Irish Red Ale Brew Day

On Sunday January 10, 2010 I brewed my first batch of beer for the year. I decided to go with an Irish Red Ale, as this one was one of the more popular styles that I made last year. The Irish Red ale style focuses primarily on the malt used to give the beer a caramel sweetness and a dry roasted finish. Hops usage in this beer is minimal with my recipe adding a slight spicy or earthy flavor. My recipe has an estimated 6.25% ABV.

I also added some new equipment to the brewery as I received a gift certificate from my sister-in-law and brother-in-law for Christmas. I added an aeration system to add oxygen to the wort as it begins fermentation. After the wort is boiled and cooled, it is near depleted of oxygen from

the 60-90 minute boil. Adding oxygen to the wort assists the yeast in fermentation, leading to more healthy yeast and a reduction in off-flavors in the beer from stressed yeast. The aeration system is actually just an aquarium pump with an in-line filter and a diffusion stone. The pump takes in ambient air, filters out theundesirable particles, and condenses the air through the diffusion stone. It is recommended to aerate the beer for 30-120 minutes which has added some time to my brew day, but on Sunday I was busy cleaning and sanitizing my equipment for most of that time anyway.I also purchased a "brew hauler' to assist me with carrying full glass carboys down to the basement for storage. The brew hauler is a nylon belt system that wraps

around the bottom and locks in with handles to make it easy to carry. Nothing would be worse than not only losing 5 gallons of beer due to it dropping but what a mess it would be too! Here's a picture of the aeration system and the brew hauler in action on the Irish Red Ale:
Courtesy of the BJCP, here are the style guidelines for an Irish Red Ale:

9D. Irish Red Ale

Aroma: Low to moderate malt aroma, generally caramel-like but occasionally toasty or toffee-like in nature. May have a light buttery character (although this is not required). Hop aroma is low to none (usually not present). Quite clean.

Appearance: Amber to deep reddish copper color (most examples have a deep reddish hue). Clear. Low off-white to tan colored head.

Flavor: Moderate caramel malt flavor and sweetness, occasionally with a buttered toast or toffee-like quality. Finishes with a light taste of roasted grain, which lends a characteristic dryness to the finish. Generally no flavor hops, although some examples may have a light English hop flavor. Medium-low hop bitterness, although light use of roasted grains may increase the perception of bitterness to the medium range. Medium-dry to dry finish. Clean and smooth (lager versions can be very smooth). No esters.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, although examples containing low levels of diacetyl may have a slightly slick mouthfeel. Moderate carbonation. Smooth. Moderately attenuated (more so than Scottish ales). May have a slight alcohol warmth in stronger versions.

Overall Impression: An easy-drinking pint. Malt-focused with an initial sweetness and a roasted dryness in the finish.

Comments: Sometimes brewed as a lager (if so, generally will not exhibit a diacetyl character). When served too cold, the roasted character and bitterness may seem more elevated.

Ingredients: May contain some adjuncts (corn, rice, or sugar), although excessive adjunct use will harm the character of the beer. Generally has a bit of roasted barley to provide reddish color and dry roasted finish. UK/Irish malts, hops, yeast.

Vital Statistics: OG: 1.044 – 1.060

IBUs: 17 – 28 FG: 1.010 – 1.014

SRM: 9 – 18 ABV: 4.0 – 6.0%

Commercial Examples: Three Floyds Brian Boru Old Irish Ale, Great Lakes Conway’s Irish Ale (a bit strong at 6.5%), Kilkenny Irish Beer, O’Hara’s Irish Red Ale, Smithwick’s Irish Ale, Beamish Red Ale, Caffrey’s Irish Ale, Goose Island Kilgubbin Red Ale, Murphy’s Irish Red (lager), Boulevard Irish Ale, Harpoon Hibernian Ale