bottom of the main fridge (not the brew fridge), and this time it measured 0.1 degrees C. lol Probably not too bad a serving temp for a pilsner but a little colder than I expected it to be!

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I was curious one day though' date=' so I thought I'd measure the temp of the beer once it was poured into a room temp glass. It rose to about 7C just from doing that. With that being the case I'm not terribly bothered about what temp they are in the fridge - especially in the warmer months. [/quote']

 

I just did this again with a bottle of pilsner that was sitting in the bottom of the main fridge (not the brew fridge), and this time it measured 0.1 degrees C. lol Probably not too bad a serving temp for a pilsner but a little colder than I expected it to be!

In recent months you seem abnormally uptight & intense about a number of things that appear very out of character for you. sad

 

My sincere advice, get back on the 'Ale Trail' & RDWHAHB, coz it's much more 'you'. coolhappywink

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

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Yeah, I probably have been. Probably mostly borne out of frustration at my last relationship breakdown. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hung up on her, but yeah, might need more than a home brew.... winklol

 

This particular temp testing was again due to nothing but curiosity. I'm really enjoying each beer so the temperature isn't affecting enjoyment, but I was curious. I was surprised how cold it was. Might have to raise that fridge's temperature by a couple of degrees. Will be great in summer after mowing the lawn though. w00t

 

Edit: Oh, and yes I will be brewing ales again in a couple of months time when the weather warms up sufficiently. wink

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Yeah' date=' I probably have been. Probably mostly borne out of frustration at my last relationship breakdown. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hung up on her, but yeah, might need more than a home brew.... [img']wink[/img] lol

Yep, I figured as much, but not my place to say. innocent

 

Edit: Oh' date=' and yes I will be brewing ales again in a couple of months time when the weather warms up sufficiently. [img']wink[/img]

It will be nice to welcome you back into the fold. winktongue

 

biggrin

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

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Fair point. I guess it's just, something that seemed a sure thing to last ends up a failure like all the rest of them...it's a shitty feeling. I mean, I don't want to end up like Chas off Wedding Crashers. lol

 

tongue Yeah I am looking forward to getting back into some ales. I hate winter for more than just that reason. Though, I do really enjoy pilsners as well. I suppose I've also been trying out a few new things in the brewery that have been going really well, so that's got me excited about it because it's something to focus on to forget the frustrations, and possibly comes off a bit intensely. Bit like a kid in a candy shop. lol

 

But yeah all in all I'm alright, just a bit of a rough patch at the moment. cool

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Kelsey,

 

I have tasted a couple of my Devil's Squaw red ale gravity samples, it tastes bloody amazing already! It's currently cold crashing at 0.5c.

 

I followed your recipe exactly, cascade was dry hopped for 4 days from 1020.

 

OG 1043 FG 1009. Mashed at 66C but mash in temp was a little high at 68.9C Thought that would mean it would finish a little higher than 1009. Can't wait to try this one! What level of carbonation would you advise for this style in volumes of CO2?

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Hi mate,

 

Well, that's obviously excellent to hear! biggrin Especially given that this recipe was just an experiment, rather than one which I started with and tweaked to get it where I wanted it. Everyone who's brewed it so far has really enjoyed it so that's a pretty kickarse feeling. happy

 

How long did it take the mash temp to get down to 66? If it wasn't too long then it may not have affected it much and still made a fermentable enough wort to achieve an FG of 1009. US-05 can be a beast as well, and I often find that lower 1040s OG beers tend to finish lower than ones in the high 1040s, even with the same mash schedule.

 

I think I went somewhere around 2.5-2.6 volumes of CO2. I really should write this stuff down pinched however, I do remember that I used about 160-170g of dextrose in my 25 litre batches, so it may be under 2.5 vols. Next time I'm going to up it to about 180-190g. It sounds a lot, but you need about 10% more dextrose than table sugar to achieve the same carbonation level, and it's in 25 litres rather than 23. Might even go up to 200g.

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Just checked my notes, it was actually 68.5 once the grain was in, and got it to 66.1 after 10 mins. by leaving the lid off and circulating. Had no idea how much of an effect it would have.

 

Thanks for the info re carbonation.

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Yeah in that case it's probably not had much of an effect so the FG has still ended up as expected. I normally get around the 1008-1010 mark when I brew this recipe so it's bang on.

 

No worries. I do prefer my carbonation levels on the higher side in most beers, not over the top, but just not a huge fan of lower carbonation levels, so I generally go around 2.7-2.8 volumes. It actually took me a few batches to work out why they weren't as fizzy as I wanted them. lol I guess 150g dex in 25 litres, which is what I was using, isn't a lot really. My porter recipe is the only one I do go lower in because that is one I prefer to be not as fizzy, so the 150g dex works well in that.

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This is true. Could probably get away with it being lower in this beer though as I find if it's too carbonated then the caramelly/toffee influence of the Caraaroma grains is negated by the bite from the carbonation. So I generally go a tad lower in this than in say, a pale ale or a lager.

