Red Not Red Enough

[Swinging Beef]

Im about to throw an Irish Red into 2ndary.
It tastes good, but lacks the beautiful deep amber colour it had straight from the kettle.
I suspect the yeast stripped some colour out of it along the way.

Recipe is:
5.5kg MO Pale
0.25 Crystal 40
0.15 Chocolate 450
45kg EKG
1 Pack 1728 Scottish Ale yeast
OG 1048
FG 1015

What to do to make it redder?
Its kinda a little darker than Coopers Sparkling right now.

Add another 100g of steeped then boiled chocolate or roast?
Any suggestions?

 

[Screwtop]

Im about to throw an Irish Red into 2ndary.
It tastes good, but lacks the beautiful deep amber colour it had straight from the kettle.
I suspect the yeast stripped some colour out of it along the way.

Recipe is:
5.5kg MO Pale
0.25 Crystal 40
0.15 Chocolate 450
45kg EKG
1 Pack 1728 Scottish Ale yeast
OG 1048
FG 1015

What to do to make it redder?
Its kinda a little darker than Coopers Sparkling right now.

Add another 100g of steeped then boiled chocolate or roast?
Any suggestions?

I would use some steeped Roasted Barley

Screwy

 

[drtomc]

I'm no expert, but are you sure it's not just the yeast in suspension? I've been fooled by this more than once, and found once bottled and conditioned, the colour has been much deeper than I expected from when I racked or bottled.

T.

 

[Swinging Beef]

Yeah, really?
Could be, but the beer appears reasonably clear with "chunks" of yeast dropping to the bottom of the cup I draw from the fermenter with.
I guess Im comparing it to the 100% munich Im drinking now, that is a deep amber.

 

[BoilerBoy]

I would use some steeped Roasted Barley

Screwy

Agree with screwy, also for red ales I use Cara Red, though it doesn't throw a huge red colour it helps, combine this with a small addition of Cara Aroma and it will be red with some added toffee flavour as well.

Cheers,
BB

 

[warrenlw63]

There's also Dingemans Special B. :icon_drool2:

Warren -

 

[buttersd70]

Agree with screwy, also for red ales I use Cara Red, though it doesn't throw a huge red colour it helps, combine this with a small addition of Cara Aroma and it will be red with some added toffee flavour as well.

Cheers,
BB

I also use carared and caraaroma, with carafa (or choc). havent used the spec B, but would if I had some. I use caraaroma in a lot of things...the thought of replacing it (or augmenting it) with spec B makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

 

[t2000kw]

I'm no expert, but are you sure it's not just the yeast in suspension? I've been fooled by this more than once, and found once bottled and conditioned, the colour has been much deeper than I expected from when I racked or bottled.

Could you just wait a week or two to see if there was enough yeast in suspension that it made it appear less red? If that's the case, you can just bottle it if it's red enough for you.

If you use a specialty malt with no fermentable sugars to add color, you could just add it to the secondary after you've made a tea with it. If what you use has fermentable sugars, you could still add it there but expect it to begin at least some fermentation.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Carared and Cararoma will definatly make it red

And Cararoma is aswome :icon_drool2:

 

[hazard]

Im about to throw an Irish Red into 2ndary.
It tastes good, but lacks the beautiful deep amber colour it had straight from the kettle.
I suspect the yeast stripped some colour out of it along the way.

Recipe is:
5.5kg MO Pale
0.25 Crystal 40
0.15 Chocolate 450
45kg EKG
1 Pack 1728 Scottish Ale yeast
OG 1048
FG 1015

What to do to make it redder?
Its kinda a little darker than Coopers Sparkling right now.

Add another 100g of steeped then boiled chocolate or roast?
Any suggestions?

Looks more like a recipe for brown ale - I wouldn't expect choc malt in a red ale. I would agree with additions of roast barley but very small addition only, with the choc malt there you could easily finish up too dark if youre not careful.

What is IBU with 45 kilo of EKG? And how much did it cost? Its about $90 per kilo in small quantity, is it cheaper in large quantity?

 

[Swinging Beef]

What is IBU with 45 kilo of EKG? And how much did it cost? Its about $90 per kilo in small quantity, is it cheaper in large quantity?

yeah, we like really hoppy beers, helps to pull your tongue inside out. We get it by the container load direct from Kent. He works for the Daily Metropolis.

 

[Swinging Beef]

I'm no expert, but are you sure it's not just the yeast in suspension? I've been fooled by this more than once, and found once bottled and conditioned, the colour has been much deeper than I expected from when I racked or bottled.

T.

This turned out to be the correct answer.
Thanks, mate.
I really need to suck it up more and trust the experience of others.

 

[A3k]

Have you got a pic of the cleared beer?
Cheers,
Al

 

[///]

Fellow IBU, as a fellow brewer of an Irish Red (1300l to keg friday ... ) may i make a few points.

* EBC of Choclate malt. As I found out, there is choc malt,AND there is choc malt. Some of the stuff weighs in at 600ebc, some 1100 ebc. Thats like, crap loads of difference!

* Dont over use the crystal. Use the choc/rb to get colour. too much crystal and the beer tastes 'tinnie' or 'ironie'.

* Yeast - it can soak up to 25% of introduced colour - such as fruit items

* Wait for it to clear (per Screwy I think), and if bad enough, call it a bitter.

After about, phooorrreeee 40-odd batches my findings where that if you use to much of the lower colour choc you get a muddy flavour, I use the 1100 EBC Bairds stuff. This also adds a bit of a subtle wiff to the nose and a twist to the palate.

Scotty

 

[schooey]

CaraAmber also throws a delicious red colour..

 

[Swinging Beef]

Well, it did go red.
And tastes bloody good too.
Thanks to those who suggested just waiting and see if the yeast drops out.

 

[chappo1970]

:wub:

Nice SB! Really really nice but maybe you should send me a bottle just to make sure.

Cheers


Chappo

 

[Cortez The Killer]

Are you drinking at this hour SB?

I supposed an Irish Rd is almost a breakfast food...

 

[Swinging Beef]

Are you drinking at this hour SB?

I supposed an Irish Rd is almost a breakfast food...

Sadly, no.
That photo was taken last night under a white fluro tube in the kitchen.
Took me this long to work out how to get fluffin fotos out of my fone!