20 replies to this topic

[nigel]

Hey,So I'll be brewing up a red ale next and want to give it some complex flavors but also want to make it as RED (as in cherry red, not as in amber) as possible. Any ideas? I see (on the shop sites) that CaraRed and Melanoidin malts are supposed to impart "deep red" colors. Has anyone utilized any of these? Ideas/thoughts?Cheers,Nige

[3rd party JKor]

roasted barley, careful with it, though.

[MyaCullen]

roasted barley, careful with it, though.

+1or Carafa IIand a bit of Special B perhaps

[Daryl]

Search the recipe section for Ken lenards home run ale. Ken has the red color figured out. You can also find the recipe on his website.

[earthtone]

spesh B!!!the RB isn't altogether necessary I have found, some careful crafting with caramel malts like special B will get you there.before ken gets to it here's a helpful link/recipe: red

[3rd party JKor]

Red food coloring.

[MyaCullen]

Red food coloring.

surely you jest?

[3rd party JKor]

surely you jest?

Hey, it's effective, right?

[MyaCullen]

Hey, it's effective, right?

lol, yeah, and it'll turn your tongue red too!

[BarelyBrews]

Search the recipe section for Ken lenards home run ale. Ken has the red color figured out. You can also find the recipe on his website.

This.I use 8oz special B,and 8oz Cl 120 and target an SRM of 17 per ken's recipe and end up a nice red color.Definitely check out ken's site.

[passlaku]

I second the red food coloring to see what happens.

[nigel]

spesh B!!!the RB isn't altogether necessary I have found, some careful crafting with caramel malts like special B will get you there.before ken gets to it here's a helpful link/recipe: red

Thanks a ton, Earf et al., for the suggestions and the link. That's a pretty ale to be sure. I'd like it a touch more cherry if possible, but that's gorgeous. And neither CaraRed nor Melanoidin were used. Interesting.Nige

[Stout_fan]

Cochineal bugs.place mouse here and abuse buttonsAfter talking to the Coors brewer who spoke at the NHBC in Denver, I really wanted to use them to make a red ale.Figured I'd call it "Fatal Internal Hemorrhage Red."You see the human body cannot digest the coloring and it, ummm well .... passes on through.The brewer called me a sick puppy.Warning, some folks do have an allergic reaction to this coloring.

[Big Nake]

To be honest, I don't think you can get a beer really cherry red without something that you wouldn't ordinarily use a in a beer. The reddest grain I have found is Special B. But it does have a raisiny, dried-fruit flavor if you overuse it. I have never used more than 8oz in 5 gallons but I suppose it's possible to try to bump the Special B (maybe 12 oz or a pound in 5 gals?) and see what happens. Otherwise, I think you really do have to look at a coloring agent of some kind. A cherry-red color is really not natural in a beer. I do have a beer in primary right now that I made a sort of medium-amber color and it's going to have 2 pounds of fresh raspberries (that were frozen and will be thawed, blended, heated and added to the secondary) and I expect this beer to have a very vibrant color. But since you don't want a fruit-red beer, you're going to have to play with it. Btw, I made 3 or 4 attempts at an all-grain red ale/lager before I used the C120-Special B combo. All of the previous attempts turned out "amber-ish", not red. Good luck.

[denny]

I use carared a lot. 15-25% is my normal amount.

[Winkydowbrewing]

I just helped a buddy brew up a blood orange pale ale. We did 7# of Marris Otter, 1# CaraRed, 12 blood oranges crushed up and passed through a strainer. This got the beer to a decent amberish color, a bit lighter than Kens pic. Once we go to secondary we are going to add a little bit of beet juice....yup, you read that right. Beet Juice to get some more red into the recipe. Ill post how it comes out once its finished, maybe get some pics posted as well.

[Big Nake]

I use carared a lot. 15-25% is my normal amount.

I tried it once and I liked its character but it seemed to give me the color of something like a Crystal 40°L or so. Maybe it wasn't at its freshest. Denny, when you use 15-25% CaraRed in a beer, does it produce a bright, cherry-red color or is it more amber?

[denny]

Denny, when you use 15-25% CaraRed in a beer, does it produce a bright, cherry-red color or is it more amber?

Nope, I admit it doesn't. More reddish amber. I also admit I'd be afraid to drink a bright, cherry red beer!

[Big Nake]

Nope, I admit it doesn't. More reddish amber. I also admit I'd be afraid to drink a bright, cherry red beer!

Well, I would drink a bright cherry-red beer if it had raspberries, cherries, strawberries, etc. in it. But I notice that a lot of commercial "red" beers are not really that red. Again, I don't think it's naturally going to happen in a beer unless you're really trying to get that ultra-red color. Cheers!

[nigel]

I use carared a lot. 15-25% is my normal amount.

Hi Denny,What kind of character does CaraRed provide? I thought I read "very malty-smelling" or "very sweet" somewhere. Break it down for us, please.Cheers,Nige