All-grain · 20 L (5.3 gal)
Irish Red Ale Recipe
BJCP 15A · Irish Red Ale
Reddish, smooth and easy to drink, with caramel, a hint of roast at the finish and low bitterness. A no-fuss pub beer.
Irish Red Ale recipe by the numbers
- Batch size
- 20 L (5.3 gal)
- Original gravity
- 1.045
- Final gravity
- 1.011
- ABV
- 4.5%
- Bitterness
- 26 IBU
- Color
- 12 SRM (23 EBC)
- Mash
- 66 °C (151 °F) for 60 minutes
- Boil
- 60 minutes
- Fermentation
- 19 °C (66 °F) for 14 days
- Bottling
- 5.1 g of sugar per liter (0.7 oz/gal)
About 140 kcal per 330 ml (11 oz) bottle, worked out from its original and final gravity.
Irish Red Ale recipe: ingredients and steps
Batch size
Recipe for 20 liters (5.3 US gallons) into the fermenter.
Malts
| Malt | Amount | % |
|---|---|---|
| Pale ale malt6 EBC (3 °L) | 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) | 87.6% |
| Crystal (caramel) malt120 EBC (46 °L) | 0.25 kg (0.55 lb) | 6.1% |
| Light crystal malt40 EBC (16 °L) | 0.20 kg (0.44 lb) | 4.9% |
| Roasted barley1100 EBC (413 °L) | 0.06 kg (0.13 lb) | 1.5% |
Hops
| Hop | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| East Kent Goldings5.5% alpha acids | 40 g (1.41 oz) | 60 minBittering |
You will also need
Yeast: Dry English ale yeast, such as S-04: one 11.5 g (0.4 oz) packet. US-05 also works and makes it a bit cleaner.
Water: About 28 L (7.4 gal): 12.5 L (3.3 gal) for the mash and 16 L (4.2 gal) for the sparge.
Priming sugar: 5.1 g of white sugar per liter bottled (0.7 oz/gal): about 95 g (3.4 oz) for 19 L (5 gal).
Hops: pellets, kept in the freezer until brew day.
Step by step
- Heat 12.5 L (3.3 gal) of water to 72 °C (162 °F), add the crushed malt and stir until there are no lumps. It should settle at about 66 °C (151 °F): hold that temperature for 60 minutes, covered.
- Lift out the grain and sparge it with 16 L (4.2 gal) of water at 76 °C (169 °F). You should collect about 24 L (6.3 gal) of wort at 1.038.
- Bring to a boil and boil for 60 minutes, uncovered. When the boil starts, add the 40 g (1.4 oz) of East Kent Goldings. It's the only hop addition: here the malt is in charge.
- Chill as fast as you can to 19 °C (66 °F), transfer about 20 L (5.3 gal) to the sanitized fermenter and take a gravity reading: it should be around 1.045.
- Pitch the yeast and ferment at 19 °C (66 °F). The first three days matter most: if the room is warmer, set the fermenter in a tub of cool water.
- When the gravity stays at 1.011 for three days in a row, bottle with the priming sugar dissolved in a little boiled water and let it carbonate for two weeks at room temperature.
The 60 g (2.1 oz) of roasted barley may not look like much, but it's what gives the red color and the dry, roasty finish. Don't increase it: with more, it turns into a light stout.
If your East Kent Goldings isn't 5.5% alpha acids, use 40 × 5.5 ÷ your percentage, in grams, to keep it at about 26 IBU.
Keep the carbonation low: it's best served a little warmer, at 8-10 °C (46-50 °F), in a pint glass.
The style: Irish Red Ale (BJCP 15A), with its history, its numbers and other ways to brew it.
Different setup? Recalculate with the water calculator, the IBU calculator and the priming sugar calculator.
Rating recipes and keeping a brew log need an account, which is only available in Spanish for now. English accounts are coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
How strong will this Irish Red Ale be?
About 4.5% ABV: it starts at 1.045 and finishes at 1.011, and (OG − FG) × 131.25 gives that percentage.
How long until it is ready?
One brew day, fermentation at 19 °C (66 °F) for 14 days and about two weeks in the bottle: give it a little over a month.
Can I use a different bittering hop?
Yes. What matters is keeping the bitterness: if you use another hop instead of East Kent Goldings at 5.5% alpha acids, work out the grams from its alpha acids (or with the IBU calculator) to stay at about 26 IBUs.
What if my system does not get 72% efficiency?
Your gravity will come out different. Scale the base malt up or down (or add a little dry malt extract to the boil if you fall short) and recalculate the water with the calculator.
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Reference style: Irish Red Ale in the BJCP guidelines, 2021 edition. Original recipe by Hacer Cerveza Casera, designed for a homebrew setup.