Irish Red Beer

[Hopman]

Good evening all, I hope that this post finds you all hale and hearty!

I have just joined this forum, and so am finding my way around a bit. I have been home brewing for a couple of years now - I just buy the standard beer kits and add the conversion/brew enhancers. My better half won't give me the go-ahead to get into it fully (mashing etc...sigh...).

Anyway, I live in the ACT and am a fan of the Wig and Pen; their brews are just delicious! I would like to make a beer similar to their Ballyragget Irish Red. The description that is given on their web site (www.wigandpen.com.au/Front_Page.htm) is:

"[Ballyragget Irish Red Ale]

Traditional Southern Irish ale with a fine maltiness balanced by a subtle hop character from New Zealand grown Hallertau hops. Brewed with Crystal malt, chocolate malt and a touch of roast malt to give a rich deep copper hue.

Served at 2 4oC, Conventional Carbonated
Key Flavours: Smooth malt, muted hops
Alcohol %: 4.4 4.6%"

My question is what beer kit would I start with, and what extra ingredients would I use to make a similar brew? And how? (I have made a "Kilkenny Cream" style beer previously and it is very popular with family and mates... ) I am hoping that I am not out of line here, asking how to make a beer that a local microbrewery makes!

Thanks in advance

Hopman :beer:

 

[Uncle Fester]

Good evening all, I hope that this post finds you all hale and hearty!

I have just joined this forum, and so am finding my way around a bit. I have been home brewing for a couple of years now - I just buy the standard beer kits and add the conversion/brew enhancers. My better half won't give me the go-ahead to get into it fully (mashing etc...sigh...).

Anyway, I live in the ACT and am a fan of the Wig and Pen; their brews are just delicious! I would like to make a beer similar to their Ballyragget Irish Red. The description that is given on their web site (www.wigandpen.com.au/Front_Page.htm) is:

"[Ballyragget Irish Red Ale]

Traditional Southern Irish ale with a fine maltiness balanced by a subtle hop character from New Zealand grown Hallertau hops. Brewed with Crystal malt, chocolate malt and a touch of roast malt to give a rich deep copper hue.

Served at 2 4oC, Conventional Carbonated
Key Flavours: Smooth malt, muted hops
Alcohol %: 4.4 4.6%"

My question is what beer kit would I start with, and what extra ingredients would I use to make a similar brew? And how? (I have made a "Kilkenny Cream" style beer previously and it is very popular with family and mates... ) I am hoping that I am not out of line here, asking how to make a beer that a local microbrewery makes!

Thanks in advance

Hopman :beer:

[post="93999"][/post]​

If you wanted to try a no-brainer, try the ESB Irish Red fresh wort kit.

Colin has them in stock at his premesis at Kambah. (No affiliation etc....)

Add 5 litres of water, yeast and off you go.....

M

 

[Doc]

I can vouch for the Full Wort ESB Irish Red kit. I did it a few years back and it was great.
I believe there have been a couple of subtle changes to the recipe lately, but it is supposed to be still very good.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Hopman]

Gents,

Thanks for the very quick reply. I live Northside - so I'll try the Butts 'n Brew at Kaleen. I have a batch of "Heinekin" bubbling away at the moment - so I am not in a huge hurry - just making sure that I can get the ingredients together.

I'll use the ESB kit that you recommended. Is there any point putting in extra malts insead of Dextrose etc - or is this ESB kit one of the 3kg ones that doesn't need any extras? If possible, I'd like to try putting in some of the malts that the Wig and Pen said they used --- I am getting abitious in my old age....


Thanks

Hopman

 

[Doc]

Hopman, the ESB full wort kit is 15 litres of wort.
Add a couple of litres of water and pitch your yeast.
Sorted.

Beers,
Doc

 

[sluggerdog]

Irish Red on Homebrew Kit Reviews Website:

http://www.hbkitreviews.com/view.php?id=150

3 ratings all 5 out of 5, looks like a winner to me

 

[bindi]

Good evening all, I hope that this post finds you all hale and hearty!

I have just joined this forum, and so am finding my way around a bit. I have been home brewing for a couple of years now - I just buy the standard beer kits and add the conversion/brew enhancers. My better half won't give me the go-ahead to get into it fully (mashing etc...sigh...).

Anyway, I live in the ACT and am a fan of the Wig and Pen; their brews are just delicious! I would like to make a beer similar to their Ballyragget Irish Red. The description that is given on their web site (www.wigandpen.com.au/Front_Page.htm) is:

"[Ballyragget Irish Red Ale]

Traditional Southern Irish ale with a fine maltiness balanced by a subtle hop character from New Zealand grown Hallertau hops. Brewed with Crystal malt, chocolate malt and a touch of roast malt to give a rich deep copper hue.

