RPM Red Ale

I plan to make this a Killians clone. Here is a recipe obtained from my homebrew club's (UKG) president. The result will likely fall in the 1999 BJCP 9b German Amber Lager, Vienna Lager style.

Recipe: Irish Red Ale
Volume: 3 gallons
Dates:

Brew date: April 5, 2003
Transfer to secondary: April 12, 2003
Bottling: April 20, 2003

Ingredients:

Water source: basement utility sink filtered dispenser using 2 qt pitcher, additional sparge water taken from upstairs fridge filtered despenser
Yeast: WYeast 1056 American Ale (pitchable tube)

Grain bill

	Potential sg pppg	Points per gal
3 lbs Marris Otter (winter 2-row) 1.2 lbs Pale Malt (2-row) 1.05 lbs Vienna Malt 0.45 lbs Crystal 20L 0.15 lbs CaraVienne Malt (Belgium) 0.08 lbs Roasted Barley	1.036 1.036 1.035 1.035 1.034 1.028	108.00 43.20 36.75 15.75 5.10 2.24
5.93 lbs	Ideal: Pre-boil: Target:	211.04 211.04 211.04	/ 3.0 gal = 70.3 >>> 1.070 * 70% / 4.4 gal = 34 >>> 1.034 * 70% / 3.0 gal = 49 >>> 1.049

Hops

.6 oz. Goldings - E.K. bittering hops - Alpha Acid 5.3% Utilization: 45 minutes @ 1.034 = 24.5%	*IBU = 0.6 5.3 * 24.5 * 0.75 / 3 = 19.5**
.45 oz. Cascade aroma hops - Alpha Acid 6.3% Utilization: 2 minutes @ 1.034 = 2.1%	*IBU = 0.45 6.3 * 2.1 * 0.75 / 3 = 1**
.3 oz. Goldings - E.K. aroma hops - Alpha Acid 5.3% Utilization: 2 minutes @ 1.034 = 2.1%	*IBU = 0.3 5.3 * 2.1 * 0.75 / 3 = 1**
	Total IBU = 22

Activity Log

Mash/Lauter/Sparge:

Infused grain with 2 gallons of 169 f water and mashed for 60 minutes at 157 f. I used two squeeze clamps to obtain the flow resolution to achieve a good sparge rate. I sparged with an additional 2.4 gallons for a total of 4.4 gallons in about an hour. The SG was 1.028 at 107 f. Adding 7 points for temperature correction 35 was obtained out of an ideal 48. This means 73% conversion was achieved.

Boil:

Used propane burner in garage to bring to boil. Stirred in bittering hops at 45 minutes. Added 9 drops of red food coloring at 65 minutes. Dropped copper cooling coil in at 80 minutes to sterilize. Added aroma hops at 88 minutes. Cooled to 75 f using copper cooling coil attached to garden hose.

I boiled 90 minutes and was on my way to the recipe target of 1.050 with 3.1 gallons when I had another malfunction of the cooling coil. I went away while the cooling was happening and the clamp loosened and started squirting water into the wort (I think close to a quart). This brought the OG to 1.046. This is still on the low end of acceptable for the recipe. Hopefully the "garden hose water" won't cause noticeable defects in the batch.

Siphoned wort into 5 gallon fermenter. Aerated by tipping and rocking carboy back and forth on a folded towel. Pitched yeast and mixed in, then fitted with a stopper and airlock.

Fermentation:

Placed carboy in fermenting booth. Observations of primary stage:

12 hours: 1/4 inch foam, 2/3 bubble per second
24 hours: 1/2 inch foam, 3/2 bubble per second
36 hours: 1/2 inch foam, 1 bubble per second
60 hours: 1/2 inch foam, 1/3 bubble per second
84 hours: 1/2 inch foam, multiple bubbles every 13 to 15 seconds
144 hours: 3/8 inch foam, multiple bubbles every 30 seconds

Plans were for this to be a 3 gallon batch, but it turned out a bit larger. Transferred to a 3 gallon carboy and transferred the surplus into a 1000ml Erlenmeyer flask and a Rock Bottom growler. Fitted stoppers and 3 piece airlocks on carboy and growler. Fitted stopper and bubble tube in a cylinder to the flask.

Bottling:

Washed, rinsed and sanitized bottles. Took FG reading of 1.014. Siphoned into a 2 liter bottle until 4/5 full, put carbonator top on, squeezed the air out and put aside in fridge for forced carbonation. Boiled 3 oz of priming sugar in 2/3 cup of water. Put priming solution in bottling bucket and racked beer into bottling bucket. Bottled, capped and labeled 30 12 oz bottles and a 2/3 full 1 liter swing-top bottle. Put bottles back in booth to condition. See RPM Red Ale labels here.

Results:

I force carbonated a 2 liter bottle and everybody home for Easter had a taste of it. It was a big hit. It came out a little hazy but hopes are that it will clarify a bit during bottle conditioning.
After two weeks of bottle conditioning we used this beer for the simultaneous toast at noon on national homebrew day for the brew session held at our house. Comments were, "Good aroma, nice taste."
Comments were positive at the May UKG meeting. John approved of my rendition of his recipe.
Testimonials here