RED ALERT IRISH RED

Nuts & bolts:

Batch size: 23 litres

Target OG: 1.049

Target FG: 1.012

Target ABV: 4.8%

Target IBUs: 30

Water:

Add the following to your water (I use water from Newlands

Spring, which is low in dissolved minerals – adjust based on your

water profi le). Measurements are for 20 litres of water.

Calcium chloride 4g

Gypsum 3g

Magnesium sulphate 2g

Sodium bicarbonate 2g

Mash ingredients:

2kg Maris Otter

1kg Munich (25 EBC)

500g rolled oats

500g chit barley

500g oat malt

200g biscuit

200g Crystal (150 EBC)

200g Cara Ambra (45 EBC)

150g roasted barley

Boil ingredients:

10g Magnum [12% AA] @ 60 min

20g East Kent Goldings [5% AA] @ 15 min

20g Fuggles [5% AA] @ 15 min

1 teaspoon of Irish moss @ 15 min

10g East Kent Goldings [5% AA] @ 5 min

10g Fuggles [5% AA] @ 5 min

Ferment ingredients:

1 pkg – Fermentis SafLager W-34/70

Brewer tips:

Mash in at 68°C for 60 minutes. Mash out at 78°C.

Ferment at 12°C for two weeks, then raise to 18°C by steps of 2-3°C per day, then hold at 18°C for two days before cold crashing and bottling. If this sounds like a bit of a performance, I’ve had good results by just fermenting at 12°C for three weeks.

Carbonate to 2.0 volumes of CO2 with dextrose. Leave the bottles at about 16 – 20°C to carbonate, then lager the bottles at 2°C for at least four weeks.

If you want to speed things up, or don’t have temperature control, then ferment with US05 or BRY-97 for two weeks at about 20°C instead.

The East Kent Goldings and Fuggles are essential, but Magnum can be replaced by any high AA bittering hop – Southern Star is a good choice.

For a local twist, reduce the roasted barley in the grain bill to 50g and steep 250g good-quality rooibos after flame out, when the wort temperature has dropped to 80°C, for 10 minutes.