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Only bottled last monday, but pretty much carbed up, clear as a bell, no chill haze and it tastes amazing.. Had my very first AG brew with lunch. Pardon the pilsner glass.. I thought the colour would come through it better. I guess the closest thing I've had to this beer is a Kilkenny. Head had reduced by the time I'd got out my SLR.

 

 

sbr5z9.jpg

 

 

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Kilkenny annoyed

I hadn't made that connection, its a long while since I had a Kilkenny (over 15 years) I imagine it as watery with roasted barley notes (Much like the Irish Red Coopers recipe that I brewed). Can't imagine any citrus tones from Cascade.

Looks like I might have to get a sixer of Kilkenny innocent

 

Cheers & Beers

Scottie

Valley Brew

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Been a while since I've had a kilkenny as well, so maybe I was going on the colour more than the flavour. I'm far from experienced when it comes to anything other than lagers and pilsners, which I prefer over darker beers, but for a sunny winter lunch beer, this red ale was very enjoyable.

 

Looks like the whirlfloc tab I used 15 mins before boil end did a pretty good job of clearing up proteins in the beer. In this photo there's condensation on the glass but even after only 5 or 6 days in the bottle it was very clear.

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I used to regularly visit an 'Irish Pub' and Kilkenny was my go to beer. It is very sessionable and definitely not hoppy, probably only a bittering addition.

 

I find the nitro quite deceptive. It creates the impression of more body in a beer.

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That was shot with pro gear, I have done quite a bit of professional shooting, 29 weddings, which I shot to pay for my gear mainly, wide format landscape, a little bit of commercial stuff, back before the kids came along, have n't had much time in the last 5 years or so.

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That looks like it's turned out brilliantly mate! Nice work! Sounds as if it's spot on flavour wise too. Definitely gonna be ordering some Cascade with my next hop order so I can brew the original recipe again myself. Will pick up some Carapils from CB next time I go there too.

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Sounds like it all went reasonably well there Gibbo' date=' good to hear! What was the FG on it? It probably does need a few weeks to settle down a bit though. [/quote']

It was around the 1.012 mark, which was a bit higher than I was expecting.

 

I had a few of Otto's Red Ale tonight and in amongst the citrus of the Cascade is the most prominent caramelly/toffee flavour I have experienced in my home brew.
That's exactly the same type of flavours I experience when I brew this recipe too Scottie. Sounds like you nailed it well!

Had a proper taste of this last night after being in the bottle for a month and didn't get any of the flavours you AG blokes are getting -- the slight malt character I get on the nose is overshadowed by the hops a fair bit' date=' with good body/mouthfeel (thanks CaraPils!), a slightly-overbalanced bitterness and good carbonation. Actually, the bitterness is probably the most prominent character, even after the brew gets closer to room temperature.

 

I'm not too surprised, given I started with an OS Lager kit (it's still a very drinkable beer anyway), but I think any subsequent attempts at this brew will have the spec grain bill adjusted to bring more of that caramel/toffee/malt character to the front.

 

My initial thoughts for the next attempt (changes/additions in bold):

 

[b']Diable Rouge V3[/b]

1/2 OS Lager can

400g LDM

150g Med crystal (To get more caramel/toffee in the flavour profile)

150g CaraAroma

100g CaraPils

30g Carafa 1 (i.e., 900 EBC rather than Black Patent @ 1300 EBC, since the other spec grains will darken the brew)

 

Whole hop bill revised:

Centennial 5g @ 5m

Centennial/Cascade 30g dry-hop (or 15g/15g Cascade/Galaxy depending on what I have on-hand)

1/2 x US-05 yeast

 

New stats:

10.5L batch

OG/FG: 1.046 / 1.012

IBU: ~28

EBC: ~40

BV: ~1.2

ABV: 4.9% (bottled)

 

Think I'll remove the previous 10 min addition of Magnum from my version, since I don't think it really added a lot -- the kit is pre-bittered, and any aroma I'd get from a <20min addition of Magnum would be pretty delicate and probably overwhelmed by the Cascade/Centennial anyway. The next attempt is going to end up a bit darker than my first one, but I'd happily trade colour to get more malt coming through.

 

Cheers for the inspiration, Otto!

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Hey Gibbo

 

I'm thinking that using the OS Lager can is going to make the search for increased malt influence pretty hard. I know you asked about using a different can and perhaps a can like the English Bitter would help.

You could also do a mini mash with some Maris Otter, instead of LDM, and add that to the Lager kit. The other possible variant is to drop the Crystal and double the Cararoma.

 

I find the statement around bitterness a bit different considering the Lager kit isn't that bitter, yet I don't brew 10.5 litre batches so I am unsure of the influence here from your late additions.

 

Cheers & Beers

Scottie

Valley Brew

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Hi Gibbo.

 

I'm in agreement with Scottie on this one regarding using the OS lager kit as a base, if wanting to get close to the flavours of Kelsey's Red Ale recipe. By using it, it is restricting your ability to do so in a big way.

 

Me thinks it's about time you bit the bullet & did a full 60min boil using a neutral un-hopped extract. wink

 

Own the full hop flavour spectrum of your beer. You won't look back.

 

Cheers,

 

Lusty.

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