Black Irish Red (Take Three)

This was my third attempt with this Irish Red recipe. We've lovingly called it the Black Irish Red because both of my previous attempts with this beer have turned out very dark. This time we changed quite a bit to try and get the color right while keeping the flavor profile as close to the original as possible. This is the best overall red I've made. It's still probably a little dark (a deep coppery-brown), but it's much closer. The flavor is pretty good, too. It's got a nice aroma, a great malty body, and a little bit of a sweet finish. I'm pretty pleased with how this has turned out. Third time's the charm, I guess.

Ingredients

• 6.6 pounds Marris Otter LME
• 6 ounces Crystal 40L
• 8 ounces Crystal 60L
• 2 ounces Roasted Barley 300L
• 1 ounce Kent Goldings Hops
• 1 packet Irish Ale or London Ale yeast (I used London Ale yeast)

Instructions

• Steep grains at 150-160 degrees for 30-60 minutes
• Remove grains. Add extract and hops. Bring to a boil.
• Boil for 60 minutes.
• Cool wort and transfer to fermenter.
• Pitch yeast.
• Ferment for 2-3 weeks.

Note: I used London Ale yeast simply because the local HBS was out of Irish Ale yeast the day I was brewing. It's pretty close in profile to the Irish Ale yeast and keeps the flavor pretty close to the standard.

OG: 1.053

FG: 1.012

ABV: approximately 5%

Until Next Time,

RHSC

Meads

Last week, I put together two mead recipes. This is actually the first time I've worked with honey as the primary source of fermentation, and I have to say I'm very excited about the outcomes. I made these two batches with a friend of mine who came across a very good deal on 18 pounds of organic blackberry honey.

Traditional Mead

Ingredients:

• 13 pounds Honey
• 1 teaspoon Gypsum
• 2 teaspoons Acid Blend
• 1 Whirlfolc tablet
• 1 package Champagne yeast

Instructions:

• Add honey, gypsum, and acid blend to 1.5 gallons of water and bring to a boil.
• Boil for 30 minutes.
• Add whirlfloc tablet in last 10 minutes of the boil.
• Add to fermenter and add enough water to bring up to 5 gallons.
• Cool below 80 degrees and add yeast.
• Ferment for 1 week.
• Transfer to secondary fermenter.
• Bottle when clear.

OG: 1.058

Cyser

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds Honey
• 4 gallons Apple Cider (fresh and natural)
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Nutmeg
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet
• 1 ounce Yeast Nutrient
• 1 package Champagne yeast
• 3/4 cup Priming Sugar (if bottling)

Instructions:

• Add honey, cider, brown sugar, and nutmeg to 1.5 gallons of water and bring to a boil.
• Boil for 20 minutes.
• Add whirfloc tablet in the last 10 minutes of the boil.
• Remove nutmeg and add to primary fermenter.
• Cool to below 80 degrees and add yeast and yeast nutrient.
• Ferment for 2-3 weeks.
• Transfer to secondary fermenter.
• Keg/bottle when clear.

OG: 1.070

A lot of these recipes call for very specific honeys (like orange blossom or wildflower), but honestly 13 pounds of honey is ridiculously expensive. My friend was able to get 18 pounds of blackberry honey for about 2/3 of the price to get these specific types of honeys from a brew store. I would recommend finding a farmer's market or apiary where you can get bulk amounts for a discounted price. 

Also, when making the cyser, I would adjust the amount of liquid going into the batch. Adding all of the liquid up front made for a very long boiling process. It took over 90 minutes for the batch to come to a boil. If you're brewing on a stovetop, it could take a while. Next time, I will probably add the water and three gallons of cider in the fermenter. Also, be aware that this batch makes right at 6 gallons. You can probably adjust the water amount if you really can't make more than 5 gallons.

I'm really looking forward to these brews. These will be great for summer and even the fall. I will update this post once I've moved both of them to the secondaries.

Until Next Time,

RHSC