Radical Red

So, the day has come and gone.  St. Patrick's day in Utah was fun, though I still thin my last two in Vermont and Costa Rica top it.  However, this was my first St. Patrick's where I got to drink my own homebrew!

Radical Red, as I am calling it, is a dry-hopped red ale that with prominent, crisp, floral hop flavor and a malty to sweet back.  It's a red pale ale if you wish.  I tried it alongside a Hop Head Red from Green Flash not long ago, to see how mine compares.  Of course, Hop Head Red is a red IPA and was therefore much hoppier than mine.  Overall, I would say mine is more akin to a red than the HHR, but again, it's a red pale ale.

Overall, I think this beer is rivaling C.P.P.A. for my favorite beer I've brewed.  The Vanilla Nut Brown comes in a close third.  I received a few comments back on the VNB, and many of them commented on the low carbination of the beer.  I have rectified that situation here in Radical Red.  I used brown sugar rather than table sugar and it turned out quite well, there are no under carb issues in this one!  I will wait to see how this one ages before I decide if I will entire this batch of Radical Red in the Beehive Brewoff, or brew again before August.

Cheers!

Radical Red

Dry Hopped Red Ale For St. Patrick's Day

So, even though I have now lived in Salt Lake City, UT for almost three years now, I have never spent a St. Patrick's Day in the state.  No, it's not because of the alcohol laws, I have just had to be elsewhere the past two years, Costa Rica my first year and Vermont last year.  Anyway, a post on Reddit got me thinking last month, how can I make this St. Patrick's as memorable as all the others?  Why, brew beer of course!  So, I have had a recipe for a hoppy red ale for a while now, and figured now is the time.  As this is the first recipe I piecemealed together on my own I thought I'd share:

Dry-hopped Red Ale (Extract Brew):

6lbs Light LME
1lb Cara Red Malt, crushed
1/2 lb - Crystal 60L malt, crushed
2oz Black Roasted Barley malt, crushed
1oz German Perle Hops (60 mins)
1oz Crystal Hops (15 mins)
1oz Zythos Hops (5 mins)
1oz Zythos Hops (dry hop)
California Ale Yeast (White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001)


Today, I just bottled the beer so it should be bottle conditioned and ready to go for the big day.  Though I still need to come up with a name, but I have a bit of time.  Suggestions are always welcome.

 

My set up

 

Wort with 3 of 4 hop additions

 Cooling the wort in true Utah style

 

 Bottled, now just time to wait....

On a side note, I have also gotten into m own craft projects, all of which are of course beer related.  Anyway, I recently learned how to make my own tumblers and coaster out of old beer bottles, so I thought I'd share my most recent work.  Utah doesn't have the greatest recycling program, so I decided to take matters into my own hands, and create beer accessories out of some of my favorites.

Cheers.