Irish Red Ale
BJCP 2008 – 09D

Statistics

Fermentables

Amount Fermentable %
8.00 pounds British Maris Otter Pale Malt 75.3%
1.00 pounds American Wheat Malt 9.4%
1.00 pounds German Light Munich Malt 9.4%
0.50 pounds German Melanoidin Malt 4.7%
0.12 pounds British Roasted Barley 1.1%
10.62 pounds Total Fermentable Weight 100%

Hops

Amount Hop Time Use Form AA
0.50 ouncesProgress60 minutesBoilPellets5.6%
0.50 ouncesProgress30 minutesBoilPellets5.6%
0.50 ouncesFuggle15 minutesBoilPellets3.6%
0.50 ouncesFuggle3 minutesBoilPellets3.6%
2.00 ounces Total Hop Weight

Non-Fermentables

Amount Non-Fermentable Type Use Time
1 tsp.Irish MossSpiceBoil15 minutes
1 tsp.GypsumWater AgentBoil60 minutes

Yeasts

Name Lab/Manufacturer Product ID Form
California AleWhite LabsWLP001Liquid

Mash Profile Infusion

Mash Steps

# Name Time Temp.
1Infusion 60 minutes153° F
2Sparge 40 minutes168° F

Fermentation and Aging

Primary:
7 days @ 68° F
Secondary:
7 days @ 68° F
Age:
35 days @ 55° F

General Info

Based upon an award winning recipe by Erik Beer. This time I switched up the yeast to straight up California Ale from White Labs - slurry.

Entered into the Dredhop 2008 competition - judged March 1, 2008 - did pretty well, but didn’t place. Both judges scored it as "very good" (see below). Both agreed that a bit more malty flavor needs to be present and the beer is too attenuated, which I attribute to the yeast - WLP001 is too attenuative for an Irish Ale. The more experienced judge mentioned that the hops are a bit low for the style, the other said bitterness was a bit too high. I’ll defer to the more experienced judge here.

For next time:

  • Use a more appropriate yeast for the style.
  • Increase roast barley (slightly) and munich to bring out a more malty profile.
  • Slightly increase all hops additions.

Procedure

  • Single infusion mash at 153° with 3.5 gallons of water
  • Batch sparge at 168° with a total of 4.5 gallons of water
  • 60 minute boil
  • Cool to 75 degrees
  • Pitch yeast