Brew a Classic: Irish Red Ale

Today we're diving into a timeless classic, the Irish Red Ale. This all-grain recipe is a fantastic example of the style, balancing smooth maltiness with a touch of roasted character and a clean finish. Buy the recipe kit here.

This recipe is designed for a batch size of  5 gallons , making it a perfect brew day for your 10 or 20 gallon systems.

Beer Profile

• Style: Irish Red Ale
• Original Gravity: 1.053
• Final Gravity: 1.009
• ABV: 5.78%
• IBU: 25.2
• Color: 16.2 SRM

Grain Bill

• 8 lbs (3.63 kg) of REGEN Southern Select from Riverbend Malt House
• 2 lbs (0.91 kg) of Mars Malt from Gambrinus
• 8 oz (0.23 kg) of Crystal 50L from Riverbend Malt House
• 6 oz (0.17 kg) of Rye Red Crystal from Simpsons
• 4 oz (0.11 kg) of Victory Malt (biscuit) from Briess
• 2 oz (0.06 kg) of Carafa Special II from Weyermann

Hop Schedule

• ~1 oz (28.3 g) of East Kent Goldings added to the boil with 45 minutes remaining.
• ~1 oz (28.3 g) of East Kent Goldings added to the boil with 10 minutes remaining.

Yeast

• One package of Nottingham Yeast from Lallemand (LalBrew).

Other Additions

• 0.5 Campden Tablets added to the water at the start of the brewday.
• 1 Whirlfloc tablets added with 15 minutes left in the boil.

Step-by-Step Brew Day Instructions

1. Mash

This recipe uses a two-step mash profile.

• Mash in at 150°F (65.6°C) and hold for 60 minutes.
• Raise the temperature for a Mash Out at 170°F (76.7°C) and hold for 10 minute.

2. Boil

• Bring the wort to a boil for a total of 60 minutes.
• Follow the hop schedule above, adding East Kent Goldings at the 45-minute and 10-minute marks.

• Add the Whirlfloc tablet with 15 minutes remaining in the boil.

3. Fermentation

• Cool the wort to a pitching temperature around 68°F (20°C).
• Pitch the package of Nottingham Yeast.
• Ferment for 7-14 days at 68°F (20°C).

Once fermentation is complete, package and carbonate your beer to approximately 2.3 volumes of CO₂.