Served at 2 4oC, Conventional Carbonated
Key Flavours: Smooth malt, muted hops
Alcohol %: 4.4 4.6%"

My question is what beer kit would I start with, and what extra ingredients would I use to make a similar brew? And how? (I have made a "Kilkenny Cream" style beer previously and it is very popular with family and mates... ) I am hoping that I am not out of line here, asking how to make a beer that a local microbrewery makes!

Thanks in advance

Hopman :beer:

[post="93999"][/post]​

If you wanted to try a no-brainer, try the ESB Irish Red fresh wort kit.

Colin has them in stock at his premesis at Kambah. (No affiliation etc....)

Add 5 litres of water, yeast and off you go.....

M

[post="94003"][/post]​

I have another No brainer which is good, Grumpys 'Beemish Red Irish Ale', did one a year ago and one early this year, done with the right Wyeast it was a winner.
Also no affiliations. Just lazy some times.

 

[quincy]

Gotta say all of those fresh wort kits are a winner!!
Particularly if u use the right yeast.

Cheers

 

[Uncle Fester]

I live Northside - so I'll try the Butts 'n Brew at Kaleen. I

I don't get this "Northside / Southside" Canberra thing.... Anything in Canberra is only 20 minutes from anything else in Canberra.......

(And BEFORE Fingerlickin_B jumps on me, yes, I live in Struggle-town (Queanbeyan for the curious))

Only a few years ago, I was one of the Sheep in Sydney...

Drive for half an hour, to catch a train for 45 minutes, to walk for 25 minutes to get to work......

And then of course, there was the trip home.... :blink:

Butts and Brew don't (or didnt last time I looked) stock the fresh wort stuff.

Trust me... If you want an AG result, with someone else doing the hard yards, go for the frest wort. All you do is add water and yeast.

I can't vouch for the Grumpy's version, but given the quality of their other kits, I'm sure it is a winner as well.

M

 

[Hopman]

Gents,

I don't get the northside/southside Canberra thing either - and I have lived here for most of my life - in fact I spent most of my youth "Southside". I left these fair parts for ten years whilst doing the military service thing, and when I moved back, settled "Northside"! I guess you just get sucked in to it..... <_<

But thanks for the advice - I'll trek on down to Kambah for the kit (I'll take a map, cut lunch and passport!!). One final thing though - several have said to use the right yeast. Which yeast? A dry yeast or liquid yeast? Should I just pitch it in, stir it in and/or get it fermenting in a bit of malt first?

I've done a bit of reading last couple of days, I did not realize how much effect the type of yeast and how it is used can have on the brew results. Quite an eye opener..... :unsure:

Reading through some of the posts - seems that Brewing can be as simple or as complex as one wants it to be.....

Hopman

 

[sluggerdog]

But thanks for the advice - I'll trek on down to Kambah for the kit (I'll take a map, cut lunch and passport!!). One final thing though - several have said to use the right yeast. Which yeast? A dry yeast or liquid yeast? Should I just pitch it in, stir it in and/or get it fermenting in a bit of malt first?

I've done a bit of reading last couple of days, I did not realize how much effect the type of yeast and how it is used can have on the brew results. Quite an eye opener..... :unsure:

Reading through some of the posts - seems that Brewing can be as simple or as complex as one wants it to be.....

Hopman

[post="94379"][/post]​

With the yeast, ESB recommends White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale Liquid Yeast for this kit however if you haven't done liquid yeast before you could use safale and it will still come up trumps.

 

[Steve]

Hopman - i recommend the Irish Red ESB Fresh wort too. Done it many times. Ask col for either some Windsor ale yeast or Nottingham ale yeast (these are both dry yeast - sprinkle on top and give a stir). Both good. If you use liquid yeast go the Scottish 1728.
Cheers
Steve

 

[DrewCarey82]

Since as Northern districts delivers free I may have to give one a whirl.

 

[colinw]

Hopman - i recommend the Irish Red ESB Fresh wort too. Done it many times. Ask col for either some Windsor ale yeast or Nottingham ale yeast (these are both dry yeast - sprinkle on top and give a stir). Both good. If you use liquid yeast go the Scottish 1728.
Cheers
Steve

[post="94397"][/post]​

Both of these yeasts will give a good result, but very different. Windsor has low attenuation, and is quite fruity and bready, leaving a rather full bodied beer. Nottingham is highly attenuative and very neutral for an ale yeast, and will give a very crisp beer but still with good malt character. I find Nottingham tends to mute hops character a bit compared to American ale yeasts like US-56 or Wyeast 1056.

After a few Nottingham and Windsor beers lately, I am now of the opinion that some of the dried yeasts now available can give a result as good a liquid yeast if treated right. Certainly I've had beers made with both of these, and US-56, which easily stand up to beers made with Wyeast or White Labs.

My current batch is an Irish Red (if there is such a thing - seems to me that its a made up bollocks marketing style). For the first time in 18 months I'm trying Safale S-04 just to see whether I had misjudged this yeast. Preliminary indications are that my previous issues with Safale were more problems with my brewing technique which I have now sorted. Its early days yet but the samples from the fermenter are delicious - I could drink it as a "real ale" straight out of the primary.

Funny you mention 1728 - I have a smack pack of that in the fridge awaiting my next batch, which is intended to be a Scottish Export 80/-. Thinking about it, it seems to me that the so-called Irish Red style typified by Kilkenny may actually just be a dumbed down Scottish Ale which someone left the flavour out of.

Enough rambling.

cheers,
Colin

 

[warrenlw63]

For the first time in 18 months I'm trying Safale S-04 just to see whether I had misjudged this yeast.

[post="94407"][/post]​

Was in the same boat as you Colin when I was forced to use S04 in my last batch of Summer Ale. May have been my technique last time I used this yeast, either that or LeSaffre/Fermentis or whoever they are have cleaned the yeast up and improved it since they took over from DCL.

The S04 suited the style nicely. Good clean beer (from the fermenter). Very neutral yeast character that gave good barley sugar malt and tart/marmalade hop notes. Only complaint is a slight nothingness in the finish. Seemed very similar to Wyeast 1056 at similar temps. (21c). :beerbang:

Scuse the light hijack.

Warren -

 

[Martin]

Gents,

I don't get the northside/southside Canberra thing either - and I have lived here for most of my life - in fact I spent most of my youth "Southside". I left these fair parts for ten years whilst doing the military service thing, and when I moved back, settled "Northside"! I guess you just get sucked in to it..... <_<

But thanks for the advice - I'll trek on down to Kambah for the kit (I'll take a map, cut lunch and passport!!).

[post="94379"][/post]​

I've lived here for 8 hears, half north and half south, and the funny thing is that when I lived northside I hardly ever went south, and now that I'm southside I hardly ever go north... I think the reason is this: why bother driving for 20 mins when I can get somewhere just as good in 5? I do miss the Wig & Pen though, maybe I should organise an expedition to the north soon.

One final thing though - several have said to use the right yeast. Which yeast? A dry yeast or liquid yeast? Should I just pitch it in, stir it in and/or get it fermenting in a bit of malt first?

I've done a bit of reading last couple of days, I did not realize how much effect the type of yeast and how it is used can have on the brew results. Quite an eye opener..... :unsure:

Reading through some of the posts - seems that Brewing can be as simple or as complex as one wants it to be.....

Hopman

[post="94379"][/post]​

Colin at Kambah really knows his stuff, just ask him for a good yeast to go with whatever it is you buy and he'll give you something suitable.

 

[colinw]

Good to see its not just Brisbane has this "North & South" thing My wife refers to anywhere north of the Brisbane River as "the dark side" and says things like "Here be dragons" when we have to go up there for any reason.

Actually, I can't remember the last time I went north of Spring Hill, or Brunswick St Station when using the train.

 

[sluggerdog]

Good to see its not just Brisbane has this "North & South" thing My wife refers to anywhere north of the Brisbane River as "the dark side" and says things like "Here be dragons" when we have to go up there for any reason.

Actually, I can't remember the last time I went north of Spring Hill, or Brunswick St Station when using the train.

[post="94728"][/post]​

We see the southside (brisbane) in a similar way however we call it "wrong side of the tracks"


It's like another world to us, never really go there unless it's super important (like this weekend at ross's)

:beer:

 

[Hopman]

Gents,

Took advice onboard, thanks to all - and I have seen Col and obtained an Irish Red fresh wort, plus some liquid yeast (the Wyeast - can't remeber the number, it is at home, and I'mat work at the 'mo).

I will kick this off as soon as my other batch has finished.

What temperature should I try to keep?? Also should I stir the yeast in?

Cheers :chug:

Hopman

 

[Steve]

Try and keep it 18-20 (maybe in an ice bath)....just pour in your liquid starter and bobs yer uncle (i dont stir liquid yeasts) its up to you. - have fun!
Cheers
Steve